In a nutshell, the action today among young engineers is heavily focused on electronics, and those same young engineers tend to see fluid power as a dirty, archaic, boring technology with no room for innovation or people who like to think outside the box.

Promising students aren’t offered nearly enough scholarships, fellowships or internships to study fluid power related technologies. And to the extent those students choose to pursue careers in electronics where those incentives are available, the fluid power industry is increasingly starved for new talent to drive the innovation we need to create the future we’re all working toward.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is that none of these things are inevitable. We, as an industry, can address and change all of them for the better, and it is very much in our own best interest to do so. In fact, we don’t really have a choice, because as Donna Pollander, executive director of the International Fluid Power Society (IFPS) said recently, “electronics has become the preeminent control medium for fluid power.”

The irony of the situation in which we find ourselves is that fluid power and electronics are complementary technologies. Fluid power supplies the “muscle” and electronics provide the “brains” of modern systems in both mobile and industrial applications. And “intelligent” systems are the future for many applications. The fact is that we need each other, and we need to find new ways to get that message out.

The IFPS has launched an initiative to create an Electronics (Electronic Controls) Certification program. The IFPS, Pollander says, is “working with a cross-industry advisory committee in developing an electronics certification program to verify the higher competency skills associated with the successful application of these controls.

“Our plan is to first develop a specialist certification, Certified Fluid Power Electronics Specialist (CFPES), immediately followed by Industrial Technician (CFPIET) and Mobile Technician (CFPMET) certifications.”

Eaton is a major sponsor of this initiative - the company has contributed funding to support the program - and will be an active participant in the development process. We are confident that it will make a significant difference over the long run by providing both incentives and rewards to talented individuals who choose careers in fluid power control systems. That’s one form of positive feedback that will help increase the number of qualified people available to the industry.

Another is the ongoing training program Eaton has developed in association with Alexandria Technical College (Alex-Tech) in Alexandria, MN. Here we are taking the approach of improving the skills of individuals who already are pursuing careers in fluid power by training them to use the advanced electronic tools that exist today. Program graduates receive CONTROL F(x) Certification from Eaton’s Training Services Department.

Eaton’s product manager for Electronics, A.J. Smith, says that Alex-Tech’s association with Eaton and IFPS will lead to fellowships for the college’s students, and fuel the growth of their program. “It’s a win-win situation with academia and industry working together to address the industry’s needs while improving the skills and earning potential of the students.

“This really is a cooperative effort,” Smith adds. “We currently have six training sessions planned for 2008 at various Eaton facilities. Three of them will be led by Alex-Tech instructors, and three by Eaton trainers.”

In a recent session, students from Eaton distributors in the U.S. and Canada spent a week in Eden Prairie earning their CONTROL F(x) certifications. Eaton’s CONTROL F(x) is a standardized approach to control software development based on the IEC 61131-3 programming standard.

Garett Aubin of HyPower Systems in Winnipeg, attended the recent Alex-Tech class. “The training was a great experience, I think that the F(x) Controller is going to be one of Eaton's most powerful products, and good for Eaton to realize that distributor training is key to its success,” he says.

Tom Blansett is Manager of Training Services for Eaton’s Hydraulics Operations.
www.eaton.com/hydraulics