The UK lockdown to combat Coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected the hydraulic and pneumatics industry as much as any other. Nevertheless, there are some great, positive news stories breaking through in the world of hydraulics despite all the gloom elsewhere during the pandemic.
Here are our favorite uplifting stories about engineering, hydraulics, and pneumatics from the past few months.
Continue reading “Optimism Remains High in the Hydraulics and Pneumatics Industry Despite Lockdown”
Despite having been around for centuries, Hydraulic engineering is still dynamically evolving. Innovations and improvements emerge all the time. New products make hydraulic equipment smarter, smoother, and more powerful. The rise of digital technology and automation is changing the way industrial hydraulics work rapidly, too.
Here are the three emergent hydraulic trends that we’re most excited about this year.
Continue reading “3 Hydraulic Design Trends You Can’t Afford to Miss This Year”
Identifying a flange is one of the challenges anyone dealing with hydraulic systems faces. The importance of these parts is often overlooked. However, their reliability is vital to the system’s integrity.
In order to find the right flange for your system, you need to identify it. The process is much more complicated than wielding a measuring tape. You need to consider the following factors during the identification process:
Your system is only as durable as your weakest industrial hose. This statement works for any system and equipment that uses hoses. Even though hoses may look the same, they are highly sophisticated and diverse.
Choosing the wrong hose can lead to leaks, breakdowns, and potentially complete system failure. In order to select the right industrial hose, you need to take a careful approach to several parameters.
Continue reading “6 Things To Look Out For When Selecting The Right Industrial Hose”
A ball valve is a simple, two-part, chambered control valve commonly used in hydraulic, pneumatic, and liquid plumbing systems. Ball valves are used to shut off the flow of liquid or gas, adjust it to a limited level, or redirect flow on a two-forked connector (when used in conjunction with another ball valve). A ball valve is omnidirectional (and can be used as such) but is usually used to control a one-way liquid or gas flow.
A service plug is a resistant device that can be placed in an open hydraulic pipeline or chamber inlet or outlet to stop leaks, spillages, and unintentional drainage. They are used when a machine has stopped and is being maintained and should never be used on a running hydraulic system, or one that is cooling after having recently been shut down.
Service plugs come in many different shapes and sizes to fit different types of hydraulic pipe and nozzle. They are usually a simple, high-resilience piece of moulded rubber shaped into a wedge, with a broad top ridge for easy removal. They’re used in industrial, plumbing, and catering machines, but are most popular for use in hydraulic control and maintenance.
Continue reading “What Are Service Plugs And What Features Should I Look For In One?”
Improving the efficiency of your pneumatic system is central to minimising your manufacturing costs. Improving compressed air efficiency can cut electricity consumption by up to 50%: a significant saving for manufacturing companies! However, many operators are unaware that their pneumatic systems are performing inefficiently, even though a series of simple steps can make a significant difference. Continue reading “4 Effective Ways To Improve The Efficiency Of Your Pneumatic System”
Choosing the correct compression fittings for hydraulic systems is essential to ensure the quality of the seal, maintain optimum hose pressure, and reduce the possibility of torqueing. Incorrect, poorly fitted, or malfunctioning compression fittings pose a severe risk of injury. Despite their tiny size, compression fittings play a vital role in ensuring fluid transmission takes place safely, without the risk of hoses or tubes becoming detached.
With a wide variety of hydraulic compression fittings from which to choose, it’s important to have confidence that you’ve selected the correct components for your system, so consider the key points in this article before making your decision. Continue reading “How To Choose The Best Compression Fittings”
A leak from a hydraulic hose spells danger. The highly pressured liquids used in hydraulic systems can pose a significant risk to personnel and property in the workplace, producing spillages that can cause slips and falls, creating a fire danger that could be potentially devastating. Chemical or corrosive liquids can cause life-changing injuries, such as severe burns, damage to eyesight or impaired breathing, and may also be carcinogenic.
Fortunately, leaking hoses are easy to spot, but administering repairs, as well as cleaning up spilled hydraulic fluids, is time-consuming and logistically difficult. Repairing damaged or worn hoses also means taking equipment out of service, affecting production and damaging profitability. As with many problems in industry, prevention – rather than the cure – is the best answer. Continue reading “How To Prevent Dangerous Leaks In Hydraulic Hoses”
High quality hose assemblies are vital for the efficient and safe operation of hydraulic machinery. Incorrect hose assembly increases the potential for components to separate under extreme pressure, spraying hot fluid around the working environment. At the very least, this causes disruption to the production line while equipment is taken out of service and hydraulic fluid is cleaned up. In the worst case scenario, line operatives may be severely injured by hot or corrosive fluid, or hose whips.
Hydrastar supplies the full range of Gates crimping equipment to help you create robust and safe hose assemblies for your production line and minimise the possibility of hose lines separating – and the Gates eCrimp app will make your workshop even more efficient. Continue reading “What Is E-Crimp?”
