Purdue University’s Maha Fluid Power Research Center will host the 2026 International Maha Fluid Power Conference September 8 to 10, bringing some of the finest minds in fluid power together for two days to to network, exchange ideas, and present recent research trends in fluid power and motion control technologies and their applications to mobile, aerospace, and industrial applications. The conference will include technical presentations, keynote lectures, and social events. There will also be an expo to display latest components and applications of latest actuation technologies.
Andrea Vacca, Maha Fluid Power Faculty Chair, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Agricultural & Biological Engineering, said the recruiting event will return, giving companies registered for the conference a free opportunity to connect with Purdue students from different departments looking for job opportunities. The NFPA will assist with this part of the program, Vacca said.
Vacca noted that the 2024 event was very successful and despite uncertainty in the market, he expects 2026 to surpass that year’s program. “We had close to 300 people in 2024, which, for this type of technical and research event, is good,” he said “And that was thanks to the company people coming, which can be rare to see in these types of academic events. The lineup of speakers is not yet final, but we already have a good lineup this year.”
Current keynote presentations include discussions from Shawn Horner – Vice President – Technology and Innovation, Parker Hannifin; Steffen Haack – Chief Executive Officer and Enrique Busquets – Vice President – Business Area Leader Mobile Solutions, Bosch Rexroth; Jeff Herrin – Senior Vice President – Innovation and Development, Danfoss Power Solutions; Alberto Frulli – Fluid Power Engineering Director and Stefano Fiorati – Powertrain Innovation Director, Case New Holland; Jim Van De Ven – Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota; Jürgen Weber – Chair of Fluid-Mechatronic Systems, TU Dresden; Noah Manring – Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Missouri; and Eric Lanke – President/CEO, National Fluid Power Association.
Although the official call for paper abstracts is complete, organizers are still welcoming technical contributions from academia and industry on all topics related to fluid power and motion control systems, such as novel fluid power components and systems, solutions for system electrification, condition monitoring, noise and vibration, soft robotics, alternative prime movers, tribology and fluid, pneumatics, etc. In 2024, about half of the presentations were academic and the other half were from industry, Vacca noted, and he said he expects similar for this year’s iteration.
Peer reviewed paper contributions will be published SCOPUS indexed and published open access. A selection of the best papers (up to eight) will be published on the International Journal of Fluid Power (indexed in IEEE Xplore). The conference will also feature “presentation only” technical contributions, by either academia or industry.
Additionally, an outdoor exhibit will occur next to the conference sessions, and it will be open to all the Purdue’s students and conference delegates. Tents and a dedicated parking space for demonstration vehicles will be available. “We use an area outside the campus where we put machines from our lab, some mini excavators, a couple of tractors, and a couple of compact loaders,” Vacca said.
The conference will also feature the 2026 Monika Ivantysynova Medal Award. This award recognizes individuals with early association with Purdue (as student, post doc, visiting researcher, junior faculty) that have distinguished themselves for career achievements in fluid power and related industry. The award is dedicated to Prof. Monika Ivantysynova, one of the most accomplished individuals in fluid power, and founder of the Maha Fluid Power Research Center.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for participating companies. Conference sponsors will appear on the conference program and website and will have the possibility to provide promotional material to the conference delegates.
Registration will open soon. Visit engineering.purdue.edu/Maha/conferences/2026/2026_MahaConference for more details.
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