40 Years On – What is still unique about the Micropac Pump?
Passionate about manual handpump solutions in 1982 and now. Tony Foster testing an early prototype. In 2022, our Micropac pump was 40 years old. Yet, despite its age it has remained almost [...]
Electric Cars Revisited
The electric vehicle revolution six years on. What did our EV blog get right and what was way off the mark? Back in January 2016, we blogged on electric vehicles (EV’s). We were excited that [...]
Coronavirus Pandemic and Business Continuity
Here at Sarum Hydraulics we manufacture our Micropac range of hydraulic equipment. We sell to original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and end users. Recently I wrote a business continuity plan. ISO 9001:2015, the quality management system [...]
How Covid-19 is really testing our medical hydraulics
One manufacturer’s take on coping with Covid-19. How Covid-19 has really tested the resilience of this small hydraulics businesses. Who could have foreseen that from a market somewhere in Wuhan last December we would find [...]
When VC10 Aircraft Flew the Flag for UK aerospace
How Micropac hydraulics has given the VC10 skydrol hydraulic system a boost. We are sitting on high tech lightweight aircraft seating in a cutting-edge aircraft interior. It’s truly stylish. It isn’t an Airbus A350 or [...]
Is the all marine hydraulic yacht the future of sailing?
Making sense of marine hydraulic sailing superyachts and what works on a weekend sailing boat. All hydraulic Wally yacht equipped with Cariboni. Image- Cariboni. Back in 1765, Nelson’s HMS Victory was considered ultra-high [...]
How to install piston bearing capped o-ring seals
We use these capped piston rod bearing seals extensively. Trelleborg call this type of seal a “stepseal”, although lots of people produce their own versions. Why do we like them? They offer extended life, cope [...]
How to install capped piston seals
Just like the stepped piston rod bearing seals, we use these capped piston seals extensively. Why? They offer extended life, cope with fluids with poor lubricity and allow you to easily swap the elastomeric O [...]
How to install Bearing U seals
Why do we like U seals? If you don’t need to offer a wide range of fluids and temperature ranges using one size of groove, a U seal for a piston rod bearing can be [...]
Transforming life for millions – is seawater desalination and water treatment using renewable energy sources the next Holy Grail?
How adding smart hydraulic design to seawater desalination and water treatment plant could just carry through a renewables revolution for fresh water from the sea. The United Nations (UN) is very worried about fresh [...]
Will pedal power hydraulics triumph in the America’s Cup?
SoftBank Team Japan foiling at high speed. Photograph Matt Knighton How those pedalling Kiwis aren’t the only show in town for innovative pedal power hydraulics. 55mph composite America’s Cup catamarans take hi-tech sailing [...]
6 hydraulic highlights that keep London running.
How Big Hydraulics keeps London running smoothly. What caught our eye from The Shard? The Shard, next door to London Bridge Station, is the UK’s tallest building at 306m and one of the iconic landmarks [...]
Double ferrule or Single ferrule hydraulic compression fittings?
Hydraulic compression fittings explained. Read our take after 30 years of using single and double ferrule fittings. Before you start. Rigid pipe or hoses? If you want a permanent installation and a neat job, piping [...]
The Hydraulics to Craft the Perfect Espresso Coffee
Clever water hydraulics crafts the perfect Espresso. Can a hydraulic process really capture the craft of the barista maestro and produce the perfect espresso? The world loves espresso. The world loves espresso coffee. [...]
Car Hydraulics Battles The March Of All-Electric
How soon will car hydraulics be heading to Beaulieu Motor Museum? Why do designers love electric? Electrics has big attractions for designers. Electric actuation has made big inroads towards replacing hydraulics in systems everywhere. We [...]
Hybrid Marine Power on Boats
Setting the pace – and pulse in hybrid marine power technology: leading the fleet is the USS Zumwalt Class destroyer. But Sarum Hydraulics asks how realistic is hybrid marine power technology on smaller vessels? Hybrid marine [...]
Low Pressure Hydraulics: 7 Questions Answered
Why wouldn’t you look at low pressure hydraulics first? We wrote a thoughtful blog on low pressure hydraulics last year and asked the question "why wouldn’t you look at low pressure hydraulics first?”. The article [...]
Underground farming: a revolution in food production or a hole in the ground?
How innovative hydraulics, advanced optoelectronics and clever control could just be the dream ticket for a hydroponic future. Farming underground, in your attic and in a factory unit using high tech lighting and [...]
What can hydraulic designers learn from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter?
Where a neat aerospace electro-hydraulic actuator might point the way on future mobile hydraulics. Sarum Hydraulics loves innovative hydraulic design. There is always something interesting that a clever hydraulic designer comes up with [...]
Sarum Hydraulics enters the robot age: to be or not to be – it’s a question of automation.
The payback game: so just which hydraulic manufacturers will profit from the robot challenge? The FT recently reported that China bought 66,000 out of 240,000 robot units sold globally last year. The UK [...]
The rise of the Japanese Jutaku houses: how micro housing is redefining living small in the 21st century
The craze for kyosho jutaku, that distinctly Japanese variant of the micro home, may have started in the thirteenth century, but there’s good reason why jutaku has more recently exploded in popularity outside Japan. These [...]
Why Thomas Edison electricity is as current as ever 150 years on.
Photo source Thomas Edison electricity and the prolific inventor’s vision of how Distributed Power would rule the world, is more relevant today than ever. Harvesting your own power is already happening and with [...]
I’m a designer. Pass me my pencil please.
Has silicon graphics made the pencil redundant for designers and creative minds? Whether you were Leonardo da Vinci, Enzo Ferrari or even the Mad Men, a pencil and some paper had always been the way [...]
The geared turbofan is spinning aero engine design around.
Green with envy: With engine-makers’ revenues potentially totalling $1trillion over the next 20 years, who is leading the design race for greener jet travel? With the aviation industry striving to achieve big reductions in fuel [...]
Long Live Pedal Power: why bicycles should avoid the hydraulic race
Why doesn’t my bike have a stepless automatic gearbox? Hydraulic, of course. And a bigger lesson for designers. Sarum Hydraulics are passionate about hydraulics and any application for miniature systems that can do a job [...]
Could driverless cars make the entrenched auto industry run out of gas?
How the driverless cars hype is quickly going to become a reality. Hollywood loves driverless cars. Sarum rated Minority Report for its glimpse into a driverless future. Even the media loves stories of prototype driverless [...]
London’s first great Theme Park
How today’s Winter London might have looked quite tame 400 years ago. With some true winter mornings arriving this week in the Medieval Town Square of Salisbury and really freezing weather 80 miles away in [...]
Towering inferno’s, fire suppression & Micropac pumps.
For a generation who sat glued to the blockbuster “Towering Inferno”, the world has fallen in love with skyscrapers. The developing world is full of them and globally there are now over a thousand buildings [...]
Are Apple custom chips produced in-house a game changer for cutting edge imaging technology?
Cupertino raises the stakes even higher on consumer gizmo's. "The Consumer Electronics Show (C.E.S) in Las Vegas this week is the gathering place for those who thrive on tech." Sure is, but sometimes big stories [...]
Hydraulics, Whisky and Mince Pies: Sarum Hydraulics imagines Father Christmas’s next generation Sleigh.
Sarum Hydraulics were cheered to see a hydraulic drill bolted on the back of a reindeer sledge for a rather sensible way of taking ice cores in the Arctic. Being December, our thoughts quickly turned [...]
Brits in Space: The Force is With Us
This week has been a big week in space, both 220 KM up in orbit and also in a galaxy far, far away. Unless you have been hibernating under a very remote rock with a [...]
As Morocco blazes ahead in 2030s renewable race, what next for U.K tidal?
Big news last week was the Moroccan 160MW Solar Thermal plant coming on line in the Sahara desert with potential to produce power for a million homes but what next for UK tidal? With an [...]
Drone Agriculture Takes Flight
Drones, drones, drones. Love them or hate them, they certainly appear to be here to stay. Mention drones and there are good stories that have entertained and filled up lots of band width and newsprint. [...]
Hydraulics takes Virtual Reality to the final frontier.
Big noise was made across social, digital and print media this week as buzz surrounding the launch of the latest in the Fallout gaming series reached fever pitch. With what was arguably the biggest launch [...]
Driving your 500HP SUV like a Carrera. Can hydraulics beat the laws of physics?
It’s 1994 and Richard Branson has just had a rather nasty crash in his Range Rover. Whilst Richard might have been unlucky, all those years ago it seemed obvious to engineers that you should never [...]
Colin Chapman and the Lotus Legacy.
With a long heritage of wonderful chassis engineering and precise handling automobiles, Lotus Cars, founded in 1952 by Colin Chapman, are still producing exciting British sports cars on the global stage. Whilst it is the [...]
How to: Fit your Drum Pump / Barrel Pump
Drum Pump Youtube Tutorial At Sarum Hydraulics we are extremely proud to offer you our first ever Youtube video tutorial “How to Fit a Drum Pump” We’re so excited to share this with you, & [...]
Fun Fairs, Hydraulics and Theme Parks
Sarum Hydraulics explores the twists and turns of hydraulics in the amusement industry. With so many white-knuckle rides available for the British thrill seeker at theme parks across the country, a rather autumnal Sarum Hydraulics [...]
Gin, bank notes & chalk stream filtration.
Why England’s historic chalk streams matter. With super clean fluids being the key to quality hydraulics, Sarum Hydraulics knows the benefits of filtration using our own stainless steel filter units. In Salisbury, where we are [...]
McLaren: A British Ferrari-killing super-brand in the making?
Sarum Hydraulics love cars and are passionate about design. We were blown away with the McLaren stand at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier in the summer. Wow! Last week, the big F1 news was that [...]
Sarum Hydraulics lives the Festival dream
Clean the mud of your Wellies. Forget about the dumped tent. And stop trying to remember who was playing on Friday night through a beer fuelled haze. As another Festival Season came to a close [...]
Cutting Through the Smog on Diesel Engines.
Could the ioLight microscope deliver easy and low tech air pollution monitoring for the mass market? As news broke early last week of the Volkswagen diesel scandal, tremors shook the entire motoring industry. Regulators felt [...]
Greensky Strikes Gold
From resurrecting a 2000 year old mummy to catalysing time travel, the power of lightning has been the magic ingredient in literature and Hollywood for decades, and no wonder. With unspeakable power, danger, dramatic CGI [...]
Is water jet propulsion blasting its way into the mainstream?
At Lymington Yacht Haven, Sarum Hydraulics regularly spots the most beautiful Hinckley 36 foot Picnic Boat, fitted with a pair of simply monstrous 400 horsepower Hamilton water jet drives. What’s the story on this boat? [...]
Southampton Boat Show. Not just the yachting dream.
Southampton Boat Week is the big deal on the Solent this week. We love it with its fabulous yachts afloat on the pontoons alongside a busy working port. As ever, the Old Salts at Sarum [...]
Looking into the Foldscope, ioLight and handy microscopy for non-boffins.
What will re-invented microscopy mean for Manufacturing? As a specialist hydraulics manufacturer, Sarum Hydraulics is surprisingly excited about any advance in mobile microscopy. From looking at finishes and watching hydraulics at work to characterising contamination, [...]
Stonehenge on steroids: another Neolithic blockbuster discovered near Stonehenge
Sarum Hydraulics is excited at media interest in our latest Wiltshire Neolithic megaproject, discovered minutes up the road from Sarum Hydraulics’ HQ. image source Archaeologists are still mapping the recently discovered site, but [...]
Beauty and the Beast
For the ultimate Jekyll and Hyde experience, why not take a spin in the classic Mercedes 600? Adored by superstars and beloved by dictators, Sarum Hydraulics explores the Cold War Monster that was as brilliant [...]
Super Yacht Hydraulics
Hedonism, high seas and Hydraulics; how this summer’s super yachts are steering hydraulic innovation. With the summer press full of photographs of celebrities adrift on azure seas aboard some of the world’s most advanced super [...]
Cowes. A tradition of craftsmanship that adapts as the world changes.
Yachts, Airbus and flying boats. How Cowes is keeping its marine and aerospace heritage alive. This week is Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, the classic sailing regatta that has been running since 1826. At Sarum [...]
Salisbury Hydraulics: There must be something in the water meadow
How smart water hydraulics boosted a blockbuster business. Sarum Hydraulics in Salisbury, UK, takes innovation in water hydraulics very seriously. With our pumps regularly being used across the globe, at Sarum Hydraulics we can’t [...]
STP stickers and Mark 2 Capri’s. The seventies are back, and we’ve got the fuel additives to prove it.
Rugged, no nonsense, and barely a scrap of corrosion to boot; our MB series low-pressure, high-displacement 316 stainless and polymer hand pump is a serious bit of kit. With this professional component ideal for such [...]
Hydraulics X Haute – Couture
You don’t have to work at Sarum Hydraulics to appreciate innovative design when you see it. As our recent visit to the V&A’s seminal tribute to late designer Alexander McQueen proves, exquisite design comes in [...]
The Incredible Hulks go sailing.
How the Americas Cup pushes man, machine and manual hydraulics to the limit. After 30 years of crafting Micropac® hydraulic hand pumps, we constantly have to remind customers not to be over optimistic with how [...]
STP stickers and Mark 2 Capri’s. The seventies are back, and we’ve got the fuel additives to prove it.
Rugged, no nonsense, and barely a scrap of corrosion to boot; our MB series low-pressure, high-displacement 316 stainless and polymer hand pump is a serious bit of kit. With this professional component ideal for such [...]
Tidal and wave renewables flood in.
As the big renewable race ramps up, is the tide turning for wave and tidal energy to finally make it into the Grid? According to industry experts, the UK is currently the undisputed global leader [...]
Space X Rocket Crash
From Hollywood to Hubble: The private space industry needs an escape orbit from Hollywood Blockbusters. After the explosion of his Falcon 9 Reusable rocket over Texas last year, TESLA CEO Elon Musk shrewdly tweeted that [...]
From Hydraulic Engineering to Glastonbury and Green Sky.
Sarum Hydraulics employees prove you really can have it all. Living the dream is fast becoming a reality here at Sarum Hydraulics, and we are thrilled to report that two of our former employees are [...]
Electric Cars at Formula E
Sleek. Powerful. Sustainable: Innovative engineering meets slick design as Formula 1’s smarter, cleaner rival accelerates the global race for electric vehicle development. Electric automobile engineering continues to captivate us here at Sarum Hydraulics, and last [...]
Cops and Robbers at Seawork 2015
Seawork 2015, the definitive event for the marine engineering industries leading movers and shakers, docked in the Port of Southampton last week. From global communications equipment to cutting edge working vessels berthed on the pontoon, [...]
The Smartphone Revolution
Has the smart phone revolution already powered up a Continent? How smart phones change lives in the developing world. The Economist reckons that by 2020, 80% of the adults in the world will have a [...]
Why not run 700 bar hydraulics everywhere?
If 700 bar very high pressure hydraulics cuts mass and space envelope, is it the future for hydraulic systems? Jacking and work holding hydraulics at 700 bar from the likes of Enerpac, Hi-Force and Power [...]
Rewind to 1960 for the great adventure under the sea. The Piccard family is still at it. Pushing people, machines and even time pieces to the limit.
In a week when Bertrand Piccard and his co-pilot André Borschberg are just about to start the tricky Pacific leg of this amazing round the world trip in their solar powered aircraft, Solar Impulse, clearly [...]
When the Wolf of Wall Street meets Bernard Madoff.
How will scamsters get their hands on people’s pension pots? I have just had the first bulk e-mail promising a 16% return on a 50K property investment, but I am sure that they will be [...]
Low pressure hydraulic systems can offer mighty neat solutions.
Why wouldn’t you look at low pressure hydraulics first? Think low pressure hydraulics! When designing a one off hydraulic system or for that matter a new piece of OEM hydraulic equipment, I suppose it is [...]
The dealer who sold a thousand Monets. Nothing new in the Art Trade.
Paul Durand-Ruel must be the art dealers' dealer. As a well established dealer in Paris in the late 1800's, he knew Claude Monet and was introduced to young Pierre-Auguste Renoir and his circle of friends [...]
Would Borromini or Bernini design Ferraris if they were working in 2015? How the creativity of Borromini and Bernini still inspires designers today.
No end has been written about the two men, their long running rivalry and how they shaped the Baroque Rome that we still see today. The work of both guys is just stunning. Having trekked [...]
Orchard Brothers in Freshwater Bay is 150 years old.
Would Alfred Lord Tennyson still know it? How Orchards Brothers' heritage goes back five generations. Orchard Brothers in Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight is an institution. Alfred Lord Tennyson used to pop across the road [...]
The digital healthcare revolution- where does a world of cheap throwaway sensors lead us?
I will skate over the obvious question as to whether a 3.78% drop in your zinc level in your sweat coupled with a 1.91% rise in blood glucose is something that will make a Healthcare [...]
316 Stainless Steel Hand Pumps Handle Hostile Environments and Corrosive Media.
When you cannot take chances, 316 stainless steel hydraulic hand pumps are your first port of call. What sort of people use stainless steel for their hydraulics systems and their dispensing, testing and filling pumps? [...]
Winners and losers in the great car bazaar
Gadget boys and girls are in heaven. How the world has changed for people making their second largest purchase after a house. Fifteen years ago we had cars which had become dramatically more reliable, lasted [...]
Home automation systems. Are 75% really lemons?
Will the sort of home automation that was showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas January 6-9 th give us slick and dependable products? Once again, we all had our annual glimpse into the [...]
Oil price to cause a blow out?
Will the low oil price cause a blow out in the UK Oil and Gas hydraulics sector? Deciding whether the fall in oil and gas prices will have business implications for hydraulics manufacturers. The [...]
Measuring the thickness can leave you deep in it
As someone who has more than once been left unconvinced that a thickness called up on a drawing was what had been produced, I was interested to read of last week’s awful legal case where a [...]
Seal material round up.
Just a simple round up from what we have learnt about seal materials over thirty years. There are no end of sites on the Web on seal materials and compatibility. There are manufacturers like Parker [...]
When is “cheap and throwaway” a total waste of time if you are relying on something to work?
When is "cheap and throwaway" a total waste of time if you are relying on something to work? Whether you need it to work reliably on a job in order to pay the mortgage or [...]
The Vasa reminds us that nothing changes with a muddled design process.
The Vasa reminds us that nothing changes with a muddled design process. image source:ulkotours,com Much as we read about Public Sector IT contracts which have been a disaster when specifications are continually changed, has [...]
Feeling the pressure on hydraulic hand pumps.
The customer wants you to add a hand pump for a ridiculously low cost. You will win the order if you can supply the pack immediately with a hand pump. The customer wants to upgrade [...]
Where Partnerships make businesses. And countries!
Particularly in smaller businesses, I think partnerships with suppliers are what make the business. We have some incredibly long relationships. There is more to it than price. Service and know-how are big things as well. [...]
Five smart ways to nail down a leak
After thirty years of manufacturing our Micropac pressure and hydrostatic test pumps, we know a thing or two about leaks. The easy job is pressure testing your job up to a “proof pressure”, checking that [...]
Five things I have learnt about coping with IT people in a small business
I think we all get lulled into thinking that IT infrastructure is as solid as a rock. Just because all those problems that we had "a year or two ago" are all forgotten, does that [...]
Twelve things I have learnt about seals
We certainly know our seals here, we've been designing pumps for 30 years! Here's some of what we've learnt: Think carefully about designing in a seal unique to one manufacturer. It is a right headache [...]
Why the Elon Musk battery Gigafactory could up the game on battery powered mobile hydraulics
When I read a few years ago that the Tesla sports car used 17000 laptop batteries, I was quite incredulous. Jog forward five years and we might be seeing a significant event in the move [...]
Our top five tricky plating and finishing processes
Do you need to anodise, plate or paint your vulnerable metal components? Sarum Hydraulics shares its expertise, with 5 finishing processes you need to be extra careful with: 1. Any component or process where an [...]
Designing more and more in aluminium – could the price suddenly double and leave all of us with problems?
There are good reasons for using aluminium. Mass is the big driver. The list of pluses goes on and on and you could select the benefits of extrusion, ability to produce deep and optimally profiled [...]
Winning the corrosion battle on wind farms
“Make it all in 316 stainless”. Unfortunately that is not practical in the majority of marine installations. If you are using commercial hydraulic components and are not immersed or in a splash zone, you will [...]
Seawork Exhibition Southampton- a dose of reality in the Yachting dream.
Sometimes I think that the whole boating industry is peddling a big dream. Those sun filled days on perfect seas. I have had lots of wonderful days. Just the weather and that pesky salt water [...]
Ten things I have learnt about “Loctite” methacrylate structural, sealing and thread locking adhesives.
At Sarum hydraulics, we have been using methacrylate structural adhesives for 30 years both for structural, thread locking and sealing applications with great success. Yes, we also use epoxies, UV curing adhesives and silicones, but [...]
Pressure test in ten easy steps
If you need to pressure test, Sarum Hydraulics knows how to do it. We've condensed our knowledge into one easy guide, so you can test equipment easily and safely. Read on to make sure you're [...]
Betting the house.
I don’t think it is the first time that people have faced reality and realized that a massive proportion of their gas could be cut off. Despite a relatively mild winter in much of Europe, [...]
Top three processes for hydraulic manufacturing.
Over thirty years as a hydraulic designer and manufacturer, what processes have we found to be winners? 1. Thermal deburring. I can understand why some big OEM's insist on it. It is never an excuse [...]
Shelf life – always on the radar but conveniently forgotten?
The issue of shelf life You wouldn't buy sausages when the shelf life was just about to expire and expect them to be good three weeks later; so why do we do this with elastomeric [...]
End of an era? Yanmar 3 series marine diesels shortly moving to common rail.
Having been a fan of Mermaid Ford marine diesels for years then moving over to Yanmars on two different boats, I am a great fan. I think they are Japanese engineering at its finest. Whatever [...]
Using your Micropac pressure test pump on a range of fluids. How universal is it?
A Micropac pressure test or filling pump is a mighty useful tool. It inherently has a much greater fluid capability than most units as long as you keep a few pointers in mind. A Micropac [...]
When pressure testing is more than proof testing. The science of diagnosing where it is leaking.
A hydrostatic pressure or proof test is a very blunt tool. Pressurise it up to a factor in excess of working pressure and check there is no leakage or deformation which would indicate design, manufacturing [...]
The Thames Barrier just does its stuff.
Having only been closed on average a few times a year since its commissioning in 1982, I read that the latest March closure was the 48th so far in 2014, very close to the recommended [...]
Top five hydraulic workshop products.
Manufacturing hydraulic pumps is demanding. We know. We have been at it for 30 years. The five hydraulic workshop products that I personally think make life a whole lot easier are: 1. Ultrasonic cleaner. Forget [...]
Floods remind us what standby means.
Modern technology tends towards the sophisticated, but this is not always a good thing. We have been reminded in recent months about the power of wind and water, and it is a common complaint that [...]
How low temperature hydraulics lives with serious cold.
How low temperature hydraulics has to be able to work with very cold conditions in large areas of the world. The UK only sees moderate cold weather, even in [...]
Where a Micropac hydraulic pump has the handle on hazardous atmospheres.
One of our customers in the Oil and Gas sector was struggling to source an ATEX hydraulic hand pump. We developed a single speed hydraulic hand pump to meet their hazardous area requirements and have [...]
A penny seal – a major risk to your business?
Hydraulic seals are the cornerstone of all hydraulic systems. We know that manufacturing problems involving these inexpensive parts can prove very disruptive in terms of lost production time. Reliability issues with these seals can inflict [...]
Taking the messing out of pressure testing
Pressure testing should be a relatively quick and straightforward job but it can sometimes turn into a frustrating and laborious task with the wrong tools. Here are a few top tips that should help. Keep [...]