NFPA Fluid Power Challenge

Workshop Day – April 18, 2008

Challenge Day – May 9, 2008

“The Challenge is meant to complement the fluids section in many science and technology curricula and gives students the hands-on experience of designing, building and demonstrating a fluid-power based mechanism to solve an assigned problem.”

Bryan Kind - Kettle Moraine High School Technology and Engineering Instructor

Workshop DayApril 18, 2008

Kettle Moraine High School

The Workshop Day brought the 8th grade teams together to learn about fluid power and develop the skills needed for the competition. Steve Rogers, the facilitator for the Canadian Fluid Power Challenge, worked with the teams during the workshop.

“This is so cool!”

Kettle Moraine Middle School student

The Teams

Hmong American Peace Academy (HAPA Heroes) Sheng Yang, Koyoua Vang, Teacher Scott Jex, Dan Vue and Peter Xiong (left to right)

Luxemburg-Casco Middle SchoolLoren Le Fevre, Amber Clark, Teacher Joe Kempke, Emily Brunette and Ryvkah Andersen (left to right)

Kettle Moraine Middle School Corinne Guillama, Ryan Nihoris, Jamie Quinn, Cole Harris and Teacher Walter Dombrowski (left to right)

Team 4:Kettle Moraine Middle SchoolReggie Peters, Maddie Churches, Dylan Homnth and Sarah Smith (no picture available)

Steve Rogers welcomes the teams to the Workshop Day

After instructions from Steve, the teams get to work on building a pneumatic lifter.

Hmong American Peace Academy Team (HAPA Heroes) build their pneumatic lifter

Luxemburg-Casco Middle Schoolbuild their pneumatic lifter

Construction of the pneumatic lifter

Steve Rogers demonstrates the pneumatic lifter and offers advice on the challenge

The ChallengeSCENARIO:You are a team of highly trained experts in the field of Explosive Materials Handling.

Your firm has been commissioned to design a controlled hydraulic-powered device that will safely move containers of highly explosivematerial between two storage areas that lie across a deadly canyon.

THE CHALLENGE:The assignment for your team is to design and build a model that picks up containers from one storage area (1), rotates to a position facing a second storage area (2), and then deposits the containers into the second area. Dropped containers can’t be recovered. Your task will be to transport as many containers as possible between the two storage areas in time frame of three (3) minutes.

Starting to design a fluid power mechanism for the challenge

Tom Wanke, professor at Milwaukee School of Engineering, talks to the group about careers,

research, college internships and the future of fluid power.

The teams will now take their kits, including tools and supplies, back to school to work on the challenge scenario and design,

build and test a prototype. They will then refine and redesign their prototype and use the updated design to build their fluid power

mechanism during the Challenge Day, May 9th.

“The Fluid Power Challenge held at Kettle Moraine High School was a great experience. All of my students were fired up to get working on the Fluid Powered Arm.”

Joe Kempke – Teacher at Luxemburg-Casco Middle School

Challenge DayMay 9, 2008

Kettle Moraine High School

The NFPA Fluid Power Challenge will ask students to design and build fluid-power mechanisms that will pick-up a container from one platform, rotate to face a different platform and then deposit the container onto that second platform. The number of pick-and-place cycles a school’s machine completes in the demonstration time will be used to calculate the final evaluation.

The Judges

Tom Wanke – Milwaukee School of Engineering (Head Judge)

Steve Gluck – Sauer-Danfoss Inc.

Ed Howe – Enfield Technologies

Dwight Stephenson – HUSCO International, Inc.

The judges talked with students about their designs, decisions, teamwork and reviewed their portfolios.

Morning of the Challenge Day

Students build their fluid power mechanism and talk with judges. Teachers toured HUSCO International, Inc.

Dwight Stephenson – HUSCO International, Inc. talks with the students from Hmong American Peace Academy (HAPA Heroes).

Hmong American Peace Academy(HAPA Heroes)

Tom Wanke, Milwaukee School of Engineering, talks with students from Luxemburg-Casco

Middle School.

Luxemburg-Casco Middle School

Steve Gluck, Sauer-Danfoss Inc., talks with students from Kettle Moraine Middle School.

Kettle Moraine Middle School

Judges Steve Gluck, Sauer-Danfoss Inc., and Ed Howe, Enfield Technologies, confer on a portfolio.

More building – no time even for lunch!

Kettle Moraine Middle School

Luxemburg-Casco Middle School

Hmong American Peace Academy (HAPA Heroes)

After lunch – TestingLuxemburg-Casco Middle School

The 3 Minute ChallengeLuxemburg-Casco Middle School

Luxemburg-Casco Middle School

The 3 Minute ChallengeHmong American Peace Academy

(HAPA Heroes)

Hmong American Peace Academy (HAPA Heroes)

The 3 Minute ChallengeKettle Moraine Middle School

Kettle Moraine Middle School

The Winner…moving 17 canisters in 3 minutes… Luxemburg-Casco Middle School

1st PlaceLuxemburg-Casco Middle School

2nd PlaceKettle Moraine Middle School

3rd PlaceHmong American Peace Academy (HAPA Heroes)

Congratulations to each team!Each team managed to move at least one canister. Team

members also received Certificates of Achievement.

“Bestest challenge ever!”

“Neat!”

“Fun!”

“This is so cool!”

Student quotes

Thank you to the sponsors

• 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.

Thank you also to

Bryan Kind - Kettle Moraine High School Technology and Engineering Instructor

And his students:KM Robotics, Team 2077 and Team 1988

Mark your calendar

The next NFPA Fluid Power Challenge will be held at the Milwaukee School of Engineering

Dates:Workshop Day – November 14, 2008Challenge Day – December 12, 2008

Contact Tammy Molter at 414-778-3349 or tmolter@nfpa.com for more information.