Robotics, automation headline Fluid Power Technology Conference 2019

The 2019 edition of the Fluid Power Technology Conference is slated for May 14-15 atthe Milwaukee School of Engineering’s Kern Center.The conference will open both days with excitingkeynote presentations highlighting how fluid powermanufacturers can be leaders in robotics andautomation technologies.

On May 14, Dan Kara, Vice President, Robotics at WTWH Media, will kick off the conference at 9:30 a.m. with this talk, “Robotics Solutions for Smallto-Medium Manufacturers.” He is a recognized thought leader in robotics, with extensive businessdevelopment and analysis experience.

A large percentage of small-to-medium manufacturers have missed out on the many benefits of robotic industrial automation such as increased productivity, improved quality and enhanced competitiveness. Rapid change, however, is underway. Both traditional industrial robotics companies, as well as a number of new vendors, are providing products and services specifically designed to satisfy the requirements and support the culture of the sizable and underserved small-to-medium manufacturer market. In this session, attendees will learn about these new products and services. Real world case studies will be presented to illustrate salient points.

Pre-conference workshops return to the FPTC. Here, the IFPS’ Tom Blansett presents on advanced hydraulics in 2018.

Topics covered include:

• Collaborative robotics

• Bench-top systems

• Grippers and gripping systems

• Application specific systems

• Mobile robots

• Robotics-as-a-service

• Non-traditional manufacturing and novel application areas

• Flexible automation

• Rapid deployment and simplified programming

• What’s next

As VP, Robotics at WTWH Media, Kara is chartered with driving the company’s robotics and intelligent systems initiatives. Prior to joining WTWH, he was Practice Director, Robotics at ABI Research and Chief Research Officer for Myria RAS, both research and advisory services firms focused on automation, robotics and intelligent systems. He served as President of Robotics Trends, the producer of Robotics Trends and Robotics Business Review online news, information and analysis portals, as well as a number of robotics business development events. Kara is a widely known research analyst and well-respected thought leader who has extensive business development experience with nascent technology markets that are poised for rapid growth.

Donna Ritson, President of DDR Communications, will open day two of the conference at 8:30 a.m. with her presentation, “The Evolution of Advanced Automation.” Attendees will learn about the advancements in Automation and the influence of technological breakthroughs that are impacting the industry for years to come. The presentation will review the role of pneumatics in automation, the reasons driving embedded intelligence, and the growth of smart machines on the plant floor.

Donna Ritson founded DDR Communications more than 30 years ago. DDR’s business is based on a direct response methodology that delivers market research, business development, strategic alliance and actionable market intelligence for companies in virtually every B2B industry.

DDR has been a partner with PMMI for more than 12 years reporting on the trends that help members gain a deeper insight into key markets and customers.

Ritson is a certified business communicator with a BA and MSMC in Marketing Communications.

All-day workshops, IFPS certification testing available on Monday

Now in its fourth year, the Fluid Power Technology Conference is continuing to add more technical programming for its attendees.

Back by popular demand will be a full day of pre-conference workshops on May 13, presented by MSOE and the International Fluid Power Society (IFPS). New this year will be IFPS certification testing.

MSOE’s Tom Wanke will once again be offering his “Fluid Power Basics Workshop.” This introductory level workshop will cover the benefits and challenges of using fluid power systems for power transmission and motion control. Physical laws that govern how and why fluid power systems function will be discussed. Individual components that comprise a fluid power system; including design construction, operational performance and efficiency characteristics will be presented. ISO symbology used for representing individual components will be covered. The workshop will conclude with a brief overview of circuit architectures.

Wanke is the Director of the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s Fluid Power Industrial Consortium and Industry Relations. He’s one of the industry’s most popular trainers, with more than three decades of fluid power courses to his credit.

Dan Kara VP, Robotics design, at WTWH Media

IFPS’ Tom Blansett will once again present an eight-hour long course, “Advanced Hydraulics Mashup,” in which he will cover the following:

Systemic Contamination Control —

By evaluating an entire hydraulic system and its duty cycle, it is possible to systematically select the type and placement of contamination control components to enable a more reliable and cost-effective solution to avoid system downtime. Contamination control will ensure that the maximum life for components is achieved as long as the components are operated within the manufacturer’s specified operating parameters.

Pump Controls — Pump controls will be addressed as to the theory of operation along with some examples, such as when a specific type of pump control is more appropriate to use than other options to maximize energy efficiency. Along with common pump controls such as pressure compensation, load sensing, and torque limiting, less understood control options such as constant tensioning and electronic displacement controls will be explained.

Proportional Control Theory / PID Control — Proportional, Integral, and Derivative (PID) control theory is explained and how this relates to tuning an electrohydraulic system for maximizing accuracy of control. A thorough understanding of PID control is essential to operating a system with high cyclic rates to minimize instability issues.

Donna Ritson, founder DDR Communications

Blansett, CFPS, CFPAI is the technical director for the IFPS. He has been working in the fluid power and motion control industry for almost 40 years. Blansett has contributed as a subject matter expert on numerous IFPS technical subcommittees and has been a technical consultant for the IFPS. He holds the Fluid Power Specialist (hydraulics and pneumatics), Industrial Hydraulics Technician, and Connector & Conductor Certifications; he is also certified by the IFPS as an Accredited Instructor and Authorized Job Performance Proctor.

Pre-Conference workshop requires separate registration. Visit www.fluidpowertechconference.com for more details.

Finally, IFPS will be offering all of its certification tests, including:

• Specialist – Electronic Controls Specialist (ECS)

• Hydraulic Specialist (HS)

• Pneumatic Specialist (PS)

• Mechanic and Technician tests (MHM, MHT, IHM, IHT, PM, PT) both written and job performance

Candidates should register at www.ifps.org/certifications-offered. There, they should select the certification they are interested in. Once a certification is selected, the candidates should use zip code 53202 and test date May 13, 2019 when selecting Test Location & Date on the Test Application.

Individuals who register for IFPS certification tests will also receive 25% off their registration for the Fluid Power Technology Conference.

Visit www.fluidpowertechconference.com for more details and to register.