Pneumatics Blog

You've heard it before: maintain air pressure in your tires to save fuel costs. It's even become a contentious issue in the U.S. presidential campaign. Well, if millions of dollars of fuel can be saved by keeping the nation's tires pumped, how much more could be saved if we didn't have to worry about air pressure in the first place? From an energy conservation angle, what would the consequences of non-pneumatic tires be?

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Unless you've been on extended holiday in Timbuktu, you're aware of the rapidly spreading tentacles of social networks. No longer limited to individuals only, today's networks now target the business world. In your experience, how effective are these new channels of communication? Have you seen any real benefits to your career or to the success of your company?

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If ever there was a "mature" technology, pneumatics qualifies. Even so, the discipline continues to move forcefully ahead thanks to advances in compatible technology areas. What, in your experience, are the top three areas of innovation with regards to the pneumatics industry?

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Factory floor plug-and-play is not only becoming pervasive, it is becoming easier — as noted in a recent Control Engineering editorial. But Chief Editor Mark Hoske raises an interesting question when he asks, "Is interoperability important enough that, when dealing with vendors, you specify compliance to specific standards?" What's your experience?

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The Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) aims high: New fluid power technologies that will "greatly reduce petroleum consumption" and create "whole new industries." Their campaign targets new control strategies, dramatic size and weight reductions, plus big cuts in noise, vibration, and leakage. To supplement government and industry support, the CCEFP is boosting public awareness via television. How will the Center's documentary, entitled "Discovering Fluid Power," further its ambitious agenda?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Pneumatics, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Pneumatics today.