Hydraulics & Pneumatics articles from June 2009

Hydraulics & Pneumatics archives from June 2009

Breathers critical to reservoir life.
June 1, 2009... Maintaining clean oil is one of the best investments a company can make, yet contamination often remains an overlooked factor behind premature machinery failure and diminished lubricant life. With increases in the cost of oil, increased desire...

Building cylinders for long life: a good sealing system is particularly critical to pneumatic-cylinder performance. Here's a look at important design factors.(AUTOMATE WITH AIR)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pneumatic cylinders are a valuable and preferred option for many linear-actuation applications, combining long life, low maintenance, and ruggedness in an economical package. On the surface they might appear to be...

Harvest time for hydraulic fluids.(Editor's Page)
June 1, 2009... Many of us in the Great Lakes area of North America look forward to late spring and early summer because it's when strawberries ripen. So instead of having to tolerate the store-bought berries that are mostly white inside and have little...

Quick-connect couplings.(Free Literature)
June 1, 2009... Brochure summarizes designs of non-drip quick-acting couplings and provides overview of different types available. Technical data are provided in chart format, including body size, materials, flow capacity, maximum working and minimum burst...

Mobile hydraulic valves.(Free Literature)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ten-page brochure describes family of mobile hydraulic valves including closed center MDG valves and open center CML60, CM80 and CM120 valves. Technical details are given in specification and performance charts....

Hydraulic accessories.(Free Literature)
June 1, 2009... Accessories for Hydraulic Systems catalog offers a pictorial index, including caps, plugs, flanges, oil-level indicators, and column-level indicators. It includes product photos, engineered drawings, and key features in bullet-point format....

Hydraulics give power to the pump.(Ideas & Applications)
June 1, 2009... Hydrostatic drives are certainly commonplace in off-highway equipment. For one thing, the versatility of hydraulics allows for controlling speed, torque, and power to closely match immediate needs of the application. Of course, hydraulic...

Junction blocks simplify sensor communication.(Ideas & Applications)
June 1, 2009... One of the challenges with industrial equipment is to get all sensors to communicate with central control. To ease this problem, AutomationDirect, Cumming, Ga., now offers Zip-Port multiport junction blocks that provide time, cost and space...

Stainless-steel power units automate ship operations.(Ideas & Applications)
June 1, 2009... Scoda power units provide an electrohydraulic option for controlling propulsion, wheelhouses, stabilizers, gangways, hatches, and automated parking onboard ships. They feature stainless-steel structures, tanks, and piping and a variety of...

PLCopen launches fluid power initiative.(Industry News)
June 1, 2009... PLCopen is launching a new initiative in its motion control working group to extend specifications to fluid power. The kick-off meeting will be held June 23 in Frankfurt, Germany. PLCopen is a non-profit industry organization dedicated to...

Dow helps robot muscle its way forward.(Industry News)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As it launched its new new biodegradable, partially renewable bio hydraulic fluid, The Dow Chemical Co. stepped in to help students power an autonomous robot. The company's SYMBIO is made from more than 50%...

NFPA's Industry and Economic Outlook Conference.(Industry News)(Conference news)
June 1, 2009... The NFPA will host its annual Industry and Economic Outlook Conference, August 18-19, at the Westin Chicago North Shore Hotel. This day-and-a-half event offers hard data and expert analysis on tomorrow's economic environment--with an additional...

NFPA video highlights student use of fluid power.(Industry News)
June 1, 2009... A video showing the innovative approaches eighth graders took to solving an engineering problem at the December 2008 National Fluid Power Association Fluid Power Challenge is now available online at: www.nfpa.com/Edu...

Fluid power safety DVD garners top award.(ON THE MOVE)
June 1, 2009... The Fluid Power Safety Institute's first hydraulic safety DVD "The Lethal Strike" won a Platinum award at the 42nd Annual WorldFest--Houston Independent International Film and Video Festival. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] More than 450...

Proportion-Air names GM.(ON THE MOVE)
June 1, 2009... Proportion-Air Inc., McCordsville, Ind., has appointed Brent Archer as general manager. He will have responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the company. He replaces John McCarrel, who passed away earlier this year. [ILLUSTRATION...

Modular drives allow versatility in design: the versatility of hydraulic drives is almost endless. So why would you restrict this versatility by limiting your options for driving multiple hydraulic pumps?(HYDRAULICS IN AGRICULTURE)
June 1, 2009... Versatility is one of biggest advantages of hydraulics. It's equally at home producing rotational motion as it is generating linear motion. Furthermore, today's electrohydraulic controls make it a cinch to precisely control force, torque, speed...

Load interactions in the full series system.(Motion Control)
June 1, 2009... The last edition of "Motion Control" dealt with drawings to help visualize valve function in different ways. Toward that end, an additional variation of the analytical schematic diagram can shed light on the vast number of combinations that can...

NFPA zeros in on reliability: The National Fluid Power Association will soon be publishing a comprehensive recommended practice on component reliability. Results based on T2.12.11-2 should be useful for designers of equipment controlled by fluid power.(FLUID POWER STANDARDS)
June 1, 2009... What is reliability? Of course, technical definitions exist, but what is reliability in practical terms? We can all identify with some common examples: * your car starts right away on a cold morning * your flight departs and arrives on...

Reservoirs keep it together: in addition to holding reserve fluid, reservoirs serve a variety of needs in a hydraulic system.(DESIGN BASICS)
June 1, 2009... When it comes to reservoir design, bigger is not necessarily better. In fact, the trend is to provide smaller reservoirs. In addition to holding in reserve enough fluid to supply a hydraulic system's varying needs, a reservoir provides: ...

Pressure transmitter.(Useful Products)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tronic MH-2 pressure transmitter uses thin film technology for operation in demanding conditions. It tolerates dynamic pressure spikes via an integrated pressure damping system for sensor protection. It delivers...

Immersion heaters.(Useful Products)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HL (Hydraulic/Lube Oil) series immersion heaters are designed for cold-oil startup. Offering low power densities (about 10 W/[in..sup.2]) from 0.5 to 12 kW for mounting via 2, 2 1/2, and 3 in. NPT screw plugs and 4...

Pressure transducers.(Useful Products)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Series GT320 and GT32XX high-pressure and high-fatigue transducers combine a sensor with electronics for standard accuracy of 0.25% and upgraded accuracy of 0.1%. They operate in pressures from 20,000 to 100,000 psi....

Long-life hose.(Useful Products)
June 1, 2009... T3K hose has a rated life of 1 million cycles. One or two braids of high tensile steel wire reinforcement, high-grade rubber, and tough cover materials, combined with a proprietary manufacturing process provide long life. Sizes range from 0.25...

Vibrations isolators.(Useful Products)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Vibration isolators provide elastomer support during compression and tension loads. Opposing, three-sided metal plates allow them to be installed directionally to offer increased support in vertical and shear load...

Wireless transceiver.(Useful Products)
June 1, 2009... WIC-2400 transceiver is a 2.4 GHz wireless data link for connecting CAN-based devices without interconnecting wires. Modules can be used with most existing systems without programming changes. System includes one server module, client module,...

Proportional spool valve.(Useful Products)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PSL proportional spool valve comes with direct CAN-BUS interface, and simplified wiring for quick and safe installation. Integrated signal relay ensures automatic optimization of its reactive behavior. It can control...

Reed sensors.(Useful Products)
June 1, 2009... Series 8000 compact reed and electronic sensors fit round cylinders from 9/16 to 4 in. and tie-rod cylinders from 3/4 to 8 in. bore. They are compatible with wash down applications and intrinsically safe barriers and have encapsulated circuit...

Hydraulic pump units.(Useful Products)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Modular Pump Control units eliminate potential leak points and plumbing and are available in displacements to 20 gpm and pressures up to 2500 psi. Integral controls may include flow controls, pressure controls,...

Open-loop pump.(Useful Products)
June 1, 2009... PVG open-loop pump series offers high pressure and high performance in a compact design. Available in five displacements from 2.93 to 7.94 in. 3/rev and multiple frame sizes, it provides an instantaneous response to system commands through a...

Bent-axis pumps, motors.(Useful Products)
June 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SAE bent-axis XA pumps develop pressures to 5080 psi continuous and 5800 psi peak. The seven-piston units come in displacements from 1.1 to 3.84 in.3 SAE bent-axis MA motors, with displacements from 1.52 to 4.49...

MEMS-based inclinometer.(Useful Products)
June 1, 2009... PTAM2 series of MEMS-based inclinometers offer ranges of [+ or -] 5[degrees] to [+ or -] 180[degrees] for single axis and [+ or -] 5[degrees] to [+ or -] 60[degrees] for dual axes. It features an IP67/IP69K-rated all-metal housing to provide...

A simple search.(WEB CONTENTS)
June 1, 2009... When you need specific information about a component or application, look no further than our Technology Zones and Industry Zones. It's easy to find articles, products, and how-to features by searching these two areas of our site, which can be...

Keeping it fun.(WEB CONTENTS)
June 1, 2009... Every day, we learn about interesting news stories related to fluid power and engineering but often lack the space to publish these stories in our print magazine. That's why we use online sources, like our blog at fluidpowertalk. blogspot.com,...