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In the process of hydraulics systems design various software simulation systems are used. However, the increase of efficiency of the designed hydraulic systems can be achieved in two ways: by making design modifications based on reliability theory, on one hane, or based on monitoring of system operating parameters, on the other. In this paper, a case study of the improvement of a designed and implemented hydraulic system is reviewed, using those two approaches. Based on the data collected by monitoring the system operating parameters, and the system reliability analysis, it was possible to increase the efficiency of the hydraulic system either it the initial design stage, or during system realization. The result of such an approach is the hydraulic system which successfully operates 24 hours a day, without failure, which indicates that the proposed method of system analysis and improvement allows significant enhancement of hydraulic system efficiency.

New technologies, such as cloud computing, the Internet of Things, wireless communications, etc., have already become part of our daily lives. This paper provides an insight into one of the new technologies, i.e., augmented reality (AR), as part of the manufacturing paradigm Industry 4.0 (I4.0). The aim of this paper is to contribute to the current state in the field of AR by assessing the main areas of the application of AR, the used devices and the tracking methods in support of the digitalization of the industry. Searches via Science Direct, Google Scholar and the Internet in general have resulted in the collection of a large number of papers. The examined works are classified according to several criteria and the most important data resulting from them are presented here. A comprehensive analysis of the literature has indicated the main areas of application of AR in I4.0 and, among these, those that stand out are maintenance, assembly and human robot collaboration. Finally, a roadmap for the application of AR in companies is proposed and the most promising future areas of research are listed.

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Nondestructive testing methods are increasingly in use. With these methods it is possible to obtain the desired information about the system, without altering or damaging it in any way. This paper examines the possibilities of applying these methods in the quantification of losses incurred by leaking of compressed air from the system in the terms of increasing energy efficiency of the system. The emphasis is on the application of ultrasound detector and IR (infrared) thermographic camera. The potentials and limitations of these technologies are analyzed for leakage quantification on a steel pipe in compressed air systems, as well as the reliability and accuracy of the results thus obtained

During pneumatic control system design, the critical value for choosing the appropriate pneumatic actuator is the weight of the workpiece. In the case of flexible production systems, which are the core part of the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) concept, the weight of the workpieces is often variable, since the crucial feature of this kind of production is its ability to deal with variable parts. Therefore, in order to deal with the variable weight of parts, a pneumatic actuator is chosen according to the heaviest part. However, according to another I4.0 principle, energy efficient operation of machines, the previous criteria for choosing a pneumatic actuator is energy efficient only when handling the heaviest part. In all other cases, operation of the pneumatic actuator is suboptimal in terms of energy efficiency. Aiming to solve this problem, this paper considers the possibility of using a new pressure regulator instead of traditional manually adjusted pressure regulators. This regulator provides operating pressure modification in real-time in accordance with the weight of the workpieces. In this way, the optimal compressed air consumption is ensured for each workpiece. Implementation of this device has yielded significant energy savings; however, the value is variable and depends on working task characteristics.

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Abstract-This paper presents an experimental setup called pneumatic circular manipulator. The manipulator represents a modular setup that can be adapted for the new testing by simple transformations. It is intended to be used for testing various types of pneumatic control and energy efficiency of pneumatic control systems. The manipulator is primarily designed for students and their lectures. Since it has the possibility for remote control over the Internet, due to its modularity, it can be very interesting for researchers and employees in industry. The existing version of the manipulator allows visual monitoring of the working cycle and familiarization with the basics of pneumatic control and motion control for users. By future upgrade, the manipulator will become a setup that will provide feedback on the consumption of compressed air, analysis of the type of control, cost-effectiveness analysis, etc.