MFCP Blog

Keeping your machinery downtime to a minimum is something we strive for with all our customers. Remote condition monitoring is great for implementing predictive maintenance. A fleet of sensors measures and records crucial data immediately so you can find issues well before they become more harmful, and the Voice of the Machine software provides intuitive analytics of your whole system. Together, the sensors and the software give plant and equipment maintenance managers a clear view of the system performance and alert them to components needing attention.

The Parker Hose Products Division announced yesterday dimensional changes affecting four 77 Series 90° elbow fittings.

Author: Dan Davis, product sales manager, Parker Hannifin.

The terms Preventive maintenance and Predictive maintenance are often used interchangeably but are considerably different. Understanding the difference can help you come up with a better maintenance plan, and save you time and money in the long run.

SOURCE: Parker Hose Division, August 11, 2021

Parker Hose Division announced that another batch of the 43-series 90˚ elbow fittings is joining a growing list of their Monoblok™ parts. Monoblok parts are machined from a single piece of metal instead of brazing parts together.
Machining fittings as a complete part eliminates the potential for leak paths and decreases the overall dimension, making hose assemblies a little easier to route through tight spots.

Source: Parker Hannifin Hydraulics Team

You know Gold Cup Heavy-Duty Pumps and Motors as a gold standard in the industry for technical excellence in hydrostatic transmission applications in marine, drilling, and shredding applications, among others.

You probably also know that the tried-and-true design incorporates features such as, integral servo and replenishing pump, a hot oil shuttle, and a unique servo control system; all of which combine to provide a rugged self-contained package that can withstand the harshest of conditions and continue to perform with trouble-free long life.

But here are six lesser-known features and benefits of Gold Cup's, heavy-duty hydrostatic piston pumps and motors:

Parker announced this week to their distributor network, that it will be updating the coating of Transair wall brackets, wall brackets with ball valves, and valves. The coating will change to cataphoresis coating instead of the black zinc used on the current parts. The cataphoresis coating will improve corrosion resistance.

In June 2021, Parker's Industrial Gas Filtration and Generation (IGFG) Division released a new warranty for their CGGC Business Unit nitrogen generators.

Author: Burleigh Bailey, senior project engineer, Parker Tube Fittings Division

Over the years, we have received quite a few inquiries regarding "AN" fittings. AN (Air Force - Navy Aeronautical Standard) and AND (Air Force - Navy Aeronautical Design Standard) are standards used by the U.S. Military in aviation applications. AN fittings are manufactured to meet the above standards. These fittings include the 37° flare, flareless, hose connections, "banjo" type fittings, specialized flange fittings, pipe fittings, and other types of connections. There are many frequently asked questions about AN 37° flare fittings and how they relate to their industrial 37° flare counterpart, the SAE/ISO 37° flare fittings, so I thought I would share the background and differences between these fittings.
(Skip to The Differences Between AN and JIC Fittings)

Parker's Hose Products Division announced the use of an alternate layline. The supply chain challenges have forced the change, so it is temporary, but Parker warns that it could remain intermittent as supply chain challenges persist with their original branding material.

The alternate branding is an inkjet label, identical to the current branding method for the Push-Lok 801 hose. The temporary layline lacks the color branding, but it contains all the same information as the original design.

The change will impact the 302, 387, 387TC, and 487 series hoses.

We wrote about the advantages of the Parker Tracking System (PTS) back in August of 2013. One of the great benefits we talk about is the ability to order a replacement hose assembly without the need to leave your shop. Today, with mandates for social distancing, the ability to order parts without physical interaction with other people is critical.

Watch a 2-minute QuickFit^TM video to see it work.

OSHA Requests Input on Proposed Changes to the Silica Standard

OSHA sent a Trade Release out on August 14, 2019, announcing that they are seeking input from industries affected by their Crystalline Silica regulations. Construction companies, rock cories and any other businesses engaged in jackhammering, cutting or braking rock, concrete, masonry and other materials containing crystalline silica are obligated to employ measures to prevent their workers from inhaling the crystalline silica dust. If you are affected by the regulation, this is your chance to have input.

Comments must be submitted by October 14, 2019. Comments and materials may be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal, or by facsimile or mail. See the Federal Register notice for submission details.

You may also like to read our earlier blog about OSHA regulation, enforcement and penalties, Save Your Workers' Lungs & OSHA's Staggering Penalties for Violations of Crystalline Silica Rules.

The (corrected) OSHA trade release is provided below:

Electromechanical (EM) actuating systems have been increasing in popularity for some time. They have replaced pneumatic and hydraulic systems in many light-duty applications. Today,another option (such as the Parker HAS 500) is available: a hybrid of EM and hydraulic actuation systems, which combines the best of both worlds.

Below we will compare EM and hydraulic systems and take a quick look at the new hybrid system.

Last year, we wrote about OSHA's new enforcement focus on violations of crystalline silica rule, which became more stringent in 2017. Since the enforcement is ramping up, and fees associated with non-compliance automatically go up each year, we thought a re-post of our last year's blog about using the wet method suppression is relevant. Check out the video added at the end of the blog.

Posted by Vincent Lockwood 

Corrosive environments and extreme temperatures, high or low, present challenges for everyday fittings, especially in high-pressure applications. JIC fittings in larger sizes do not provide an adequate pressure rating, and O-rings in ORFS connections are susceptible to erosion. Extreme environments require extreme solutions.  

Parker will discontinue 30 of its legacy hoses by next June. Of those 30 hoses 22 will become obsolete at the end of 2018, and the remaining eight will go out of production June 28, 2019. Look for the list of obsoleted hose series and suggested replacements later in this article. The GlobalCore family of hoses, of which there are six, will replace the 30 outgoing hoses. Additionally, the six hoses in the GlobalCore series use only two series of fittings – 43 and 77.

The change was a long time coming, and changing to GlobalCore should be relatively painless for users in the short run. In the long run, it will be a blessing. Here is the scoop on why you should have switched to GlobalCore a long time ago:

If you are repairing or maintaining hydraulic equipment, you make and re-make connections daily. You know to use plugs and caps to plug open ports and cap disconnected hoses, in order to keep the the dirt out and oil in. This method works for most connections, but when it comes to flanges most mechanics' oil containment method is to shove a rag into the open port, and another in the end of the disconnected hose (or tube assembly).

Now, there's another option – using FlangeLock™. The FlangeLock™ allows for quick, simple sealing of open SAE Code 61, Code 62 & CAT-style hydraulic flange connections without tools. It is the ultimate spill and contamination control during disconnecting and re-connecting flange fittings.

We have written several blogs in the past about risks associated with using equipment with worn-out hydraulic hoses and how to spot the unsafe hoses before they fail. The intended audience of these blogs had been plant managers, equipment maintenance managers, and equipment mechanics, but a recent experience with a rented trencher made me re-evaluate who else should be learning about how to spot an unsafe hydraulic hose.

What if you just rent hydraulic equipment from your local rental yard? Just because you are not in charge of its maintenance and safety does not mean that you cannot be affected by a rental company's lackadaisical approach to equipment maintenance.