The upcoming International Fluid Power Expo this March 6-11 in Las Vegas is a mega-tradeshow showcasing all the newest and best of the fluid power industry. There will be more than 400 exhibitors on hand, with various educational events all week long. It is held in conjunction with the CONEXPO-CON/AGG, which is an epic show in its own right. If you … [Read more...] about Top 5 reasons to attend the IFPE Show
Stauff announces new location in Michigan
Jeff Behling, President & CEO of Stauff Corp., recently announced the move of the company's Ann Arbor location to a much larger 52,000 sq.-ft. facility, located in nearby Canton, Mich. A large percentage of the inventory housed in Stauff's Waldwick, New Jersey headquarters will be relocated to Michigan, in order to provide faster shipping to … [Read more...] about Stauff announces new location in Michigan
Seals at IFPE 2017
The upcoming IFPE show, in Las Vegas from March 7-11, will allow fluid power designers to see the latest in sealing technology—a constantly evolving part of the industry. Following is a description of how they're used in mobile machinery, as well as a listing of what IFPE booths you can visit for more information on seals. Seals are the unsung … [Read more...] about Seals at IFPE 2017
Top 5 things fluid power needs
The world of fluid power is awesome, but it’s not perfect. There are some things I would wish for, but may or may not become reality. Still, a boy can dream, can’t he? And since I’m dreaming, I may as well dream big. Here is my list of Top 5 things fluid power needs: 5. I want one style of hose connection. I get it, everyone has their … [Read more...] about Top 5 things fluid power needs
What makes a seal for hydraulics different from a seal for pneumatics?
The first issue when talking about pneumatics vs. hydraulics is always going to be severity of the duty. Obviously, the durometer of the seal is very important. When you get into a 70, 80, or 90 durometer seal, it becomes very resistant to being smushed. As the pressure increases to, say, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000—maybe even 10,000 psi or more, it just … [Read more...] about What makes a seal for hydraulics different from a seal for pneumatics?
What if I have an old cylinder that I can’t get seals for anymore?
Ages ago, you might have had some cylinders that had V-Packings, and you could screw tight on the washer to kind of make them fill up the space again—but they had high leakage, not to mention high maintenance, and they’re just a pain. If you can source those, the best thing to do is have a good relationship with your hydraulic distributor and … [Read more...] about What if I have an old cylinder that I can’t get seals for anymore?
Can any seal be used in a cylinder if it’s about the same shape?
The shape of a seal is certainly an important aspect. For example, if you have a U-cup seal in a piston, you want to use U-cup seals as well unless the customer’s specifying that you change it—but you may have to change the piston in that case as well. The shape is important. In those kinds of occasions, seals can be interchangeable but the other … [Read more...] about Can any seal be used in a cylinder if it’s about the same shape?
How often should I replace the seals in my cylinders?
There is a lot of variability in how often you have to change seals in a cylinder. You have to ask yourself, how often are you using the cylinder? That’s the first question. How fast is it moving? High velocity seals? How contamination free is your fluid? Ideally, you should never have to change your seals. If your fluid is clean, if you’re … [Read more...] about How often should I replace the seals in my cylinders?
What tools can be used to simulate the sealing efficiency of different seal pipes or different materials?
There are some tests that you can run. If you have some machinery around, for example, you can pressurize both sides of a cylinder to test the effectiveness of a piston seal. Or you can, say for example, pressurize one side of the cylinder with no hose attached to the other port and the rate at which you see fluid leaking across that piston and … [Read more...] about What tools can be used to simulate the sealing efficiency of different seal pipes or different materials?
Types of seals in a hydraulic cylinder
It is important where you put a seal—every part of a cylinder has seals, and they are there for specific reasons. Rod wipers are the ones that are most exposed to the elements in any hydraulic cylinder application. Rod wipers have a groove that pushes it against the rod itself. Any time the cylinder retracts, anything on the rod wants to be scraped … [Read more...] about Types of seals in a hydraulic cylinder