This Week in Power & Motion: NFPA Seeks Proposals for Advanced Hydraulics Conference

There is much going on in the world of hydraulic, pneumatic and electric motion systems, from technology introductions and industry advancements to new trends and industry leaders. Each week the Power & Motion team collects the latest industry news to help keep our readers up to date on what's happening in the fluid power and electric motion control sectors as well as the industries they serve.

Ohio Fabricators Receives Supplier Award from Parker Hannifin

Ohio Fabricators Company (OFCO) — a manufacturer of technologies for the filtration and fluid power industries — has been recognized as a Gold Level Supplier by Parker Hannifin Corp.

The company commended OFCO on its product quality, service and on-time delivery.

"We are proud of this recognition from one of our most important customers. The characteristics noted by Parker are exactly what our people strive for every day," said Mike Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of OFCO.

Gates Fluid Conveyance Expertise Aids Data Center Cooling

Gates is collaborating with CoolIT Systems to develop solutions for data center cooling. CoolIT is a developer of liquid cooling technology for computing environments which are growing in use due to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing.

The companies will work together to develop efficient liquid cooling solutions. Gates will bring its expertise in materials science, fluid conveyance, and thermal management to the project. The company's products are highly engineered to withstand the demands required of high-performance computing environments which will benefit the partnership.

In addition, Gates' global manufacturing footprint will provide the capacity to support the demand requirements of this growing sector.

"Data Center cooling is a natural market extension for Gates," said Tom Pitstick, President of Global Strategy for Gates. "We have over 100 years of experience in thermal management applications and that experience has positioned us well to participate in a wide range of applications, from the electrification of vehicles to high-power industrial applications such as data center cooling."

"We are seeing unprecedented demand for liquid cooling thanks to the mainstream utilization of generative AI," said Hamid Rafiei, Sr. Vice President, Global Operations of CoolIT Systems. "Our partnership with Gates leverages their strong technical capabilities and secures the capacity for key components that are integral in our data center product portfolio."

Gates will bring its experience in materials science, fluid conveyance and thermal management to development of solutions for data center cooling.

Cablecraft Motion Controls Acquires Radial Bearing

Cablecraft Motion Controls has acquired Radial Bearing Corp., a manufacturer of rod ends and spherical bearings.

According to Cablecraft, the acquisition will enable to the company to expand its product offerings and customer markets. "Through the combination of new product technologies including self-lubricating PTFE-lined products, strong presence in aerospace and defense, and exceptional quality, Radial will continue to accelerate Cablecraft's ambitious growth plans," said Daniel Pappano, chief executive officer of Cablecraft.

This is the fourth company Cablecraft has acquired which will expand technology options in its Cable Manufacturing & Assembly platform. The company said Radial's experience developing products for the aerospace industry will aid its plans for further growth and product diversification.

NFPA Accepting Proposals for Advanced Hydraulics Conference

The National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) is hosting an advanced hydraulics conference in conjunction with iVT Expo U.S., an event focused geared toward engineers in the off-highway equipment sector. The event takes place August 21-22 in the Chicago area.

NFPA will run a two-day conference in parallel with iVT's own conference sessions and exhibition, providing an opportunity for those working in the mobile equipment design space — where hydraulics remain a key technology — to learn about a range of trends and technologies.

Hydraulics remain vital to the functionality of many off-highway machines.

The association is encouraging members to submit session proposals for the conference. It is considering a range of topics, but will give special consideration to those addressing:

Performance comparisons between hydraulic and electromechanical actuation technologies on off-highway vehicles.
Hydraulic system designs optimized for performance on electrified off-highway vehicles.
Thermal management strategies for hydraulically-actuated, electrified off-highway vehicles.
Improvements in hydraulic system efficiency, especially those that help to increase battery life on electrified off-highway vehicles.
Strategies for reducing the volume and harshness of hydraulic noise on electrified off-highway vehicles.
Hydraulic data collection and utilization strategies that provide system or machine-level performance improvements.
Strategies for meeting the functional safety requirements of electrified off-highway vehicles.
Hydraulic systems that operate in partial or fully autonomous modes.

Proposals can be submitted to Eric Lanke, President and CEO of NFPA, at [email protected] before April 12, 2024.

Rockwell Automation Unveils Customer Experience Center for Advanced Industrial Technologies

Rockwell Automation has opened a new Customer Experience Center (CEC) in Singapore which is designed to showcase the latest developments in various industrial technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and virtual reality.

The aim of the new CEC is to help the manufacturing, mining and heavy industry sectors in the region better understand and embrace the digital transformation taking place through implementation of the aforementioned technologies. Smart manufacturing technologies suited to the industries in Southeast Asia will be the focus of the CEC.

The CEC is located within Rockwell's Asia Pacific headquarters near its largest manufacturing facility in the region. Manufacturing is key industry for Singapore's economy, and the sector is evolving as use of AI, the Internet of Things (IoT) and other digital technologies increases to aid productivity.

Rockwell plans to open the CEC to students as a means of educating the next generation of engineers and technologists on the tools they may be working with in the future.

"Our new Experience Center...offers an immersive experience for our customers to envision the future of manufacturing and automation. From AI to virtual reality and robotics, industry leaders will witness firsthand the transformative power of technology in shaping the future of industry," said Marcelo Tarkieltaub, regional director, Southeast Asia, at Rockwell Automation.

"With the growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and a strong manufacturing base, Southeast Asia is well-positioned to lead in smart manufacturing for the rest of the decade. According to the eighth edition of our State of Smart Manufacturing Report, close to half (44%) of APAC manufacturers plan to adopt smart manufacturing within the next year," noted Marcelo.