College students compete in NFPA Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge

Technologies

This Week in Power & Motion: NFPA Seeks Volunteers for Vehicle Challenge Review

Nov. 10, 2023

NFPA is looking for fluid power industry members to help review student designs in its Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge, TTControl to offer HYDAC machine control software and more industry news you may have missed.

Sara Jensen

There is much going on in the world of hydraulic, pneumatic and electric motion systems, from technology introductions and industry advancements to new trends and industry leaders. Each week the Power & Motion team collects the latest industry news to help keep our readers up to date on what's happening in the fluid power and electric motion control sectors as well as the industries they serve.

TTControl to Offer HYDAC MATCH Software

TTControl, a joint venture of HYDAC International and TTTech, will now offer HYDAC's MATCH software.

MATCH, or Machine Application Tool Chain, is a software suite which is designed to improve the develoment and maintenance of control software for mobile machinery. It is TÜV-certified according to IEC 61508, ISO 13849, ISO 25119, ISO 19014, and ISO 26262, making it easier to develop and implement safety-related applications.

The software helps OEMs quickly develop new applications for complex vehicle and machine controls while ensuring functional safety is taken into account. Existing machinery, components and functions can be redesigned in an efficient manner as well with the MATCH software. According to TTControl, time savings of 50% or more can be achieved when using the software to develop machine controls.

“Directly offering the MATCH Software by HYDAC to our customers marks a significant milestone in our journey to provide unique solutions that drive efficiency and excellence. With this revolutionary software suite, our current options, such as C, Codesys and MATLAB, are greatly expanded," said Markus Plankensteiner, Head of Sales & Marketing at TTControl, in the company's press release announcing the new offering. "We recognize the needs of industries today and believe that MATCH will empower machine manufacturers to take full control of their operations, make informed decisions, and elevate their overall performance."

NFPA Seeks Volunteers for Vehicle Challenge Midway Reviews

The National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) is looking for members of the fluid industry to participate in Design and Specification Midway Reviews for the NFPA Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge. Reviews will be held virtually in December and January.

Serving as a judge during these reviews provides an opportunity for industry members to engage and connect with students who could become part of the future hydraulics and pneumatics workforce.

Reviews consist of a 45-minute webinar presentation by the teams participating in the vehicle challenge and a 10-minute Q&A from the judges. During this time students show their initial design and drawings, as well as the fluid power control circuits that will be involved. Judges have the chance to speak directly to the teams to offer feedback and advice that will benefit their continued development of a fluid power-based bicycle.

Those interested in being a judge can contact the NFPA.

Students competing in the NFPA Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge build a bicycle powered by hydraulics and pneumatics, then race their vehicles in a set of challenges.

igus Accepting Nominations for vector award

igus is now accepting applications for its vector award honoring creative uses of its energy supply systems and high-performance cables in unique applications. The deadline for applications is February 9, 2024.

The biannual award has honored a range of unique use cases and aim to honor the hard work engineers and design teams do day after day. A panel of expert judges from science, specialist media, industrial trade shows, and professional associations examine each applicant and determine the winner of the award.

"Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and Industry 4.0 are trending topics in the media and the public. But it's easy to forget that engineers are making amazing progress in other relatively inconspicuous areas as well - in cable and hose guidance in machines and systems, for instance," said Michael Blass, CEO of e-chain® Systems at igus, in the company's press release announcing the opening of applications.

"Every day, we see how design engineers around the world implement extraordinary ideas with our energy chains and cables to meet increasingly stringent requirements. And long-lasting e-chain systems contribute greatly to sustainability," said Blass. "We are honoring these solutions, which often stay under the radar but are increasingly influencing product cost-effectiveness, with the 2024 vector award."

The igus vector award looks to once again honor exciting, creative, unique applications utilizing the company's energy chain systems.

VCollab Partners with Novus Nexus to Streamline CAE Results Review

Visual Collaboration Technologies, Inc. (VCollab) has partnered with Novus Nexus to create a more streamlined process for reviewing and sharing CAE results.

With this partnership, VCollab's Rapid Results Reveiw technology will be accessible to users of Novus Nexus' simulation automation solution and replace traditional 2D CAE analysis reporting and sharing. VCollab users will also be able to smoothly integrate automatic preprocessing into their CAE workflows.

Accorinding to the companies, this aids the digital transformation within engineering software by improving the availability and understanding of product performance data so better, faster design decisions can be made. Both companies' technologies work with a range of solutions, allowing CAE analysis results to be reviewed and shared within the CAE environment they are most comfortable using.

VCollab and Novus Nexus are bringing their technologies together to enable faster CAE results review and thus improved design time.

About the Author

Sara Jensen | Executive Editor, Power & Motion

Sara Jensen is executive editor of Power & Motion, directing expanded coverage into the modern fluid power space, as well as mechatronic and smart technologies. She has over 15 years of publishing experience. Prior to Power & Motion she spent 11 years with a trade publication for engineers of heavy-duty equipment, the last 3 of which were as the editor and brand lead. Over the course of her time in the B2B industry, Sara has gained an extensive knowledge of various heavy-duty equipment industries — including construction, agriculture, mining and on-road trucks —along with the systems and market trends which impact them such as fluid power and electronic motion control technologies.

You can follow Sara and Power & Motion via the following social media handles:

X (formerly Twitter): @TechnlgyEditor and @PowerMotionTech

LinkedIn: @SaraJensen and @Power&Motion

Facebook: @PowerMotionTech

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