The term digitalization is often used, but not necessarily easily understood nor how it can be applied in various industries such as fluid power. Therefore, we’ve set out to help define the term for our readers while providing insight on the technologies involved and examples of how digitalization can benefit hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
Today, incorporation of sensors and software into fluid power systems is enabling the collection and processing of performance data which can then be transferred, stored, and analyzed through digital technologies such as cloud computing, machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). With these tools better insights can be gained into how components and systems perform in an application as well as enabling the prediction of maintenance needs.