Together, hydraulics and pneumatics are known as fluid power.
Fluid power is a partner in an evolving high technology alliance
that provides the world with unprecedented control of force,
torque, position and motion. The combination of fluid power
systems with advanced electronics adds control and flexibility
to the strength of hydraulics and the speed of pneumatics. These
23 application examples show some typical applications for this
technology. The examples, though simplified for clarity, are
based on real applications. As you read each one, you will learn
why fluid power was chosen as a power source (whether it be
hydraulic or pneumatic), and which categories of electronic
sensing and control were central to the design. The applications
are organized around four motion control categories - force,
position, velocity and acceleration - all typical output
requirements of a vehicle, machine or system. Each application
is also linked to NFPA's Fluid Power Product Locator. This
locator, with its links to NFPA's