The increased use of electro-hydraulic cylinders will be a major trend that will gain traction during the next four years. Hydraulic cylinders coupled with electronics will eliminate the need for separate hydraulic pumps and tubing, and will offer enhanced accuracy, better functionality, and improved ease of use and control.
With electro-hydraulic cylinders, a hydraulic pump is an integral part of the cylinder design, according to the organization IEEE. Electro-hydraulic cylinders use a combination of fluid power components, valves and electronic controls, such as a transducer, to provide rod position feedback and to ensure efficient machine operations. Advances in transducers and the logic used to program them makes electro-hydraulic systems highly accurate, efficient and precise because of the feedback control system built in to the electro-hydraulic cylinder.
According to hydraulics manufacturer Parker Hannafin, position sensing and feedback devices enhance the functionality and productivity of electro-hydraulic systems.
At its simplest, the company says, a hydraulic cylinder extends and retracts until it meets a physical obstacle or reaches the end of its stroke. The addition of controlling electronics allows the system designer to regulate velocity and acceleration, and to link associated processes to points in the cylinder's cycle. The resulting system combines the flexibility of electronic control with the unmatched power density of hydraulics, benefiting both the designer and end-user.
