Diversity of Solutions highlight Fluid Power Challenge.
Press Release Summary:
Held on May 9th at Kettle Moraine High School, NFPA Fluid Power Challenge was attended by 3 gender-balanced teams from 3 Wisconsin Middle Schools, and won by team of 8th grade students from Luxemburg-Caso Middle School. Students were asked to design and build fluid-power mechanisms for picking object from one platform, rotating, and placing it on another platform. Teams were evaluated on number of pick-and-place cycles machine completed as well as review of each team's design approach.
Original Press Release:
Diversity of Solutions Highlight First Ever NFPA Fluid Power Challenge
Milwaukee, WI - May 13, 2008 - Judges at the first ever National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) Fluid Power Challenge, held on Friday, May 9th at the Kettle Moraine High School, were pleasantly surprised by the variety of designs students used to solve the challenge. The 2008 competition, attended by three gender-balanced teams from three Wisconsin Middle Schools, was won by the team of grade eight students from Luxemburg-Caso Middle School. Kettle Moraine Middle School and Hmong American Peace Academy were runners up.
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 completes as well as a review of each team's design approach documented through the use of a design portfolio. The different and unique designs included some very innovative gripping mechanisms.
Ryan Nihoris, a student on the Kettle Moraine team, said "This opens up more opportunities for engineering and careers kids aren't aware of. It's fun...you develop teamwork and leadership skills and meet kids from different schools."
The teachers, while the students were building their machines, were invited to tour the corporate and engineering headquarters of HUSCO International, Inc. The facility includes R&D labs, manufacturing and testing facilities along with a building for customer vehicle fit-up.
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. At a minimum, 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.
NFPA would like to thank the Canadian Fluid Power Association and the following businesses for their support of this year's Challenge.
Air Logic
Alro Steel Corporation
Command Controls Corp.
Deltrol Fluid Products
Enfield Technologies
HUSCO International, Inc.
OEM Off-Highway
The Oilgear Co.
Sauer-Danfoss Inc.
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. To learn more about the Challenge, please contact Tammy Molter, NFPA Workforce Development Program Manager at (414) 778-3349.
NFPA provides a forum for the fluid power industry's channel partners-manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, customers and educators. Its 335+ U.S. and multinational members work cooperatively in advancing hydraulic and pneumatic technology through the association's many programs and initiatives.
