Several fluid power training companies and organizations are offering their training programs free-of-charge during the COVID-19 crisis, where most employees, unless deemed essential, are either working remotely or not at all.
YouTube Live
First up, Fluid Power World has teamed up with the experts at LunchBoxSessions.com to bring you free YouTube Live training sessions at 2 p.m. EDT on Tuesdays, in which Carl Dyke uses operating cutaways and his popular Live Schematics to bring hydraulic valves to life.
Today, Tuesday April 14: Proportional Directional Valves Part I — Dyke was live in-camera, where he used an operating cutaway of a single stage, electro-hydraulic proportional valve, a fully operational hydraulic circuit with all electronics, and some simulations to boot. He introduced some basic functions and a few troubleshooting tips as well. The video can be seen at https://bit.ly/3ekXPSU.
Tuesday April 28: Pilot Pressure Control Valves and Systems — Dyke will have a working, manual pilot control stick and a fully operational, electrohydraulic pilot pressure system from a mining shovel. You’ll experience some intricate 3D simulations and learn some troubleshooting tips!
Attendees can interact throughout the live video by logging into their Google or YouTube account. Questions and comments can be posed to Dyke this way.
Visit lunchboxsessions.com on the Monday before the live sessions to obtain the live video link. New topics will be launched each month.
Engineering Adventures across the pond
Engineering Adventures, a U.K.-based hydraulic training resource, is offering sessions to help businesses emerge stronger from this difficult time of remote working and social distancing.
Much of the company’s basic fluid power training is now free and Gary Molton BSc, Owner of Engineering Adventures, said he has just released a new industrial power unit training project at www.e4training.com/hydraulic_projects/tanksize1.php that will also be free until lockdown ends.
“e4training.com includes virtual hydraulic test rigs, which let people experiment, in safety, by operating realistic simulations of actual components, circuits and hydraulic systems. The website provides a valuable training resource for all abilities from beginners to experts,” Molton said. “It includes a range of specialist ‘home working’ lesson plans for salespeople, managers, fitters or maintenance engineers. It also benefits from bite size tutorials, instructional videos, circuit builder software, visual calculators, reference information, troubleshooting and design guides.”
Molton said discounts will be available for companies who sign up three or more people to the courses when the free promotion ends.
Features of the training website besides the virtual hydraulic test rig include hydraulic circuit builder, hydraulic troubleshooting, system checking calculators, design guides and part reference solutions, a phone app which doesn’t require WiFi, and more.
Visit www.e4training.com for more information.
IFPS courses free of charge
The International Fluid Power Society (IFPS) is offering free resources to its membership to help with their learning requirements as they work towards certification. One new initiative is free online study groups, led by an accredited instructor, for anyone preparing to take the Hydraulic or Pneumatic Specialist Certification Test.
Upcoming study groups include:
April 21 — Understand the difference between isothermal and adiabatic conditions
April 21 — Understand the purposes of the accumulator
April 23 — Calculate the kinetic energy required to stop a load with a shock absorber
Upcoming free educational webinars include:
April 22 — High-Pressure Hydraulics, presented by Josh Cosford, Higginson Equipment Inc.
June 17 — Selecting and Sizing Accumulators, presented by John Bibaeff, PE, CFPAI
Archived study groups and webinars are also available for members.
Visit ifps.org for more details and to register.
Filed Under: News, Valves & Manifolds
