Articles – Dan Helgerson

December 20, 2024

Transforming our Thinking

About: Energy Units We are taught to think of fluid power in terms of flow and pressure; flow is for velocity and pressure is for force. While this is true at the actuator (the motor […]

So, You Say You Want to Make a Difference

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One of the most rewarding things that ever happened to me in the field of fluid power was when a high school student spoke to me after a two-hour pneumatic training session for FIRST robotics mentors. She told […]

The Paperweight

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Miss Application had a desk near an open window. When the breeze would blow in from the window, the papers would be blown off her desk and it was very annoying. She decided to have […]

TRANSFORMING FLUID POWER: RETHINKING THE WAY WE APPLY FLUID POWER

It began well before 1994, but an event from that spring stands out as a turning point in my understanding of the need for energy awareness when designing or working on fluid power systems. I had been invited to assist in specifying a chiller for a hydraulic system.

Someone in our industry had designed an inefficient hydraulic system. The unwitting customer had bought from the lowest bidder without asking or being informed about the cost of ownership.

I determined that I was going to do my best to design systems that were as efficient as I could make them and to help customers and fellow fluid power professionals expect the same.