Hydraulics & Pneumatics articles from April 2007

Hydraulics & Pneumatics archives from April 2007

Soft actuators serve hard applications: simple but versatile inflatable bladders can solve a variety of design challenges.(AUTOMATE WITH AIR)
April 1, 2007... Many designers overlook the potential of inflatable bladders for actuation applications, but thanks to improved elastomeric materials and new cross-sections, the niche for bladder-type actuators is expanding. Today's inflatable actuators...

Swing clamp loads and unloads with ease.
April 1, 2007... During assembly automation, a 90[degrees] rotation capability allows the arm on this pneumatic swing clamp, from Fabco-Air Inc., Gainesville, Fla., to extend up away from the work piece, providing clearance and access for loading and unloading....

Where does varnish come from? Up to 85% of hydraulic component related failures can be traced to static discharge and oxidation related problems.(CONTAMINATION)
April 1, 2007... Many of today's hydraulic systems contain insoluble contaminants, which are too small to be trapped by filters--and too small to be detected by particle counting. This varnish formation is a serious problem that affects system operation....

Counterbalance design avoids stiction.(Design: Close-up)
April 1, 2007... Valve stiction is the hidden nemesis of motion control systems. When stiction of dynamic seals resists the start of shifting motion, the extra pressure required to overcome it often results in dynamic parts overshooting their commanded...

Educational series helps fluid power shine: event's goal is to educate attendees--on everything from the basics of fluid power components to how to fine-tune systems.(Fluid Power conference & expo)
April 1, 2007... Having a training event in pleasant surroundings is always a plus. Next month's third Fluid Power Conference & Expo, sponsored by Hydraulics & Pneumatics, slated for May 15 and 16 in Tampa, Fla., certainly qualifies in this category. But far...

PTFE, fluoropolymer sealing.(Free Literature)
April 1, 2007... Brochure provides in-depth description of PTFE and fluoropolymer materials used in sealing. It also highlights other materials it uses, including Teflon, in its slipper rings and Fluor-S/SC tapes, spring energized and compressor seals, valve...

Oil coolers.(Free Literature)
April 1, 2007... Hydraulic oil coolers are featured in this brochure, which provides a general overview of their key characteristics and benefits. It shows product photos as well as individual pictures of components in the system and their form and function....

Air tubing, fittings, controllers.(Free Literature)
April 1, 2007... Catalog features 28 pages of pneumatic tubing; one-touch and stop fittings; hand and check valves; and speed controllers. Engineered drawings describe construction, followed by key features. Product specifications and designations are included...

Hose and fittings.(Free Literature)
April 1, 2007... Dimension Fluoropolymer Hose & Fitting brochure provides a photographic overview of hoses, including braid types, tubing types, specialty options, and fittings. Hoses are available with natural or static dissipative (conductive) tubing and and...

Position sensing.(Free Literature)
April 1, 2007... Position Sensors and Object Evaluation 2006/2007 catalog features 415 pages covering more than 800 products. The easy-to-use catalog highlights the following product lines: proximity, actuator, photoelectric, and optical evaluation sensors;...

Hose, cable reels.(Free Literature)
April 1, 2007... Reel Catalog includes 60 pages of industrial grade hose, cord, and cable reels, including a full line of Nordic large frame and customized reels. Nordic reels offer high efficiency, productivity, safety, and protect hoses and cables from...

The ultimate in reservoir breathers?(Ideas & Applications)
April 1, 2007... Open-circuit hydraulic systems need breathers so air can exit and enter the reservoir as the fluid level rises and falls, respectively. However, it has been well documented for years that you should prevent ambient air from entering the...

Digital servovalves provide platen parallelism.
April 1, 2007... Press brakes are machines that perform precise bending of large sheet metal pieces. And as in any industrial production environment, time is money, so high-speed operation is essential for maximum productivity. Because press brakes bend...

Mega possibilities with microwaves.(Ideas & Applications)
April 1, 2007... Perhaps the greatest need when integrating electronic control into fluid power applications has been a precise, reliable, inexpensive, and easy-to-install linear displacement transducer for installation within cylinders. For years,...

Invest in HICs for big payoffs: whether you want to conserve space and weight, reduce leakage, improve reliability, simplify troubleshooting, or just reduce costs, hydraulic integrated circuits are well worth the investment in time and talent.(SYSTEM INTEGRATION)
April 1, 2007... Even people with virtually no knowledge of electronics realize what a tremendous impact integrated circuits have had on just about every product in consumer electronics--small size, light weight, fewer components, and lower cost. Although the...

No noise is the goal for luxury yachts: hydraulic pump noise is reduced on precision engineered yacht stabilizer systems.(MARINE APPLICATIONS)
April 1, 2007... Yacht owners expect to hear a lot of things--waves crashing against the bow, wind whipping through their hair, or even music from fancy onboard sound systems. They do not, however, expect to hear their craft's hydraulic system. Many of today's...

Exploring an alternative pump control method.(Motion Control)
April 1, 2007... Using a variable displacement, servo-stroked pump can significantly reduce power otherwise wasted by systems using valve control. Valves perform their control either by giving up power when required by the load, or absorbing the excess pump...

Education and Technology Foundation to advance fluid power technology.(Industry News)
April 1, 2007... The National Fluid Power Association has launched the new NFPA Education and Technology Foundation to continue and extend its support of fluid power education and research activities. Building on programs successfully developed through NFPA's...

Busak + Shamban changes name.(Industry News)
April 1, 2007... Busak + Shamban, Fort Wayne, Ind., has changed its name to Trelleborg Sealing Solutions to reflect its acquisition several years ago by The Trelleborg Group. Busak + Shamban was purchased in 2003 and has operated as Trelleborg's global sales...

MICO to be Nason distributor.(Industry News)
April 1, 2007... MICO Inc., North Mankato, Minn., is now an OEM supplier of switches for Nason, Wallhalla, S.C. The addition allows MICO to provide a wider range of switch capabilities. MICO's custom-designed brake systems will benefit from the larger...

Marmon/Keystone acquires Victory Tube.(Industry News)
April 1, 2007... Marmon/Keystone, Butler, Pa., acquired Victory Tube, Cleveland, to strengthen its position in the Ohio and Kentucky regions. The new company will be called Victory Tube, a Marmon/Keystone Co. In addition to its Cleveland location, Victory Tube...

William L. Zinga, founder Zinga Industries.(Industry News)
April 1, 2007... William L. Zinga, founder and CEO of Zinga Industries Inc., Reedsburg, Wis., passed away on March 3. He was 68. Zinga graduated from Purdue University with a mechanical engineering degree. He founded Zinga Industries in July 1976 with a...

50 years ago ...(Industry News)
April 1, 2007... From the April 1957 issue of Applied Hydraulics (the original title of H&P). Accurate, continuous positioning of the arms on this mold ramming machine required a servo system to control the 4-way valves. Previously cut cams provide the...

Air regulators can rack up the savings.(PNEUMATIC NOTES)
April 1, 2007... The cost of air has become an increasingly important consideration in today's competitive manufacturing environment. Electrical cost is the most expensive part of creating compressed air, and the higher the pressure, the greater the cost. The...

Radial piston pumps.(Useful Products)
April 1, 2007... PFR high-pressure radial pumps now feature a 5-piston version that exhibits long life and low noise. Nine models come with displacements from 1.7 to 25.4 [cm.sup.3]/rev and maximum pressure to 350 or 500 bar. They are compatible with hydraulic...

Integrated accumulator manifold.(Useful Products)
April 1, 2007... IAM accumulator manifold replaces diaphragm accumulators in pilot circuit applications. A piston-type accumulator is integrated directly into an aluminum manifold, making the manifold itself an accumulator while saving space and reducing gas...

Current-to-pressure transducer.(Useful Products)
April 1, 2007... Type- 590X I/P transducer is small, lightweight, and insensitive to shock vibration and position change. Conversion technology using open-loop control and a low mass magnet produces accurate pressure control. It mounts in any position and is...

Hand-held oil meter.(Useful Products)
April 1, 2007... Humicap MM70 moisture meter quickly and efficiently measures moisture content of oil. Measurement is reported as water activity, which accurately indicates the margin to free water formation within oil. Probe withstands pressure of 150 psig....

Guided air cylinders.(Useful Products)
April 1, 2007... LX series guided cylinders feature a one-piece extruded cylinder body with integrated guides. They are available with self-lubricating bronze or re-circulating ball bearings and a permanent magnet and built-in cushioning rings. Compact size is...

High-pressure couplings.(Useful Products)
April 1, 2007... RoFLEX 5000 series hydraulic screw couplings suit severe shear and breaker applications. They are connectable and disconnectable under pressure without need for bleeding and refilling hydraulic lines. Screw thread connections eliminate...

Miniature FRLs.(Useful Products)
April 1, 2007... NL1 modular FRLs feature transparent polycarbonate and solid metal bowls and 1/8 or 1/4 in. NPT ports. Line offers filtration of 5, 0.3, or 0.01 [micro]m, plus carbon filters for odor and vapor removal. Filter drain options include...

Quick exhaust valves.(Useful Products)
April 1, 2007... Super quick exhaust valves outperform flat-disk-type diaphragms by using a molded shuttle. Valves stop lubricant back-flow through control valve on exhaust cycle, allowing progressive oil flow to small-bore cylinders. Shuttle's full-formed...

Low-pressure hose.(Useful Products)
April 1, 2007... PLK hose is available in sizes from 1/4 to 3/4 in. bores for use in general industrial, maintenance, and automotive applications. It is suitable for use with low-pressure hydraulic, lubricant, air, and water lines at working pressure to 300...

Pancake cylinders.(Useful Products)
April 1, 2007... RC series locking collar pancake cylinders lift heavy loads when other cylinders will not fit. They are single-acting, load-return cylinders with 55 to 620 ton capacity. Locking collar supports lifted load for extended periods when hydraulic...

Manifold design software.(Useful Products)
April 1, 2007... MDTools 900 series is an advanced 3D parametric manifold design software that works seamlessly within the SolidWorks environment. It offers a tooling knowledge database, materials database, and OEM-specific cavity libraries for cartridge and...

Hydraulic cooling unit.(Useful Products)
April 1, 2007... Hydroven Oleodinamica cooling unit contains four components in one compact unit--oil tank, pressure controller, oil cooler, and filters. Two sizes--8.5 and 13--offer maximum flows from 40 to 130 lpm, pressures from 40 to 315 bar, and speeds to...

Fluid power, the right design choice.(Publisher's Page)
April 1, 2007... We at Hydraulics & Pneumatics obviously feel that fluid power is a great design choice for a wide variety of industrial and mobile machinery and equipment. From packaging and processing machines to metal working and forming machines, to...

To degree or not to degree?(Reader's Forum)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2007... I graduated in a Manufacturing Engineering Technology program from Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho). I had a one semester course in hydraulics and pneumatics. Even with this limited training I am often involved in consulting on machine fixturing...

Transfer arm breaks the mold.(TECH PNEUS)
April 1, 2007... Moving preformed objects from oven to mold, and finished bottles from mold to conveyor in manufacturing is often accomplished with transfer arms that use shafts and bronze bushings. However, Fort Wayne, Ind.-based PHD's PPC Group's BST series...

Your fluid is fired!(Web Wire)
April 1, 2007... Some hydraulic fluids tout being fire-resistant. But if you need a fluid that is also self-extinguishing, check out the videos available at www.supresta.com. Supresta's Fyrquel fluids are extremely difficult to ignite, and are inherently...

3 sites in 1.(Web Wire)
April 1, 2007... The online home of the Rectus Group, at www.rectus.de, is actually comprised of three brands: Rectus, Nycoil, and Tema. There are details on the companies' various types of quick-acting couplings, hoses and tubing, and accessories. The site...

Heat it up.(Web Wire)
April 1, 2007... The Lytron Inc. website, at www.lytron.com, has a nice section describing the various types of heat exchangers and how each technology works. The site also features CAD drawings, descriptions of the company's custom product capabilities,...