FLUID POWER TECHNOLOGY

Tell participants:

Fluid power (hydraulic and pneumatic) technology is used to generate, control and transmit power in a variety of applications that you see every day. You can find fluid power components in aerospace, agriculture, automation, construction, energy, entertainment, forestry, food processing, lawn & garden, marine, material handling, medical devices, mining, oil & gas, packaging, transportation and more.

Off-highway equipment is probably the most common application of hydraulics. Whether it’s construction, mining, agriculture, waste reduction or utility equipment, hydraulics provides the power and control to tackle the task at hand. Hydraulics is also widely used in heavy industrial equipment in factories, in marine and offshore equipment for lifting, bending, pressing, cutting, forming, and moving heavy work pieces.

Factory automation is the largest sector for pneumatics technology, which is widely used for manipulating products in manufacturing, processing and packaging operations. Pneumatics is also widely used in medical and food processing equipment as well as in chemical plants and refineries to actuate large valves. It’s used on mobile equipment for transmitting power where hydraulics or electromechanical drives are less practical or not as convenient and in on-highway trucking for various vehicle functions. And of course, vacuum is used for lifting and moving work pieces and products. In fact, combining multiple vacuum cups into a single assembly allows lifting large and heavy objects.

(Source: National Fluid Power Association, https://www.nfpa.com/whatisfluidpower

WHAT DO FLUID POWER ENGINEERS DO?

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Fluid Power engineers generally work in offices, research laboratories ants.d at visit worksites where a new design is underway or a problem or piece of equipment needs their personal attention. In most settings, they work with other engineers, technicians, and other professionals as part of a team.

Fluid Power engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in Engineering. Programs usually include courses in mathematics and physical sciences, as well as engineering and design courses.

The following information for Activity 2 is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook for Mechanical Engineers. (Source: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/mechanical-engineers.htm)

IMPORTANT QUALITIES

• Creativity: Engineers design and build complex pieces of equipment and machinery. A creative mind is essential for this kind of work.
• Listening Skills: Engineers often work on projects with others, such as architects and computer scientists. They must listen to and analyze different approaches made by other experts to complete the task at hand.
• Math Skills: Engineers use the principles of calculus, statistics, and other advanced subjects in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.
• Mechanical Skills: Mechanical skills allow engineers to apply basic engineering concepts and processes to the design of new devices and systems.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Engineers need good problem-solving skills to take scientific discoveries and use them to design and build useful products.

PAY

The median annual wage for an engineer aged 26-34 was $81,104 and aged 35-44 was $95,504 in 2013. For an engineer with a bachelor’s degree the median wage was $102,663. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.

(Also see: https://www.nfpa.com/compensation-benchmark-reports.)

In this activity, teams of two Explorers will work together to build a working robotic arm. Divide Explorers into teams and remind them that each member of the team should contribute to the design and the creation of the robotic arm.

Tell teams the activity will have three parts: Design (5 mins); Build (50 mins); Test (10–20 mins).

• Have teams open the box and lay out its contents. The first thing Explorers should notice is that the dimensions of the parts are in metric units, as the kit is used internationally. You can choose to use the metric units or use the table below to convert metric to standard units:

• Follow the instructions provided in the kit for steps 1 through 9; notice the numbers in the O’s refer to the parts diagram on page 2.
• Alert the Explorers when the design time is finished and the building time has begun. Continue to offer support as needed for groups, and encourage involvement from all Explorers. If and when a structure breaks, be prepared to reassure the team that mistakes are essential to engineers and that they should make changes and start again.
• Once you have the hydraulic robot arm set up, test it out by gently pushing the pistons in and out. Notice that the arm will rotate up to 90 degrees, that the gripper piston opens and closes a small distance, and that the arm moves up and down.

• Set up a number of objects of different sizes, and move them from one location to another in a controlled way—the essence of fluid power.
• Following the activity, reflect on the process. After completing the activity, it is important to discuss what happened and why. The process of helping the youth learn from the activity is just as meaningful to their learning experience as is the actual activity.