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| Alan Hitchcox editor alan.hitchcox@penton.com |
What makes our “Designer’s Guide” different from other databases of fluid power components and suppliers? After all, other magazines have directories for fluid power components. And a few might even be as detailed as our Manufacturers Directory, which is part of our biennial Fluid Power Handbook & Directory and contains detailed product listings for nearly 1000 fluid power component suppliers.
Of course, you can always use an internet search engine to find products. But this can be a time-consuming task because searches often return way too much information or not enough that is meaningful. And there’s no guarantee you’ll find the best product for your application at hand, especially if it doesn’t appear until page 76 of your search results — unless you have the time and patience to pore over thousands of hits.
And who knows, maybe you will find an axial-piston pump rated 6000 psi with a displacement of 35 in.3/rev that can run at 3000 rpm. But once you click through to a website, you might have to start all over because the pump you found may not accommodate the fluid used in your application.
That’s where our Designer’s Guide comes in. When you go to the page on pumps (either in this issue or on our website), you’ll not only find a listing of companies that make six different kinds of hydraulic pumps for five different types of hydraulic fluids, but you’ll also find maximum pressure ratings, displacements of the smallest and largest sizes, and maximum speed and power ratings.
You’ll find similar relevant information for valves, motors, hoses, transducers, and nearly 60 other types of products. Many of these listings are provided in this issue, and all of them are on our website.
Just click the Designer’s Guide button, and you’re on your way. Try that with a search engine!