When you think hydraulic plumbing, what comes to mind is usually either hoses or tubes. Hoses are easy to make and provide a forgivable installation option. Tubing takes more forethought but is relatively straightforward if you have the proper bending and flaring equipment. What’s less popula

Registration continues for NAHAD’s 36th Annual Meeting & Convention, taking place April 24-29, at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The program provides time to experience Atlantis, but also offers the forums necessary to network and learn. This year’s educational program features a focus

Working with compressed air requires a safety mindset. Being aware of the hazards and having the right equipment is essential for a safe workplace, and it should be safe and reliable without having an impact on performance and efficiency. In the U.S, more than 25% of all workplace-related injuries,

It’s been a tough year for conventions, tradeshows and industry meetings, but the first few glimmers of optimism are sprouting for 2021. I’ve been of the mindset that the latter half of next year will be better for in-person get togethers. But the hope for a vaccine (or two) being availa

With hydraulic hose assemblies, one should consider several measurements to ensure their correct size — ID (inner diameter), OD (outer diameter), and length. Inner diameter is the bore of the hose and the size of the orifice that the fluid has to travel through over a particular length. The OD of th

When should I use a hydraulic hose reel? You should use a hydraulic hose reel when your portable hydraulic tool or device operates at the end of a length of hose. Loose hose is unsafe, especially attached to what is likely a powerful actuator. The last thing any operator needs is to get wrapped up

In this three-part series, the author will discuss how hose tubing and routing can simplify maintenance and reduce hose failure. Read part 2 and part 3 here. The failure of high-pressure hydraulic hoses or tubing is responsible for high costs resulting from lost productivity, negative environmental

In part 2 of this three-part series, the author will discuss how hose tubing and routing can simplify maintenance and reduce hose failure. Read part 1 and part 3 here. To correctly route and properly install fluid conveying components during a machine prototyping, follow these 10 general rules. Th

While the NAHAD Annual Meeting & Convention is an excellent place to network, learn from the array of economic and business speakers, and find out about what both hose manufacturers and distributors are up to, it isn’t necessarily a place where big product unveils happen—like the sort of t

At this week’s 34thAnnual NAHAD Convention at the JW Marriott in Marco Island, Florida, I had the chance to sit down with Molly Alton Mullins, the new Executive VP of the association. Here’s our exclusive interview with Mullins, which covered her vision for the group, her thoughts on how the Convent

It can often be difficult to find the right part with the perfect fit for specific industry applications and equipment requirements. That’s way Air-Way Global Manufacturing recently updated its website to be more user-friendly and easier to find information about parts, specifications, reques

In this three-part series, the author will discuss how hose tubing and routing can simplify maintenance and reduce hose failure. Read part 1 and part 2 here. The Mean Time to Failure (MTTF) of a component can vary widely based on the duty cycle, installation of the product, environment and robustne

I recently had the chance to speak with Sébastien Tremblay, managing director of Taimi, a Canadian manufacturer of swivel fittings. Taimi has been making these fittings for 10 years and today the company sells them in 25 countries. “It was a pretty innovative design with no ball bearings with a syst

A line of blowout preventer hydraulic hoses was unveiled by Parker Hannifin at OTC last month. Designed for use topside, offshore and inland for oil and gas, these BOP hoses meet the API16D flame test and Lloyd’s Register 1499 test, said Michael Clark, business development manager for Parker Hannifi

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Jerry Pawluk, President of Safeplast NA, a manufacturer of hose guards and sleeves. The oil and gas sector is a big one for the company, and Pawluk said the company has seen a big uptake in the sector over the past few months. In fact, the company has rea

I’ve been a big proponent of associations over the course of my career covering the world of fluid power. They’ve helped me meet and interact with important industry leaders, network with readers, and understand the critical issues facing manufacturers today. I recently had the chance to catch up wi

Most consider a hydraulic hose to be maintenance-free. They’re often installed and forgotten until they need replacement, hopefully not under conditions of catastrophic failure. Contrary to popular belief, hydraulic hose does not enjoy infinite service life. Like any component manufactured fr

From their humble hand-operated beginnings to IoT-enabled machines, hydraulic hose crimpers are a critical piece of equipment that any fluid power user should understand. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in this hydraulic industry who has never made a hydraulic hose assembly. Hydraulic technici

Hydraulic hose uses a reinforcement material sandwiched between its inner tube and outer cover. Although modern designs have used anything from textile fiber to polyester, most hydraulic hoses use steel wire as their reinforcement. Within the steel reinforcement type, there are two major constructio

Hydraulic hoses may appear clean upon arrival in your facility, but every step of the hose fabrication process creates internal contamination that needs to be removed. For instance, they may have contamination from the manufacturer — residual mandrel lubrication may still be inside the hose. Additio