Skip to content
nfpa-logo
Close
SEARCH
JOIN NFPA
JOIN NFPA
Members Workshop

 

 

 

 

Become a Sponsor
2013 Deltrol

Fluid Power Action Challenge

The Fluid Power Action Challenge is a STEM-based competition that challenges middle school and high school students to solve an engineering problem using fluid power. The students work in teams to design and build a fluid power mechanism and compete against other teams in a timed competition.

Engineering a Successful Future

Working in teams, students learn about fluid power (hydraulics and pneumatics), utilize key skills (problem solving teamwork, time management, communication, and project management), and compete to design a fluid power machine that solves an engineering problem.

Benefits:

  • Actively engages students in learning about fluid power.
  • Gives support and resources to teachers for science and technology curriculum.
  • Creates a learning environment where math and science are fun.
  • Encourages students to practice teamwork, engineering and problem-solving skills.
  • Introduces students to careers in the fluid power industry.

Hundreds of individuals in NFPA member companies and education partner institutions have been involved in mentorship, classroom activities, and events related to the Fluid Power Action Challenge, which have engaged more than 31,000+ students. Contact the Workforce Team at workforce@nfpa.com with any questions.

Getting Started

NFPA provides a program overview, cost calculator, and summary of additional resources to plan your event.  

Watch this video to learn more about the Fluid Power Action Challenge.

  
Find A Challenge Event

Find Action Challenge events in your community, obtain Host / Organizer contact information, and identify events seeking NFPA member volunteers or sponsors.

 Read More
How it Works NFPA provides free, downloadable, instructions, and event resources to assist you in running a successful Action Challenge.  

Getting Started with the Fluid Power Action Challenge

386092992_709904027821351_3591361938556213942_n
Workshop Day

On Workshop Day, teams learn about the basics of fluid power – what it is, how it works, and how it is used in everyday life. They also get the chance to learn about what careers in the fluid power industry are like, and how they can start pursuing those. Next, teams build basic pneumatic kits and begin developing the skills they’ll be using in the Action Challenge competition. They start working on machines that rotate and lift objects. Workshop Day wraps up by giving the students the Action Challenge problem – what they are actually tasked with doing at the Challenge. Teams are asked to build a machine that can move an object from one location to another, and are given all of the tools and a kit of supplies that they will need. Over the coming weeks, they develop a plan, and start building!

DSC00083
Challenge Day

On Challenge Day, the teams come together again to use the same tools and an identical kit of supplies in recreating their unique machine, which they use in the competition to pick up weighted objects and place them on various level platforms. Teams are judged on their portfolio, design, teamwork and total machine points. They can win in any of these areas! As the teams work during the allotted time, Challenge Judges observe the teams and interview students, asking them about how they came up with their design and how they work together as a team. When the time is up, the teams all gather together and put their machines to the test. The judges keep score as teams use their machines, seeing how many objects they can move in the allowed time.

Getting Started

COST ESTIMATOR EXAMPLE

ITEM QUANTITY ESTIMATED COST ESTIMATED TOTAL
NFPA Challenge Event Kit (Workshop + Tool + Challenge Kits) - one per team; excludes shipping and handling 20 $230.00 $4,600.00
Trophies: Event Champion, Competition Board Winner, Best Portfolio, Best Design & Operation, and Top Work Habits 5 $50.00 $250.00
T-shirts for students, educators, and volunteers / judges 110 $14.00 $1,540.00
Medals with ribbons for students  80 $5.50 $440.00
Lunch for students, educators, volunteers / judges 110 $10.00 $1,100.00

 

How It Works

Resources for Community Wide and In School Events

Workshop Day introduces students to fluid power fundamentals (hydraulics and pneumatics) and the event. Teams then design their machine in the research, planning and prototyping stage. Challenge Day utilizes the teams' skills - problem solving, teamwork, time management, communication, and project management - to compete and solve an engineering problem. 

If you're new to organizing or hosting a Fluid Power Action Challenge, this overview and timeline may help.

Resources for Organizers-Hosts, Educators, and Mentors-Volunteers are located in the How It Works, Community Wide and In School Competition sections below. 

ORGANIZING OR HOSTING AN EVENT FOR THE FIRST TIME?

Start here for an overview of the event Organizer-Host role, responsibilities, and associated timing. Consider including colleagues and stakeholders in the planning and preparation. 
MARKETING & PROMOTION TOOLS FOR EVENT ORGANIZERS-HOSTS
HOW TO ORDER KITS, COMPETITION BOARDS, AND RELATED MATERIALS

Action Challenge kits, competition boards, and related materials can be purchased through the Mechanical Kits website. Customer service can be reached at support@mechanical-kits.com

 

 
NFPA ACTION CHALLENGE GRANT FOR EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS NFPA offers grants up to $500 to schools and community organizations to help off-set the cost of hosting or participating in Fluid Power Action Challenge.  Learn More here! 
How It Works

Community Wide Competition

In a Community-Wide Fluid Power Action Challenge, an educational institution, community organization, or industry sponsor organizes / hosts the event for teams from multiple schools. A unique set of documents has been prepared for this event type.

COMMUNITY WIDE COMPETITION AND RESOURCES

Community Wide Competition resources (documents, presentations, and learning materials) are found in the corresponding sections below.

To host and run a competition, you will need colleagues or other support to help with the logistical details, recruit schools and organizations to participate, order event kits, promote the event to appropriate stakeholders, order t-shirts and trophies, and/or food for the Workshop and Challenge days.

You will also need help facilitating the event's technical aspects, including introducing students to fluid power concepts, demonstrating the tools, and constructing foundational kit builds (e.g. lifter and rotating platform) on Workshop Day.  They would also be responsible for presenting the Challenge problem and layout to the students that the teams will have to solve when they rebuild their device on Challenge Day.

Judges for the events are usually engineers or educators capable of judging portfolios, calculating team scores, and interviewing teams. They tend to have some foundational knowledge of fluid power.
Community Wide - Conduct the Competition
Community Wide - Presentations
Community Wide - Learning Materials & Instructions
How It Works

In School Competition

The In-School Fluid Power Action Challenge Competition is event educators hold in their classrooms or schools. Students usually build their devices throughout several class periods.  A unique set of documents has been prepared for this event type.

IN SCHOOL COMPETITION AND RESOURCES

In School Competition resources (documents, presentations, and learning materials) are provided in the corresponding sections below.

Many schools offer In-School competitions as a hands-on learning component of their Engineering, Introduction to Manufacturing, Robotics, and CTE courses.  In-School competition kits were developed to meet Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), ITEEA - Technology Literacy Standards, and Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.
IN SCHOOL - CONDUCT THE COMPETITION
IN SCHOOL - PRESENTATIONS
IN SCHOOL - LEARNING MATERIALS & INSTRUCTIONS

Program Testimonials

"This wonderful competition challenged our middle school students to learn more about fluid power technology and developed a strong collaborative bond within each team. Each team (4 students) practiced weekly to learn about the concepts and discussed different engineering processes to prepare for the competition." - School District Testimonial - Jr. High Team
"This initiative provided early exposure to career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Students were introduced to Macomb’s fluid power programming and had the chance to interact with Macomb’s faculty, who were involved in both the workshop and the challenge." - Community College Testimonial - Co-Host
"I already knew many important pieces of information about engineering and manufacturing, but this trip allowed me to see the whole process in action. My team and I worked together to complete the final hydraulic machine for the competition. Although it didn’t work as intended, we still managed to prove to ourselves that we could build something that could perform a specific task in a short amount of time. At the end of the day, I learned how to work better with a team, how to compartmentalize tasks into smaller ones and to accept anything that comes with the challenge of engineering." - High School Student Testimonial - Participant