The Technologies Enabling Digitalization of Fluid Power Systems

Digitalization is typically defined as the use of digital technologies to enable or improve processes. Sensors, controllers and software are just some of the technologies used to employ digitalization, including within fluid power components and systems.

According to Nate Keller, Ph.D., Business Development Manager, Moog Construction, sensors and controllers are the technologies which initially come to mind that are fundamental to digitalization. However, he said these components can only do so much with the physical hardware such as hydraulic valves.

“You have to at some point start changing the hardware if you want to make the control even better,” he said.

Marcus Pont, CEO of Domin, agrees. The ability to write software and control things are not the limiting factors when employing digitalization but the hardware itself. Therefore, it is important to design hydraulics or pneumatics hardware with software, digital control and digital configurability in mind to achieve the desired goals of digitalization which is to create more intelligent and efficient systems.

For Festo, software has been an important part of the digitalization journey said Frank Langro, Director of Product Market Management, Pneumatic Automation, North America. But hardware limitations have also been a factor and a key driver for the company applying piezo electrics instead of solenoids for valve actuation. Applying software to the piezoelectric actuator in its pneumatic valves have opened a whole new world of performance possibilities for Festo, said Langro.

In this panel discussion with Keller, Pont and Langro from the webinar “How Digitalization of Fluid Power is Enabling New Technological Advancements” they offer their perspectives on the technologies being used for digitalization as well as how their companies moving hydraulics and pneumatics into the digital world.

Read “Digitalization Improves Performance of Hydraulics and Pneumatics” for more on digitalization in fluid power from the panel discussion with Keller, Pont and Langro.