Safety

We are the only hydraulic training organization that emphasizes hydraulic safety throughout the workshops.
How it will benefit maintenance personnel – you will learn every aspect of working safely with hydraulics.
How it will benefit designers – you will learn how to make safety the nucleus of your hydraulic system design.

How to Read Hydraulic Schematics

FPTI™ literally wrote the book on understanding fluid power symbols.
How it will benefit maintenance personnel – a hydraulic schematic is more than just a drawing with symbols; it is an instruction manual that uses symbols rather than words. It shows us where the oil flows. It tells us what the components are. It shows us how the components interact with one another, and it shows us how to correctly install components. It is vital that we can read and understand it.
How it will benefit designers – designers will learn how important it is to lay the system out correctly. They will also learn how important it is to show port reference numbers and letters. They will literally build hydraulic systems using schematics that are correctly drawn.

Principles and Laws

“The strength of a person’s knowledge of hydraulics is directly proportional to a person’s understanding of fundamental principles and laws.”

Rory S. McLaren – Teacher

The foundation – cement and rebar – of hydraulics is an acute understanding of basic principle and laws. We don’t recite meaningless definitions, we apply them to the function and operation of hydraulic systems and components. We believe that if we make the subject matter interesting it makes it easy to understand and retain.

Component function

We hear the same complaint from at least one person in every workshop we do: “I attended a different course in hydraulics and I still don’t know how, for example, a counterbalance valve, or load-sensing system, works.” You won’t hear these words in FPTI’s workshops because we care, more than anyone, about how much you learn – regardless of your background.

How it will benefit maintenance personnel – We make it simple:

• Step 1 – We show you the anatomy of a component.
• Step 2 – We show you exactly how it works with the aid of brilliant graphics and animations.
• Step 3 – You’ll build a circuit around the component on the MF102 simulator so you can see it in action, and learn how to adjust it.

How it will benefit designers – Do you choose a pilot-operated check valve, or a counterbalance valve? Will the marriage of a pressure compensated pump to a closed center valve cause a cylinder rod to drift. You will avoid common design pitfalls because you will learn how every component functions and interacts.

Systems

Once you learn how components function, the next step is to see how they are used to create working “systems”- You start out with fixed displacement pump systems and their unique components. Next, you advance to pressure compensated pumps and their unique components. Next, you advance to load sensing pumps and their unique components. And finally, you advance to hydrostatic drives. And you will understand, because you will literally be building all these systems hands-on using FPTI’s own brilliant MF102 computerized training simulators.

How it will benefit maintenance personnel – you will learn how every type of system  – mobile and/or industrial – functions. You will know how to set valves, synchronize components, and it will prepare you for troubleshooting.

How it will benefit designers – Knowing how all three systems function will give you insight as to which type of system is best suited for your application. You will also learn pitfalls of choosing the incorrect type of system. The hands-on activities will help you compose meaningful proto-type performance testing.

Proactive maintenance

There is good reason why hydraulic system are notoriously unreliable – it’s called “reactive” rather than “proactive” maintenance. Hydraulic systems are not designed to facilitate maintenance, and maintenance personnel generally don’t know to what extent hydraulic systems need to be maintained. Implement this 10-point proactive maintenance program and watch hydraulic system downtime evaporate.

How it will benefit maintenance personnel – you will learn the type of maintenance and the maintenance schedule for all hydraulic components. This includes checking pump flow and component leakage rates. More importantly you will learn to set a target cleanliness level for every hydraulic system you maintain.

How it will benefit designers – it’s time to think “outside tradition” and design-in proactive maintenance. You will learn where to specify critical test points to make maintenance safe and practical. You will also learn why oil sampling ports should not be in a hydraulic reservoir.

Venue

FPTI™ will send you the hotel information as soon as it becomes available after we receive your workshop registration(s).

Transportation

There is usually no need to rent a car. The hotels we use generally offer a free shuttle service to, and from, the airport. Even though the hotels are near downtown Salt Lake City, the commute to the airport is only 10-minutes regardless of the time of day.

Adjacent to the baggage carousel there is a convenient “Hotel” phone. Simply pick it up and push the button with the name of the hotel at which we are conducting the workshop.

If you are booking flights, the workshops end at 3:30 pm on Friday. Attendees can expect to make it to the airport by 4:30 pm or 5:00 pm.

Meals

We provide lunch and refreshments during the day. There are a variety of excellent restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. Please let us know if you have a need for specific types of foods, or if you have any food allergies.

Dress

Just be comfortable. Please, no t-shirts with offensive graphics or language.

Workshop Materials

All books (see reference list), notepads, writing materials, safety glasses, etc. will be provided.

Tour of the FPTI Factory

FPTI™ not only provides the most exceptional hydraulic training workshops, but we pride ourselves in designing and manufacturing the most brilliant hydraulic training simulators in the world. Attendees are invited to tour FPTI™’s manufacturing facility on Wednesday afternoon – transportation will be provided.