You’ll have to excuse my shade of indigo. I’m not sure if it’s more Smurf or Na’vi, but back when I first started writing about fluid power, I promised I’d talk about fluid conditioning until I’m blue in the face. I’ll live with the odd skin tone, because fluid conditioning is still one of […]
Mobile Hydraulics Blog
Follow coverage of NI Week 2015 via CoveritLive
The Design World editorial team will be curating some great content on NI Week 2015, and you can follow it here all week! Live Blog NI Week 2015
NI Week 2015 looks to be a very busy 4 days
NI Week is one of my favorite events of the year—in spite of the heat and humidity in Austin, there is always so much to learn and experience. There’s great networking, for sure, but the engineer in me loves to watch the keynotes, sit in on the technical sessions, and wander the show floor to see […]
Next up: CCEFP’s & NFPA’s Fluid Power Innovation & Research Conference
The Fluid Power Innovation & Research Conference (FPIRC), grown out of a partnership between the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) and the the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP), is becoming one of best places in the world to learn about the latest fluid power R&D. For years, I’ve said that the U.S. needs […]
What is laminar flow?
A fluid is unique in its capacity to be, well … fluid. A solid is solid because its molecules enjoy staying put. A granite molecule joins hands with its molecular friends, where they have to stare at each other for millions, if not billions of years. Fluid molecules—remember that gases and liquids are both fluids—are […]
Technology Tuesdays Podcast: Jeff Herrin of Danfoss
Design World has launched Technology Tuesdays Podcasts in 2015, and the latest episode focuses on the business of fluid power and industrial distribution. Click below to listen to Design World Editorial Director Paul J. Heney chat with Danfoss Vice President of R&D Jeff Herrin. They discuss everything from the integration of electronics into hydraulic components to […]
How to maintain hydraulic system safety
What does it mean to be safe with hydraulics? Hydraulics is just a form of force transfer, and is often not unique to the mechanical systems. For example, many hydraulic operations can be achieved with drives, gears, belts or electric motors. Safe hydraulics involves the consideration of a safe machine, first and foremost, and this […]
What manufacturing can learn from Thailand
Earlier this month, I was part of a journalist delegation to Thailand, the Southeast Asian country that’s probably known more for tourism than industrial engineering prowess. But after a week of touring manufacturing facilities that included such international heavyweights as Caterpillar and Nissan, I left with a new mindset for how industry needs to succeed […]
What is wet oil and how can you combat it?
Is there such a thing as wet oil? In the early days of middle school science class, we are taught how water and oil do not mix. You could add pretty much any oil to a beaker of water, and no manner of stirring or swirling could get it to stay mixed for more than […]
What I would tell a freshman engineering student
So it’s your first year of university, and you’ve chosen to get your degree in engineering. Good choice. According to Payscale.com, the top 8 out of 10 highest paying undergraduate degrees are in engineering. The world is advancing towards our technological future at an exponentially increasing rate, and we owe this to the fields of […]