About
Welcome to Fluid Power Central! I am Rowan, a hydraulics design engineer and fluid power instructor who is passionate about all things fluid power. A little about me, I started my fluid power journey back in 2009 after graduating as a mechanical engineer from the one and only Kansas State University.
I worked as a mechanical design engineer/test engineer at Muncie Power Products for a few years and got a lot of great experience designing hydraulic test stands, conducting hydraulic equipment related tests and honing my skills analyzing hydraulic test data using high end data acquisition systems such as the Somat Edaq and Edaq Lite.
It was during this time that I realized that I really loved Fluid Power, specifically hydraulics, and wanted to make it my area of specialization. I have expanded my knowledge base since then to include experience designing pneumatics systems while at the same time dabbling in the electrical controls that are used to control fluid power systems.
In addition to my experience at Muncie Power Products, I have also worked as a developmental engineer for Caterpillar Forest Products doing testing of all vehicle systems including all hydraulics on the Caterpillar Tier 4 final wheel skidders and specialized forestry processing heads used for trimming lumber. I have also worked at CRC Evans as the primary hydraulics design engineer, Terex as a hydraulics design engineer, and Baker Hughes as mechanical engineer designing submersible pump stages. Currently, I Design hydraulic systems and components from scratch for real world applications which has further honed my fluid power skills and knowledge.
After many years in the fluid power industry, I decided to pursue a certification in hydraulics and then in pneumatics through the IFPS, International Fluid Power Society. With these certifications, I became a Certified Fluid Power Specialist.
The road to attaining these certifications was not a cake walk but the hard work was worth the reward in increased knowledge and competence. In addition to my love of doing fluid power, I also discovered that I have a passion for helping others understand fluid power, so I decided to become an accredited fluid power instructor.
Becoming an instructor is very rewarding as it allows me to utilize my years of experience in the fluid power industry to help others reach their potential and become more knowledgeable, competent, and skillful in the fluid power field. With that said, if you are interested in taking your fluid power know-how to the next level, please consider becoming a member and take advantage of all the excellent free and paid content Fluid Power Central has to offer!