National Fluid Power Association Holds First Fluid Power Challenge
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May 14, 2008 • The Milwaukee, Wis.-based National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) held its first Fluid Power Challenge on May 9 at the
The three teams, each consisting of four students and including at least one girl, designed and constructed a mechanism that used hydraulics technology to perform a defined task. The students were asked to design and build fluid-power mechanisms for picking an object from one platform, rotating, and placing it on another platform. The teams were evaluated on the number of pick-and-place cycles a school's machine completed, as well as a review of each team's design approach documented through the use of a design portfolio. The designs included some innovative gripping mechanisms.
“This opens up more opportunities for engineering and careers kids aren't aware of,” said Ryan Nihoris, a student on the Kettle Moraine team. “It's fun…you develop teamwork and leadership skills and meet kids from different schools.”
The NFPA Fluid Power Challenge is intended to provide middle school students with information about fluid power technology and hands-on experience building a fluid power mechanism with real-world applicability, as well as opening their eyes and those of their teachers to the world of engineering and fluid power careers. The NFPA hopes to encourage students to select more mathematics and science courses in their high school curricula to keep their options open for technology-based post-secondary studies.
Pictures of the challenge, as well as a video of the winning team's fluid power mechanism in action, are available at the NFPA website, www.nfpa.com.
The next Fluid Power Challenge is tentatively scheduled for December 2008 at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
