At last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, John Deere put on an impressive hybrid press conference to announce its fully autonomous tractor. This isn’t some concept machine or a test vehicle. We’ve seen plenty of those over the years from OEMs; this is one that’s ready for large-scale production. The machine combines Deere’s […]
Research
Why hydraulic efficiency is becoming critical
Given the heightened attention on climate change and growing regulatory attempts to rein in CO2 emissions, the push toward electrification of mobile equipment is gaining momentum. Mobile OEMs are in the infancy of a major transformation toward electric-powered systems, but success in large part hinges on more-efficient fluid power systems. Why does hydraulic efficiency matter? […]
Precision is key in agricultural machinery
The use of GPS technology, coupled with the power and precision of hydraulics, ensures modern farming success. By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor It’s challenging to find an industry older than agriculture. Humans have been farming for over twelve millennia based on current estimates, making agriculture easily more mature than all other industries outside of carpentry. […]
Rating the real performance of hydraulic pumps
Low- and high-speed tests show that pump and motor performance can vary widely, depending on the speed and pressure. That’s critically important in electro-hydraulic actuators and electric-motor drives. Contributed by Peter Achten and Robin Mommers, Innas BV, Breda, The Netherlands Hydraulic component manufacturers generally publish pump and motor data that reflect optimal performance under ideal […]
Mobile hydraulics embraces electrics
A number of OEMs are introducing electric-drive machines that power existing hydraulic systems. There’s a slow and steady move toward electrification of construction equipment, including a focus on compact, battery powered machines. Concerns over the environmental effects of climate change have led many governments around the world to look to curb CO2 emissions. Legislative pressures […]
Novel circuit boosts machine efficiency on Forwarder2020 project
European researchers recently wrapped up the three-year Forwarder2020 project, which aimed to develop a next-generation forwarder that’s more efficient, productive and environmentally sustainable than anything currently in use. Engineers are now reporting preliminary findings from lab tests and field trials, with encouraging results. Forwarders are articulated vehicles that carry felled timbers from the woods to […]
Danfoss and ASI to partner in the autonomous vehicle market
Danfoss and Autonomous Solutions,Inc. (ASI), a global leader in the automation of vehicles for mining, agriculture, and construction, have signed an agreement for a strategic partnership to collaborate on autonomous technology for mobile equipment applications and adjacent markets. With the strategic partnership, ASI and Danfoss will align the strengths of the two companies working toward […]
APAC is now top region for mobile hydraulic sales
A growing share of agricultural vehicle production and a shrinking captive market has crowned APAC the top region for mobile hydraulic sales. This finding comes after a six-month research cycle conducted by research firm, Interact Analysis. During this time, 40+ hours of interviews were conducted with industry insiders in an effort to build accurate estimates […]
CCEFP announces new funded research projects
The CCEFP has announced it will fund two research projects from that were recently submitted after a call for proposals during this Spring. In all, 11 proposals were submitted from eight different research institutions. “The CCEFP is committed to grow our research portfolio by engaging industry members, exploring new federal funding opportunities and collaborations with the […]
Decentralized hydraulics for micro excavators
Environmental restrictions and economic pressures have spurred greater interest in hybrid and electric off-road mobile machinery. According to researchers Tatiana Minav, Matti Pietola and Shuzhong Zhang of Aalto University in Espoo, Finland, in addition to well-established methods for energy saving in hydraulic systems, a promising concept is zonal or decentralized hydraulics—an approach first pioneered in […]
