Case Study: Conversion from Hydraulic to Electric Actuators

By Sandia Harrison, Director of Marketing, FPE Automation

Those are all the right questions, to be sure. This success story is about questions that often remain unasked.

John Lackmann has been with Melton Machine & Control Company for nine years. He has spent time at their Computech division during his tenure there as well. John has seen a lot. He has learned to ask questions. The right questions, about an actuator’s environment.

John Lackman
Application Engineer
Melton Machine & Control

John works closely with my co-worker, FPE Automation‘s Jason Vilmer. It was Jason who pointed out John’s exceptional expertise. Jason suggested I give him a call.

John’s a busy man, but I did manage to reach him for a quick conversation. During our phone call, John told me, “Just because you previously used something doesn’t mean it’s the best option. I like to make sure it’s still the best thing out there, or that there isn’t something value-added that would be more useful to either a new or existing customer.”

During a plant visit, John noticed that the hydraulic fluids were mixing with the items being pressed. It was causing numerous problems. “How we interact with our customers is pretty tight compared to others”, he said. “That’s how we operate. We’d love to have a bunch of new customers, but it is more important that our existing customers are satisfied and come back to us”.

Leaking Hydraulic Fluid

I asked John what an experienced engineer knows about sizing and using actuators that, say, a newbie to the field does not? His response; “I’ve learned that it is best to utilize either your distributor or your Tolomatic reps. Use their calculators and the latest technology.”