As noted in a previous article, 2023 is the 75th anniversary of Power & Motion which has gone through various names and areas of coverage starting with hydraulics followed by the addition of pneumatics and now the further addition of electronic motion control solutions.
READ MORE: The Continued Evolution of Hydraulics and Pneumatics
One thing that has remained consistent over the years is the aim to inform and educate those working with fluid power, and now also other motion control, technologies. In-depth technical articles, video interviews, news and more have helped to provide insight into not only how these technologies work and can be utilized but also the industry and market trends driving product development.
Among some of our most consistently, highly viewed content over the last decade (per available Google Analytics) is our series of Engineering Essentials articles. Each article takes an in-depth look at a specific fluid power technology, such as hydraulic pumps, describing how it works, common types, and how to deploy them in various applications.
You can find all 19 of our Engineering Essentials articles on our Fluid Power Basics page which also features other informative component and system design content for hydraulics and pneumatics.
Given the fundamental engineering focus of these articles, and the longevity of their popularity with readers, it is safe to assume these pieces of content still provide value to those either learning about hydraulics and pneumatics or need a refresher how certain technologies work.
However, I also wonder, given the evolution of fluid power in recent years — is there a need to re-evaluate these engineering essentials? Do they still offer value and enough of a fundamental basis to help educate engineers, or is there a need to provide updated information? Or is it simply a matter of adding more technologies or subjects to the list? And what exactly does the industry consider as engineering essentials?
Incorporation of more electronics into fluid power systems and major industry trends such as electrification and automation are necessitating a rethinking of some component and system designs. Does this mean a rethinking engineering essentials for fluid power is needed as well?
I don't necessarily know the answers to these questions, but they are ones I have been asking myself while looking through our content from the past 75 years — not only due to the publication's anniversary and wanting to evaluate changes during that time but also because of the continuous evaluation taking place by our team to determine how best we should be covering the fluid power and electronic motion control industries since the rebranding in 2022.
So what are the engineering essentials the hydraulics and pneumatics industry should be focusing on? And what other motion control engineering basics should be covered? Let us know! Email me at [email protected] or reach out to us on social media.
Twitter: @TechnlgyEditor or @PowerMotionTech
LinkedIn: @PowerMotionTech
