Nobody likes a micromanager. A boss constantly looking over your shoulder is at best annoying and more often counterproductive, demotivating and the root cause of high turnover. Yet in recent head-scratching news, Amazon has patented a tracking wristband that monitors a worker’s every move and vibrates when they do something wrong. Ostensibly, … [Read more...]
Contamination begets contamination
By Josh Cosford What I’m about to tell you could be the most profound concept of hydraulic fluid contamination control. Without this understanding, you and your hydraulic system will be forever plagued by contamination-related failure and decay. It’s obvious a hydraulic system requires contamination control, but less obvious how far you … [Read more...]
Proper hydraulic contamination control
(Following is the unedited transcript from a recent webinar, with Josh Cosford as the presenter.) We're going to talk about proper contamination control today, and what that means to your hydraulic system, how you can apply it, and what it all means in the end. Controlling contamination is the single most important consideration for ensuring … [Read more...]
Troubleshooting tales from the trenches
One of Fluid Power World’s resident technical experts, Carl Dyke, has related a number of field-service issues he’s come across over the years. In a presentation at the 2017 Fluid Power Technical Conference in Milwaukee, he enlightened us on one mobile application that had the machine owners scratching their heads. This one cropped up last … [Read more...]
In-line contamination monitor offers user flexibility
The ICM – 2.0 in-line contamination monitor, developed by MP Filtri in Milan, Italy, automatically measures and displays particulate contamination, moisture and temperature levels in various hydraulic fluids. It is designed specifically to be mounted directly to systems, where ongoing measurement or analysis is required, and where space and costs … [Read more...]
What are the top 5 forms of hydraulic contamination?
By Josh Cosford Dirt. That’s what you think of when you hear the term contamination, especially as it relates to hydraulic systems. It is, of course, a common form of contamination. But ingested evils are not limited to the same types that turn your white Yeezys brown. In fact, contamination comes in many forms, some of which you’d be … [Read more...]
Filter change proves how costly dirt can be to your hydraulic pump
A pump is the heart of a hydraulic system. When the pump fails, the entire system is down until the pump is operational again. This poses a serious threat to any operation relying on hydraulic systems for productivity. Recently, a hydraulic valve manufacturer was losing 25 pumps a year on their centralized hydraulic system at a cost of $2,440 each. … [Read more...]
Cleanliness and wear monitoring via modern particle-measurement technology
In hydraulic systems, the oil is regarded as a structural element that handles many diverse tasks, according to engineers at ARGO-HYTOS. Hydraulic fluid transmits power, lubricates, transfers heat, and transports dirt to the filters. Although there are many causes for failure in fluid-power systems, the condition of the oil is usually the main … [Read more...]
MP Filtri highlights updated in-line contamination monitor at IFPE
MP Filtri has launched its new ICM-2.0 in-line contamination monitor at IFPE, to allow users to automatically measure and display particulate contamination, moisture and temperature levels in various hydraulic fluids. Company representatives told me that the newest features of this model include the ability to download data via a USB stick with … [Read more...]
Where should you locate hydraulic filters in your system?
Is there an ideal location for placement of hydraulic filters in an operating system, and if so what is the correct type of filter to use? Is one filter sufficient, or should multiple filters be used? Can different types of filtration be combined? Matt Brown, Product Manager Filter Systems for Schroeder Industries explains that in many cases, … [Read more...]
