All eyes are on the NFPA, as its Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power undergoes scrutinity by the National Science Foundation (NSF). NFPA is in the running for one of four $17.75 million grants from the NSF.

Site visits will determine who of the nine finalists will be awarded the grants. The NFPA visit will be at the proposed ERC location at
the University of Minnesota. A panel of evaluators will listen to and question the researchers, their deans, and industry supporters. The recommendations of these evaluators will be shared with a full NSF panel. Be on the lookout in January as awards will be announced then.

The ERC is a critical idea for members of the fluid power industry. It will help to revolutionize fluid power technology, and transform the industry through research leading to new applications and markets and an enhanced competitive position in traditional market.

More importantly, it will open the door for new students to learn about fluid power technology, increasing their awareness and hands-on experience in an aspect of engineeering they rarely have an opportunity to work within.

Support for the ERC is crucial in producing new fluid power researchers and creating a skilled fluid power workforce for the future.

An NSF-funded ERC would receive close to $20 million over five years. The funds would support 14 research projects at six universities, with research focusing on three major area. They include:

Efficiency — Six projects, such as developing adaptive surfaces for pumps and motors, and conversion of stored hydro-carbon fuel energy to compressed gas energy,

Compactness — Five projects, such as development of chemofluidic hydraulic actuators, compact energy storage devices, and optimized digital design methods for integrated systems using modular components, and

Noise, vibration, leakage, and human factors — Three projects, such as developing haptic machine interfaces for human control, active prosthetic devices, and an untethered fluid power compact rescue crawler.

The core partner institutions are the University of Minnesota, Georgia Institute of Technology, Purdue University, University of Illinois, and Vanderbilt University. Affiliated outreach institutions include North Carolina A&T, Milwaukee School of Engineering, the Science Museum of Minnesota, and the National Fluid Power Association.

Mary;

I read with great interest your following "Oxymoron:

quote:

More importantly, it will open the door for new students to learn about fluid power technology, increasing their awareness and hands-on experience in an aspect of engineeering they rarely have an opportunity to work within.

The statement "they rarely have an opportunity to work within." is where a huge problem facing the advancement of Fluid Power lies.

I see students from 2 Day, 3 Day, 1 Week, 2 week seminars and even some local Mechanical Apprentices that I teach for over 3 Weeks who go on the job and rarely work on Fluid Power problems.

How do you think the Electrical persons would fare with training and working conditions such as this??????

Fluid Power manufacturers and distributors already know a lot about their equipment and do a fair job at producing new innovations but they have to do it with little or no feedback from the end user. Electrical and Electronic manufacturers and Distributors get educated feedback continually from persons that do nothing but work on Electrical and Electronic components.

You can build all the facilities and do all kinds of experimenting from now to eternity and Fluid Power will still be in the back seat following any other way to do the work that has trained persons in the general work force.

In my opinion Fluid Power is looked at as a necessary evil and a last resort in many designers eyes since they don't understand it. It's not because they are dumb or lack intelligence that they don't understand it, it's because of lack of training on and working with the equipment. It's not their Main Functioon like Electrical Engineers and Maintenance persons.

Until industry realizes there really is a "Sleeping Giant" in their midst that needs trained, dedicated persons designing and maintaining it Fluid Power will stay in the background and be scorned at best and shunned by many.

Disclaimer: I have been talking this point for 25 years and no one seems to be listening. Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree and am all wet. So far I have had little feedback and that was all positive.

I think know why Fluid Power manufacturers don't push for trained Engineers and Maintenance persons but have never figured out why End Users don't want Fluid Power Engineers and Maintenance persons on staff. Is there a good reason for not wanting trained persons to design and work on equipment that can shut down a factory because an "O" Ring was used incorrectly and blows regularly, or a $25,000.00 pump that should run for 5 years is replaced every six months and the company brags that the original one only lasted 6 weeks so, at least were gaining on the problem .

Feedback anyone???? I could be wrong but so far no one has shown me where I'm missing the boat.