The other day, I smelt burning in my house and figured my husband’s soup bubbled over and cooked on the stovetop. But when he asked, “What’s that smell?” I knew we were in trouble.
We followed the scent like hound dogs and traced it to the washing machine, where the laundry had congregated on one side of the bowl during the spin cycle. My brain registered electrical burning, and I immediately shut off the machine. There was no error code, the equipment troubleshooting guide was unhelpful, and we couldn’t find a technical drawing anywhere online. “Let’s remove the back panel and figure this out,” I decided.
My gut said the motor overheated and needed time to cool down. But with due diligence, we went through other possibilities, such as inspecting the pump filter. Instead of calling it in, we secured the back panel and crossed our fingers that our intuition was right. (Who wants to spend money on technicians who will likely perform a magical unplug-plugin trick to get the thing working again?)
Our assumptions seemed correct. After an hour, we tested the machine, and it was back to normal. Of course, it got me thinking about how often this type of event goes unnoticed in industry (and how much longer my washer will last). Parts and systems glitch or fail, and workers must make judgment calls to balance productivity with maintenance and cost.
That’s where trends such as big data, digital transformation, and Industry 4.0 (or even 5.0) come into play. Collecting real-time information from equipment can empower workers to leverage their expertise while letting machine-learning algorithms detect patterns, plan maintenance, and alert personnel. And chatbots can be friendly assistants to help workers troubleshoot with accurate schematics and visual guides.
Though more solutions emerge to enable people with data and artificial intelligence, I have yet to hear as many implementation success stories as I do cautionary tales wrought with concern. Plus, we’re still dealing with a fundamental dilemma that’s been plaguing hydraulics since its inception.
In Fluid Power World’s April 2024 issue, we focus on the glaring leakage problem that persists despite advancements in intelligent technology. Veteran professionals agree that leakage remains a curse and is more important to solve than ever. Fluid loss is costly and terrible for the environment, making a strong case for electric alternatives.
So, what’s the root cause? After decades of improved components and system design, why is leakage cringingly accepted as “just part of fluid power”? As you’ll read in Paul’s feature story, experts weigh in on some of the underlying reasons we’re caught in this spin cycle and how the industry can do better. Though some outlooks are bleak, other folks are steadfastly optimistic and share insight on what’s lacking. (Hint: it’s about intelligence, but not the artificial kind.) We hope this issue sparks conversation, and we welcome your feedback on this persistent problem.
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