When you think of engineering brawn, hydraulic cylinders are probably what come to mind. These linear actuators can range from smaller than your arm to gargantuan devices found on excavators, ships, oil rigs and mining trucks. But whatever the size, it’s important to select the correct hydraulic cylinder for your application. Following are some tips […]
Mobile Hydraulics Blog
Manufacturing matters: U.S. upward, Europe downward?
News on the domestic manufacturing front has been largely positive the past couple of weeks. I was impressed by a couple of articles (one by Politico, the other by the Washington Post) that tried to get past the partisan divides that have come to define Washington and focus on why manufacturing is so critical. And […]
Where did those manufacturing jobs go?
Thankfully, we’re well past the election season of 2012. It seems like one of the biggest buzzwords of the campaign was manufacturing. As in jobs. Look up some different sources online and you can find plenty of disturbing statistics about American manufacturing: • 6.4 million manufacturing jobs have been lost in the past 20 years […]
Manufacturing matters: Made in America again?
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a name occasionally bantered about as a future VP or Presidential candidate for the Democrats, has been pushing her “Made in America Manufacturing Act” piece of legislation, which would center around competitive low interest loans for manufacturers looking to expand their facilities or build new ones, with a focus on […]
Checking out Bosch Rexroth’s new hydraulic filter app
Just finished playing with the newest fluid power iPhone app, a nicely done program from Bosch Rexroth that allows customers to cross reference and replace their existing hydraulic filter elements with a corresponding Rexroth filter. Called Fit4Filter, the app worked flawlessly on my iPhone 4, and is also offered for Android devices. Rexroth notes that […]
Top mobile hydraulic stories of 2012
2012 saw continued improvement in mobile hydraulic systems—with a huge focus on energy efficiency. With the TIER IV final regulations coming on board in 2014, equipment manufacturers have been busy redesigning their hydraulic systems to meet the stringent new requirements—which, of course, include increased overall efficiency. Here is a rundown of some of the more […]
Ten reasons to hate metric units
Reader Jim Tahler, a Senior Engineer with Rolls-Royce Instrumentation & Controls in Chattanooga—and more importantly, a fellow Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech—was intrigued by my recent opinion piece on the Imperial vs. Metric System. He wasn’t alone, either. At last glance, there were more than 50 comments on the story, making it one of the […]
Manufacturing matters: Where will Apple land?
Watch for municipalities and states to start raising their hands in earnest to lure Apple’s actual manufacturing operations to their backyard.
Manufacturer insight: IFH Group
The IFH Group was established in 1945 as King’s Weld Shop of Rock Falls, Ill., a small weld repair shop. It was incorporated in 1966 as J. L. King Co. Inc., taking on fabrication work. As the company grew, its name was changed to Sauk Valley Equipment Co. The balance of the building where the […]
Manufacturer insight: Continental Hydraulics
In operation since 1962, Continental Hydraulics is a manufacturer of hydraulic pumps, valves and power units used in some of the most hostile environments imaginable—most recently 5000-ft. under the sea, to help the BP oil spill effort in the Gulf of Mexico. The company formerly operated as a division of Continental Machine Inc., whose parent […]
