Fluid Power Forum

Host Eric Lanke welcomes Paul Johnson, president and founder of Aggressive Hydraulics, to discuss hydraulic cylinders and industry innovation. Johnson shares his background from farm equipment in Minnesota to a University of Wisconsin–Stout degree and roles in hydraulic cylinder testing, design engineering, standards work through NFPA, and continued education and certification.

After losing his job amid post-9/11 economic conditions, he helped launch Aggressive Hydraulics in 2002, positioning it as a boutique manufacturer focused on tough, custom hydraulic cylinder applications rather than commodity work. The conversation covers cylinder variety and construction styles (industrial tie-rod, welded/mobile, mill duty), integrated valve cylinders using cartridge valves and embedded cavities, telescopic cylinders and staging behavior, single-acting vs double-acting operation, repairability and remanufacturing, and smart cylinders with sensors for automation and control.

Johnson emphasizes cylinder selection considerations such as operating environment, duty cycle, pressure spikes, and mounting, plus manufacturing needs like design fit, welding distortion control, tolerance management, and process repeatability. He highlights future advances in seals and wipers, linear feedback devices, and compact valve integration, and notes ongoing interest in EHAs, including solar tracking applications.

Subscribe to the Fluid Power Forum today to never miss an episode. The podcast is available on all of your favorite podcast platforms, including YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeart Radio.

Connect with our host, Eric Lanke, at [email protected].

Connect with our guest, Paul Johnson, at [email protected].

Learn more about Aggressive Hydraulics here.

Find and share more interesting fluid power technologies and unique applications using #onlyfluidpowercan and follow podcast and other fluid power industry-related updates on LinkedIn at National Flower Power Association.

#fluidpowerforum #cylinderinnovation #industryinsights #cylinderconsiderations #onlyfluidpowercan

Eric Lanke hosts Fluid Power Forum with guest Bruno Dupuis of Famic Technologies, discussing his 2026 Advanced Hydraulics Conference presentation on using Automation Studio CAD and simulation to model off-highway hydraulic circuits and quantify energy efficiency improvements.

Dupuis explains building a component-level system model (hydraulics, electrical, and 3D mechanism) and running a repeatable test cycle (lift, rotate 135° CW/CCW, pick and drop load) to compare five case studies: a basic fixed-displacement, pilot-controlled circuit; an electrohydraulic version with joystick control, counterbalance valves, and a load-sense pump; an ideal electric motor drive at constant and variable speed; and a battery-powered permanent magnet synchronous motor system modeled with and without energy recuperation.

Results included projected energy savings around 35–38% versus the baseline for cases 2–3 and about 36 kJ saved over 1:35 when adding regeneration versus no regeneration.

Subscribe to the Fluid Power Forum today to never miss an episode. The podcast is available on all of your favorite podcast platforms, including YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeart Radio.

Connect with our host, Eric Lanke, at [email protected].

Connect with our guest, Bruno Dupuis, at [email protected].

Learn more about Famic Technologies here.

Find and share more interesting fluid power technologies and unique applications using #onlyfluidpowercan and follow podcast and other fluid power industry-related updates at @TheNFPA.

#fluidpowerforum #onlyfluidpowercan #engineering #modeling #energyefficiency

Eric Lanke interviews Jon Jensen, National Product Sales Manager for Energy and Safety at SMC Corporation of America, following Jensen's Automate 2026 presentation on smart and sustainable monitoring for pneumatically driven machines.

Jensen describes his background from theater automation using hydraulics and pneumatics to 25+ years at SMC, and outlines SMC's global industrial automation reach beyond pneumatics. The discussion focuses on why compressed air efficiency now matters for sustainability, how airflow monitoring translates to energy cost and CO2 impact, and why machine-level data is needed beyond compressor-room metering.

Jensen explains SMC's Air Management System, which replaces a traditional FRL, measures pressure/flow/temperature, supports additional sensors, uses scalable wireless remotes, and can automatically reduce or shut off pressure during idle states without changing machine PLC logic. A bottle-filling line case study reports ~33% air reduction, ~€30,000/year savings, and ~15-month ROI, with additional productivity benefits and a future direction toward predictive maintenance using flow profiles.

Subscribe to the Fluid Power Forum today to never miss an episode. The podcast is available on all of your favorite podcast platforms, including YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeart Radio.

Connect with our host, Eric Lanke, at [email protected].

Connect with our guest, Jon Jensen, at [email protected].

Learn more about SMC here.

Find and share more interesting fluid power technologies and unique applications using #onlyfluidpowercan and follow podcast and other fluid power industry-related updates at @TheNFPA.

#fluidpowerforum #onlyfluidpowercan #pneumatics #smartmonitoring #automation

Fluid Power Forum host Eric Lanke interviews Jeremy Rideout, senior application engineer at Gates Corporation. Gates was a key contributor to the NFPA's whitepaper, Preventing Leaks in Fluid Power Systems, about a system-level, life-cycle approach to leak prevention.

Rideout explains why leaks drive warranty costs, downtime, dissatisfaction, and revenue loss, and emphasizes that leak performance is largely set by early design decisions using the STAMPED requirements framework (Size, Temperature, Application, Material, Pressure, Ends, Delivery).

He highlights best practices in hydraulics and sealing, including proper hose routing and clamping, minimizing connections, avoiding mixing hose and couplings across vendors, designing for accessibility and serviceability, controlling contamination during assembly with standard cleaning and inspection metrics, and using trained, standardized processes. He stresses preventive maintenance and routine inspections, and notes future improvements from quick-connect systems, material science advances, and supplier collaboration.

Subscribe to the Fluid Power Forum today to never miss an episode. The podcast is available on all of your favorite podcast platforms, including YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeart Radio.

Read the full whitepaper at the NFPA Technology Reports website.

Connect with our host, Eric Lanke, at [email protected].

Connect with experts at Gates Corporation, at [email protected].

Learn more about Gates Corporation here.

Find and share more interesting fluid power technologies and unique applications using #onlyfluidpowercan and follow podcast and other fluid power industry-related updates at @TheNFPA.

At the 2026 iVT Off-Highway Expo, Fluid Power Forum guest host Ben Brown interviews Greg Shtrahman of Marzocchi Pumps about trends at iVT, including hybrid technology, electric drive systems, integration, and sensors, and how they can pair with hydraulic pumps.

Shtrahman highlights Marzocchi's vertically integrated manufacturing of hydraulic gear pumps, gear motors, helical gear pumps, and micro pumps, emphasizing helical technology as a driver for electrification due to low noise (about 40 dB or less), dual compensation, low-RPM high-efficiency performance (90%+ volumetric efficiency), and new four-quadrant bidirectional capability. He explains how reversible helical pumps and motors with VFD control can reduce reliance on proportional valves and pressure-compensated piston pumps, with key off-highway applications such as battery-powered waste management trucks, mobile equipment, and material handling.

Connect with our guest host, Ben Brown, at [email protected].

Connect with our guest, Greg Shtrahman, at [email protected].

Learn more about Marzocchi Pumps at marzocchipompe.com.

Find and share more interesting fluid power technologies and unique applications using #onlyfluidpowercan and follow podcast and other fluid power industry-related updates at @TheNFPA.

At the 2026 iVT Off-Highway Expo, Fluid Power Forum guest host Ben Brown interviews Bruno Dupuis of Famic Technologies about innovations in electro-hydraulic systems and how new components can be modeled in Automation Studio to support digital twins.

Dupuis explains that Famic has over 35 years of software development experience and showcases Automation Studio, a CAD and simulation platform for hydraulics, pneumatics, electrical, and automation. The software enables real-time system simulation and analysis of pressures, flows, temperature, voltage, current, and energy consumption for prototyping, training, and troubleshooting. He highlights Automation Studio version 10 features including a new 3D mechanism for simulating external forces on linear and rotary actuators, plus wire harness schematics and fluid connection diagrams, with more information and demos available at famictech.com.

Connect with our guest host, Ben Brown, at [email protected].

Connect with our guest, Bruno Dupuis, at [email protected].

Learn more about Famic Technologies at famictech.com.

Find and share more interesting fluid power technologies and unique applications using #onlyfluidpowercan and follow podcast and other fluid power industry-related updates at @TheNFPA.

Host Eric Lanke interviews Jim Diehl and Chris Parisse of Bosch Rexroth about a decentralized hydraulic drive solution showcased in an animatronic dinosaur exhibit at the Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Replacing an older gear-pump/servo-valve/PLC dinosaur, the new eight-foot "T‑Rexroth" uses four color-coded, interactive axes with visible components and lighting to teach hydraulics while operating quietly, compactly, and with easy maintenance. The system uses a CytroPac hydraulic power unit with variable-speed drive and individual motor-pump groups near each actuator to reduce noise, simplify architecture, and limit failure points. Advanced sensors, closed-loop motion control, and remote monitoring track pressures, temperature, strokes, and fluid cleanliness for reliability and troubleshooting.

They note broader applications in pressing and testing for quieter, energy-efficient, space-saving machines with improved repeatability in a digital age.

Subscribe to the Fluid Power Forum today to never miss an episode. The podcast is available on all of your favorite podcast platforms, including YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeart Radio.

Connect with our host, Eric Lanke, at [email protected].

Connect with our guests, Jim Diehl ([email protected]) and Chris Parisse ([email protected]).

See the Da Vinci Center Dinosaur in action here!

Find and share more interesting fluid power technologies and unique applications using #onlyfluidpowercan and follow podcast and other fluid power industry-related updates at @TheNFPA.

#fluidpowerforum #dinosaurs #advancedsensors #childproof #onlyfluidpowercan

At the 2026 iVT Off-Highway Expo, guest host Ben Brown interviews Scott Mason of FluiDyne Fluid Power about a busy show and the continued shift toward electrified hydraulics with precise electronic position and feedback control.

Mason highlights FluiDyne's booth display of hydraulic components including piston, vane, and gear pumps, directional control valves, and hydraulic motors. He emphasizes FluiDyne's ability to respond quickly to customer needs by building required pump configurations from stocked parts, reducing typical 16–20 week lead times to turnaround in days, supported by friendly service. FluiDyne also offers just-in-time inventory, stocking ongoing customer products and acting as a dedicated warehouse to maintain availability for fast delivery. Listeners can learn more at fluidynefp.com.

Connect with our guest host, Ben Brown, at [email protected].

Connect with our guest, Scott Mason, at [email protected].

Learn more about FluiDyne Fluid Power at fluidynefp.com.

Find and share more interesting fluid power technologies and unique applications using #onlyfluidpowercan and follow podcast and other fluid power industry-related updates at @TheNFPA.

At the 2026 iVT Off-Highway Expo, Fluid Power Forum guest host Ben Brown interviews Andy Gray of Scanreco about the show's value for targeted networking with customers and partners and the growing real-world implementation of AI, machine intelligence, operator interfaces, connectivity, and automation.

Gray highlights Scanreco's radio remote control solutions, including the OneGrip single-handed pistol-grip handheld remote for applications like service cranes and agricultural seed tenders. He also discusses Scanreco's acquisition of Cross Control and its open software platform, emphasizing increasing demand for larger displays, multiple screens, centralized computing architectures, and software-defined vehicles that integrate onboard screens and controls with remote control systems. Listeners are directed to scanreco.com, crosscontrol.com, and LinkedIn for more information.

Connect with our guest host, Ben Brown, at [email protected].

Connect with our guest, Andy Gray, at [email protected].

Learn more about Scanreco at scanreco.com.

Find and share more interesting fluid power technologies and unique applications using #onlyfluidpowercan and follow podcast and other fluid power industry-related updates at @TheNFPA.

At the 2026 iVT Off-Highway Expo, Fluid Power Forum guest host Ben Brown interviews Reinhold Herrman of IFP Motion Solutions about show growth and emerging technologies in electrification, sensors, controls, and AI for operator interfaces and autonomous machines.

Herrman highlights IFP's exhibit, including a stock electrified ePTO system that lets diesel or gasoline trucks shut off on site while batteries power an electric motor-driven hydraulic pump to run cranes, buckets, and stabilizers, reducing idling, fuel and maintenance costs, with ROI under two years and automatic recharging while driving. He also describes AI vision systems that detect people and objects, assess fruit quality, and follow lines to improve productivity, safety, and efficiency while helping less-skilled operators perform at higher levels.

Connect with our guest host, Ben Brown, at [email protected].

Connect with our guest, Reinhold Herrman, at [email protected].

Learn more about IFP Motion Solutions at ifpusa.com.

Find and share more interesting fluid power technologies and unique applications using #onlyfluidpowercan and follow podcast and other fluid power industry-related updates at @TheNFPA.