INTERVIEW WITH FLUID POWER TECHNOLOGY

FPT – Fluid Power Technology is a manufacturer of high pressure hydraulic equipment from 700 to 4.000 bar. The company is highly specialized in the engineering and production of new technical solutions for lifting, tensioning and bolting with an absolute quality of the products. Strong ability to design and manufacture custom made equipment and respond to the most specific customer requests are the main focus of the company.

Relying on F.P.T. means choosing technical solutions deriving from more than 50 years of experience in the field of hydraulics. It means utilising functional and modern technology that simplifies and improves the level of your work. It means receiving personalised service that meets your specific requirements and satisfies all needs.

Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?

FPT: For years FPT supplies the international marketplace with a complete line of high pressure hydraulic tools and equipment. FPT manufactures, assembles and tests, in company owned facilities in Italy, a wide range of standard products, with ample warehouse availability, that make an operator’s work easier and increase efficiency in various industrial sectors.

The strength of FPT lies in the ability to design and implement specials equipment able to respond to the most specific customer’s requests. A team of specialists follow the customer during the technical consulting phase, designing, production and installation of all equipment, evaluating the best technical solutions to achieve the personalization. Excellence in the production of lifting, tensioning equipment and special bolting application on customer’s requirements. With a profound tradition in constant evolution, highly specialised engineering and design expertise focused on developing new technical solutions, absolute quality products as well as efficient technical and after-sales service and assistance, FPT has become the recognised reference in high pressure hydraulic systems personalised to meet customers’ requirements.

There is only one way that allows FPT to meet the needs of its customers with products able to improve their work: aiming to perfection and always seeking for the maximum benefit for the customer. FPT follows the strategy of the highest quality: designs, produces, assembles and tests all its products at its Italian factory and guarantees excellence in all performance, from the smallest cylinder to the most complex lifting systems.

E.E: What’s the news for 2020 about new products?

FPT: FPT invest a lot of energy in R&D and in the development of new products and product line. During the 2020 we have launched our new high tonnage hydraulic cylinders and increase our production capability, so now we can manufacture up to 3.000 ton jacks.

E.E: What are the ranges of traded products?

FPT: FPT Fluid Power Technology manufactures a wide range of CE certified cylinders designed for all industrial or maintenance applications in which load lifting, pushing, pulling or approach operations are required. The cylinders are available both as single and double acting version, steel, aluminum or stainless steel made, with short or long strokes, a very varied range of compact, hollow cylinders, extra flat or high tonnage cylinders suitable for the customer’s application.

Part of the product range are also wide range of high pressure hand pumps, available in multiple configurations with different tank capacities, valves, construction’s materials and types of fluid to be pumped. High performance, easy to use and toughness are the characteristics that distinguish them and the hydraulic pumps. They are designed and built to adapt to the various needs arising from the use of hydraulic equipment. Built with 4 different motor versions: gasoline, three-phase or single-phase electric and pneumatic. Equipped with pumps operating at different flow rates and actuated via manual, electric or pneumatic valves. High flexibility for the most varied applications.

FPT produces also a wide range of equipment for bolt tightening: hydraulic bolt tensioners, hydraulic nuts, torque wrenches, hand pumps and custom hydraulic pumps. It can provide custom design bolt tightening solutions from 700 to 2.500 bar. The relevant markets more and more require hydraulic bolt tensioners built to the customer’s to specifics operate within the required geometry. FPT doesn’t just produce tensioners, but also supports the customer in developing the hydraulic circuit, providing the hydraulic pumps and all the components needed to get the system running.

Wide variety of products for controlled tightening to better meet the customer’s specific needs and applications are part of the product range and include hydraulic torque wrenches, compact and highflow power packs, twin flex hoses, quick couplers and all the accessories required to complete the system. Any tightening can be executed with FPT’s torque wrenches. Handy and compact models, square drive and low clearance.

In the range of products are also included hydraulic presses, hydraulic pullers, flange spreaders, wedges, lifting systems for bus maintenance, testing equipment and numerous systems and tools for maintenance and lifting.

E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?

FPT: FPT products are being used everywhere in the world and in the most diversified industrial sectors. Our equipment makes any lifting and handling operation of large objects, hydraulic tightening and structure’s tensioning, safe and accurate.

E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?

FPT: In our sector the key word are innovation and technology. FPT is investing a lot on products development the aim is hydraulic integrated with software and very high technology standard.

E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?

FPT: One of the most innovate product that we have is FPT SYNCHRO SYSTEM: a synchronous lifting systems with integrated PLC control. The FPT Synchronous system allows the operator to proceed with each step of lifting and lowering synchronously through an integrated management of hydraulic components and control elements. Unbalanced loads are kept level during the up and lower phases, with an accuracy of 1 mm. The system has been designed to make it adaptable to all customer lifting requests and can also be completely customized with a series of options.

This is the ideal system for heavy and critical lifting jobs and for weighing operations that require dedicated control functions without manual control. The FPT synchronous system can be used with single and double acting cylinders with spring return, load return, oil return or with safety nuts.

The FPT system is simple, safe and modular for the operator. All data connected to lifting and lowering operations are saved and stored by the system and can also be downloaded by the user in an Excel file. There is also the possibility of remote access from FPT is achievable, in order to be able to act directly on the system wherever it is.

FPT Fluid Power Technology, in its plant in Italy, has an external area dedicated to training for dynamic and complex systems such as the synchronous system: FPT DYNAMIC TEST FACILITY. In the area there is a 40 ton concrete block which allows any type of test: all the necessary lifting and lowering operations can be simulated in this way.

E.E: What estimations do you have for 2020?

FPT: The 2020 was a kind of challenging year. We have put all our effort and resources to keep the sales of previous years.