NFPA has been producing a series of Technology Roadmaps for the Fluid Power Industry since 2009. These documents – describing technology strategies being deployed in fluid power’s end markets and ways for fluid power to increase its inclusion in those strategies – have been heavily weighted towards the mobile side of the fluid power industry. As a result, we are now developing a new Technology Roadmap focused exclusively on industrial applications of fluid power.
A project plan is now in place, which is engaging the NFPA Industrial Technology Task Force in the development and publication of this new Roadmap. All NFPA members – suppliers, manufacturers, controls and data companies, and distributors – with interest and exposure to the industrial side of the fluid power industry are welcome and encouraged to appoint a representative to this Task Force. Ideally, it should be an engineer or other technical professional who understands the needs of your company’s customers and the ways in which your products help meet those needs. To volunteer for this effort, refer a colleague, or learn more, please contact me at elanke@nfpa.com.
The Task Force has already identified the market drivers and technology strategies most prevalent in fluid power’s largest industrial markets, and the primary capability improvements that are needed to help fluid power meet them. The next stage of the roadmap discussion will be to discuss and identify that key areas of pre-competitive research that will best address the capability improvements. To that end, nine working group meetings have now been scheduled, one for each of the capability improvements:
- Environmental Impact – Mon Aug 4 – 10:00-11:30 AM Central Time
- Data – Mon Aug 4 – 2:00-3:30 PM Central Time
- Reliability and Durability – Wed Aug 6 – 12:00-1:30 PM Central Time
- Noise – Fri Aug 8 – 8:00-9:30 AM Central Time
- Control – Fri Aug 8 – 10:00-11:30 AM Central Time
- Safety – Thu Aug 14 – 8:00-9:30 AM Central Time
- Energy Efficiency – Mon Aug 18 – 12:00-1:30 PM Central Time
- Power Density – Tue Aug 19 – 12:00-1:30 PM Central Time
- Service – Tue Aug 19 – 2:00-3:30 PM Central Time
This is a great time to people with interest in these discussions – in how to improve fluid power systems for industrial applications – to get engaged. If there is someone at your company that would like to join one or more of these virtual meetings, please contact me at elanke@nfpa.com.