Eaton, Air-Hydraulic Systems Support Fluid Power Education

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. … Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation and a distributor partner, Air-Hydraulic Systems of Minneapolis have teamed up to support fluid power education.

Eaton’s Hydraulics Operations donated $10,000 in Aeroquip® hose and fitting products, as well as power units, valves, accumulators, pumps, and motors, to the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP), headquartered at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

The Eaton products were used to support the creation of three labs at the university, which are aimed at developing fluid power technology that is compact and efficient, resulting in greatly reduced fuel consumption and pollution and new tasks for fluid power.

Air-Hydraulic Systems supplied the Eaton products to the University of Minnesota and played a major role in the design and setup of the labs that are staffed by graduate and undergraduate mechanical engineering students focusing on fluid power research.

“The support of Eaton and Air-Hydraulic Systems has been instrumental in the center’s work to advance fluid power,” said Mike Gust, director—industrial liaison at the university. “Fluid power research at universities in the United States was almost nonexistent for the last three decades. With the creation of the CCEFP, we intend to change that. Eaton’s contributions have been immeasurable in our efforts to develop a much needed research infrastructure at the university at a time when increasing the efficiency of fluid power is critical in saving billions of dollars in energy. And through the local product support and design assistance of Air-Hydraulic Systems, we’ve been able to put together labs that will have real-world benefits.”

“Eaton is very pleased to contribute to the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power,” said Jeff Finch, vice president and general manager— Eaton’s Fluid Conveyance Group. “Students will gain first-hand exposure to the latest fluid power research and Eaton products and, as a result, build interest in potential careers in fluid power.”

The CCEFP is funded with $15 million from the National Science Foundation; $3 million in combined donations from participating companies, such as Eaton; and $3 million from participating universities.

Eaton’s Hydraulics Operation is a business segment of the Eaton Fluid Power Group. The business is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of a comprehensive line of reliable, high-efficiency hydraulic systems and components for use in mobile and industrial applications. Mobile and industrial markets include agriculture, construction, mining, forestry, utility, material handling, earthmoving, truck and bus, machine tools, molding, primary metals, automotive, power generation, port machinery and entertainment. Eaton’s Hydraulics Operation provides customer-driven solutions under brand names such as Aeroquip^®, Boston^®, Char-Lynn^®, Eaton^®, Hydro-Line^®, Synflex^®, Vickers^®, Walterscheid™, and Weatherhead^®. For more information, visit www.hydraulics.eaton.com.

Eaton Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturer with 2007 sales of $13.0 billion. Eaton is a global leader in electrical systems and components for power quality, distribution and control; hydraulics components, systems and services for industrial and mobile equipment; hydraulics, fuel and pneumatic systems for commercial and military aircraft; intelligent truck drivetrain systems for safety and fuel economy; and automotive engine air management systems, powertrain solutions and specialty controls for performance, fuel economy and safety. Eaton has 79,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.

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