By Josh Cosford Most people don’t consider that air is also a fluid and rests within the boundaries of fluid power motion control. Hydraulics and pneumatics are similar in principle—merely different in execution. Hydraulic actuators have high power density; that is, they produce a lot of force from a small package. However, hydraulic fluid is […]
Ace Controls celebrates 50 years of shock absorber innovation
It’s not everyday that you get to be a part of history. So last summer, when I was invited to take a day-trip to Farmington Hills, Mich. to celebrate with Ace Controls on its 50th anniversary, I was glad to make the trip. The company, which is known for developing the world’s first adjustable shock […]
Connectors for shallow-depth threads
FasMate FN series connectors from FasTest Inc., Minneapolis, are designed for reduced insertion depth to internal threads. They provide safe and reliable instant manual or automated leak tight connections to shallow depth female threads. They deliver cost, process and quality improvement to a wide range of applications, including vacuum testing, media filling or flushing and performance testing. Featuring a […]
Vacuum Automation 3.0 e-catalog now available from Piab
Piab, Hingham, Mass., has updated its electronic catalog designed for tablet devices. The catalog features close to 700 pages highlighting all of Piab’s energy-efficient air driven vacuum pumps and accessories including suction cups, grippers, vacuum cartridges, and more. It gives a brief company overview and reviews some technology basics with the Piab Vacuum Academy section. […]
Colder marks 35 years manufacturing quick disconnect couplings
Colder Products Co., St. Paul, Minn., is celebrating 35 years in business this month. The company was started in 1978 by Mike Lyon, Brian Blenkush and Jim Shingler to design and manufacture quick disconnect fluid couplings for use with plastic tubing that became a simple alternative to the traditional industrial ball and sleeve coupling. With its an […]
Air motors give extra power to bicycles
For several years, I had the pleasure of being able to attend Parker Hannifin’s Chainless Challenge competition, a research and design contest that the company sponsored for several different engineering universities. In it, students were charged to create a bicycle that would use fluid power to increase the speed and power of bicycles traveling on […]
Going old-school with a pneumatic fountain pen
As a young girl who always wanted to be a writer, I always loved the idea of fountain pens. They were classic and beautiful and the style of writing they made was—to me anyway—so sophisticated. I had one once but have since misplaced it in the mess of my office. Although not the typical, “dip-the-nib […]
Seeing pneumatic valves in action jogs the memory
You know you’re a fluid power dork when you go on a short plant tour and while seeing manufacturing in action, you can’t help but study the pumps, valves, compressors, hose, etc. to see what manufacturers are represented. That’s just what my colleague and I did on a recent walk-through of Ace Controls, Farmington Hills, […]
Air motors help milling robot devour sewer obstacles
Traditionally, work in sewers is conducted both above and below ground, with crews opening manholes and descending into the sewers, thus causing road closures and traffic jams. But thanks to modern robotic technologies— powered by small but mighty air motors—clearing out sewer networks and rehabilitating them can be done safely and without impacting the world […]
Pneumatics — ole reliable
Every few years, Cedar Point — which is renowned for its roller coasters being the tallest, fastest, etc. — launches a new ground-breaking ride. As an editor on different engineering magazines, I’ve had several opportunities to visit the park, which is less than an hour from my home, to learn more about the technology that […]
