As it continues to expand fluid power’s presence throughout multiple industries, the National Fluid Power Association is putting together technical conferences at three upcoming trade shows and conferences over the next year.
First up will be Automate 2025, slated for May 12-15 in Detroit. Recent advances in the digitalization of fluid power have increased its capabilities and provided for deeper hybridization and integration with electrical and other systems on industrial machines, said NFPA President/CEO Eric Lanke. Speakers will showcase the application of these new technologies in the in-plant environment.
The sessions on May 14 include:
- 1:30-2:15 PM — Emerging Technologies and Architectures of Automated Systems with Integrated Functional Safety, presented by Linda Caron, Global Product Sales Manager, Factory Automation & Machinery Safety, Parker Hannifin. Emerging technologies have added a degree of sophistication to the plant floor. Collective wiring has migrated to networked communication. Different topologies can be used to connect devices such as IO-Link. The integration of safety circuits both hardwired and over network bring about new challenges. The session will explore the integration of emerging technology and the expansion of functional safety to fluid power components.
- 2:30-3:15 PM — Pneumatic Operational Improvement via Digitalization, presented by Frank Latino, Product Manager, Festo. Leveraging digital technologies such as digital communications, machine learning, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and Edge Computing can improve the operation of pneumatic systems. Specifically, the maintenance process, energy consumption, and machine safety. Machines must be digitally connected to access data from smart devices to achieve this. The basis will be on Ethernet and IO-Link. He will touch on performance characteristics such as speed, capacity, and security and will then look at use cases that will provide benefits to machine builders, including networked safety, sustainability, and predictive analysis.
- 3:30-4:15 PM — The Electrification of Industrial Hydraulics – A Glimpse into the Future (Now), presented by Christopher Parisse, Senior Controls Product Engineer, Bosch Rexroth. When you think about traditional hydraulic systems, the first thing that may come to mind is a loud energy hogging oily solution. These types of machines are a thing of the past thanks to the harmony of electrification with hydraulic systems. This transition is driven by advancements in hydraulic motion control, variable speed drives and clever system design, enabling the replacement of conventional hydraulic components with electro-hydraulic alternatives. Electrified hydraulic systems offer benefits such as improved energy efficiency, reduced emissions, lower maintenance requirements, and enhanced system controllability. He will discuss the integration of VFDs and servo drives in hydraulic applications, a different concept of a hydraulic power unit, and the benefits of power density with hydraulics.
Get more information and register at automateshow.com/conference.
Next, in addition to encouraging companies to exhibit, NFPA will once again present a Hydraulics Technology Conference at iVT Expo USA 2025, to be held August 20-21 in Chicago. iVT EXPO is focused on all types of industrial and off-highway vehicles, with exhibits that are highly focused on key technologies, including new powertrains, electric and hybrid systems, control systems, sensors, and autonomous technologies. With hydraulics serving as a key enabling technology for these vehicles and many of these systems, iVT EXPO is a platform for growth and expansion of hydraulics.
NFPA is planning a two-day conference. Proposals have been submitted and are under review. Topics could include any of the following:
- Hydraulic system designs, architectures, and products optimized for performance on off-highway vehicles with electrified powertrains
- Thermal management strategies for hydraulically-actuated, electrified off-highway vehicles
- Improvements in hydraulic system efficiency, especially those that help to increase battery life on electrified off-highway vehicles
- Strategies for reducing the volume and harshness of hydraulic noise on electrified off-highway vehicles
- Hydraulic data collection and utilization strategies that provide system or machine-level performance improvements
- Hydraulic systems that operate in partial or fully autonomous modes
- Cutting-edge research innovations that may change the use or application of fluid power technologies
And last, but not least, The NFPA will co-locate an advanced hydraulics conference for off-highway vehicle and other fluid power engineers at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026, March 3-7, 2026, in Las Vegas. A call for papers will be issued later this year and will include topics similar to those suggested for iVT Expo.
Visit NFPA.com for more details.
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