Tip on Controlling Hydraulic Actuators

Today’s daily tip comes from Peter Nachtwey, president of Delta Computer Systems Inc. of Battle Ground, Wash. in a recent Hydraulics & Pneumatics article about controlling two or more hydraulic actuators:

“If the motion controller controls the actuator, the target position, velocity and acceleration should be used rather than the feedback or actual position, velocity and acceleration. Always try to follow a computer-generated target position, velocity and acceleration because these are usually high-precision, floating-point values rather than noisy and quantized positions.”

Refine Air Prep In Harsh Environment

Getting air preparation right in the best of conditions is valuable; having top performance in harsh environments improves performance and extends the life of components. A new white paper from Hydraulics & Pneumatics and Norgren looks at how to achieve optimal air preparation performance for even the most rugged industrial applications. Some of the key areas include employing shut-off valves to provide safety; maintaining filters regularly; using the right filter; installing automatic condensate drains; applying metal filter bowls for high-pressure applications; properly choosing and operating pressure regulators; employing pressure switches and feedback; employing lubrication as part of your maintenance solution; and incorporating smooth start dump valves.