NFPA and the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) invite both industry and academic researchers to submit a short abstract of their work for consideration as a presentation at the next Fluid Power Innovation and Research Conference (FPIRC), which will be held October 10-12, 2016, at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis in Minneapolis, Minnesota. […]
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Get more out of your industry associations
I’m fortunate to attend a lot of conferences and conventions put on by industry associations. These events are not only great networking opportunities, but they allow attendees to learn more about niches of their industry, as well as gain 30,000-ft views of things like engineering design trends and economic factors that are affecting their business. […]
The future of fluid power and mobile equipment
To gain perspective on the trends and innovations at this year’s Bauma fair, we had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Bertram Hoffmann, member of the executive board of Bosch Rexroth and president of the company’s business unit for mobile applications. Here are his views on trends in fluid power and mobile equipment, and how […]
Hunter on other parts of the globe
Sarah Hunter of Oxford Economics painted a less-than-rosy picture at the recent NFPA Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas. In Part 1, we looked at the U.S.’s outlook. Here’s a recap of some of what she shared with the audience of fluid power manufacturers, distributors and users as to the rest of the globe. • […]
Few bright spots for 2016 from economist
Sarah Hunter of Oxford Economics painted a less-than-rosy picture at the recent NFPA Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Here’s a recap of some of what she shared with the audience of fluid power manufacturers, distributors and users. • Growth in the global economy has been barely greater than 2%, which is the slowest growth […]
Where are telescopic cylinders used?
Telescopic cylinders are used in applications requiring long stroke but a short retracted length. The most common telescopic cylinder application is dump beds or trailers. They can fit between the frame rails of the chassis, but can extend far enough to dump even the longest beds. Telescopic cylinders use nested barrels, each like both a […]
NFPA to take handlebars of Chainless Challenge
The annual Chainless Challenge was held in Irvine, Calif. last month, inspiring eight teams of college engineering students to redesign a traditional bicycle using hydraulics as the mode of power transmission. The Challenge was started and supported by Parker Hannifin in 2006, and the NFPA is becoming involved—and will manage (and broaden) the program in […]
Danfoss offers PLUS+1 mobile machine displays
PLUS+1 mobile machine displays, including our new DP730 and DP570, are designed to provide superior durability in demanding conditions. Danfoss is pleased to offer a robust selection of PLUS+1 mobile machine displays optimized to excel in the most extreme mobile machine environments, including the new DP730 featuring a larger-size touchscreen-only display and the existing DP570 […]
Challenging college students to love hydraulics
This week, I had the good fortune to attend the Chainless Challenge, one of the most creative design competitions you’re likely to find. A decade ago, some Parker Hannifin engineers came up with the idea of challenging college engineering students to design a hydraulic bicycle. Basically, students have to strip the chain drive off a […]
Mobile hydraulics troubleshooting, Pt. 2
Taking a methodical approach is the best way to get off-highway equipment working again, quickly and safely. By Carl Dyke, Contributing Editor In Part 1 of this series, (http://goo.gl/Iq3cKb)we examined how to diagnose a problem, look for simple root causes, and use schematics as guides. Now, let’s get into a real-world example that you could […]