Maintaining the trajectory for innovation and growth

20 February, 2023

Increasing precision

What are our commentators’ predictions for the next year or two concerning technological developments or market trends? Anderton says Slack & Parr is seeing first-hand how technological refinement in the form of increasing precision is expanding what can be achieved in the fluid power sector and making fluid power technologies relevant in a wider variety of applications. “In our case, the launch of the FDRX and FDLX flow dividers in late 2022 is helping to broaden our share of the highperformance market,” he says. “The technology offers divisional accuracy greater than 1%, which makes it a viable and more cost-effective alternative to linear transducers and proportional valves.”

Rubinstein believes there will be even more innovation in lower carbon products, looking at the whole lifecycle approach. “For example, more compressors using VSD technology will be launched in the next couple of years, and these will optimise energy consumption even further; plus there will be developments in compressed air heat recovery technology,” he says.

Atlas Copco has already started to offer smart compressed air systems and Rubinstein points out that this trend will continue. “Whether it’s compressors that can ‘talk’ to other machines with OPC UA or controllers that receive over-the-airupdates, remote monitoring systems that send alerts to the user, or central controllers that allow them to get the most out of their compressors, Atlas Copco is already offering the products of tomorrow today,” says Rubinstein

 Jones makes the point that while it is not a new technological advancement, the need for air audits is almost certainly set to increase as operators look to optimise the energy performance of their compressors. “Often, these audits will highlight that retrofit options, such as installing heat recovery or more efficient dryer technologies, will make a positive contribution to energy efficiency, offering rapid payback,” she says.

Elsewhere, innovative compressor design is incorporating more recyclable materials into the finished product, Jones explains. “For oil-lubricated compressors, reducing the amount of oil required results in less waste oil to dispose of, for example,” she says. “BCAS members also have a key role to play, by encouraging their customers to implement thorough service regimes, with increasing numbers offering preventative and even predictive maintenance options.”

Butcher believes electronics, mechatronics, telematics and robotics will continue to play a bigger part in the industry. “Technology is moving forward with alternative propulsion systems,” he says. “Also, as we embrace the fact that battery-powered EV are not the only option – there is also hydrogen EV and hydrogen IC engine systems development in play – other industries will have to follow.”

Loeffler points out that Jubilee Clips is not looking to diversify its products to any major degree. “Our current range of clips and customised alternatives have been well-established and successful for many years,” he says. “However, we are looking to tailor more products for specific market segments, such as marine. For this sector, we are looking to produce more clips made of marine grade aisi 316 stainless steel rather than with aisi 304, which is a standard stainless steel.”

Schofield reminds us that pumps were first developed by the Egyptians around 2000 BC, and since then different types have been designed into just two main families – rotodynamic or positive displacement. “The technology within both these pump types is possibly at its peak, with only minor design changes taking place in recent years, mainly relating to efficiency levels,” he says. “The main developments have primarily revolved around how pumps are controlled, monitored, maintained, and made to operate more efficiently. This is through electrical devices such as inverters and