Without a doubt, fluid power applications have become
the muscles of industry—from entertainment to construction,
and everything in between.
Theme parks rely heavily on pneumatics, from the opening
gates of every ride, to the operation of the rides,
to the safety mechanisms in the ride. As you board the
roller coaster, pneumatic cylinders open the gates,
with a soft hiss of compressed air. Pneumatic air brakes
bring the coaster to a complete stop. And pneumatics
are used in the restraint systems that keep the coaster
on track as it rolls through its maneuvers. They can
also provide air cushioning, to make the "free fall"
rides as safe as possible. Instead of falling straight
to the ground, excited kids safely drop one hundred
feet through giant pneumatic airways.
Many other industries are maximizing the benefits of
fluid power. Construction vehicles are using highly
advanced load-sensing hydraulic systems to power their
largest trucks and engines. The result for companies
like Komatsu is high digging forces and fast cycle times.
This means that excavators can lift chunks of rock or
building material as big as an SUV, and do it twice
as fast as before. Hydraulics also make it easier for
the operator to control the vehicle, using two small
joysticks.
Our Profi Pneumatic Robots kit from fischertechnik
is an excellent fluid power trainer for students, bridging
the divide between pneumatics and computing. Students
can now program and control pneumatically driven machines
from their PC, with Intelligent Interface and LLWin
software. Lego also offers a variety of robot activities
for younger users. No matter what you teach—whether
it’s industrial arts, technology education, science,
or home school—your students will love using the experiential
learning software and kits that are featured in our
technology curriculum modules.
