Engineers Develop Tiny Hydraulic Cylinders That Give Small Hand Tools A Stronger Grip
A group of entrepreneurial engineers based in Colorado Springs, Colo., has designed a new type of self-enclosed, hydraulic pump and cylinder that is showing much promise for use on small hand tools where hydraulic fluid power could outperform a simple mechanical connection.
Logger-turned-inventor Bill Gallentine leads the 15-member group. Its engineers recently tested a prototype cylinder that weighs 12 oz and costs about $8 to buy. With a 50-lb squeeze of a makeshift handle, the tiny units piston produces 1.5 tons of force on the business end, an advantage of 60:1. The group so far has invested $350,000 and currently holds four patents on the system.