MSOE Fluid Power Institute celebrates 50 years
| Published: 07/09/2012 |
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The Fluid Power InstituteTM at Milwaukee School of Engineering has been a leader in motion control and fluid power education, research and evaluation since 1962. On Thursday, July 12, FPI will celebrate its 50th anniversary and the continuing growth of fluid power with a day of seminars and tours followed by dinner on the MSOE campus. Afternoon presentations include:
- Matthew Blieske, director of systems development, General Compression
“Creating a New Frontier in Energy Conversion and Renewable Power Generation” - R. Edwin Howe, president, Enfield Technologies
“Advanced Pneumatics in Medical Devices” - Jeff Insch, senior product Manager, Olmsted Products Group, Oilgear
“Oil Rig Active Ballasting System Application” - Kim Stelson, director, Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power
“Future Directions for the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power” - Eric Lanke, CAE, CEO, National Fluid Power Association
Moderator, Panel Discussion
Thomas S. Wanke, director of the Fluid Power Institute, will receive the first ever MSOE Fluid Power Achievement Award during the anniversary dinner.
- John E. Duncan, MSOE Regent and President, Off-Road Driveline Technology & Axel Systems at ZF Inc. is the master of ceremonies.
- Douglas R. Oberhelman, chairman and CEO of Caterpillar Inc. will offer congratulatory remarks via video.
- Jim Baumgartner, director of corporate public affairs, Caterpillar Inc. will deliver the keynote address.
About the Fluid Power Institute
FPI conducts research and testing for some of the largest hydraulic companies including Parker Hannifin, Caterpillar Inc., John Deere and others, as well as system evaluations for the U.S. military. FPI’s on-campus 2,400 square-foot Fluid Power Research Laboratory has the capacity and horsepower to operate a wide variety of hydraulic components under high-pressure and flow conditions. It has specialized equipment for pump, valve, motor, cylinder and filter testing. In 2012 FPI opened an off-site facility in the Chase Commerce Center on the south side of Milwaukee. It features 8,800 square feet of open space, a 21-foot ceiling and large overheard crane capacity for evaluation of large components, systems and complete machines.
FPI conducts endurance testing, performance testing and environmental evaluations as well as component and system design, modeling and simulation, reliability analyses and system integration. In addition, a fully instrumented Tribology laboratory supports research and conducts separate analysis projects.
Graduate and undergraduate research students interested in the fluid power industry work directly with companies in a real world hands-on environment that directly involves them in applied research, thus fostering purposeful and effective research training.
The Professional Education and Technology Outreach department of the Applied Technology Center™ consults with FPI’s corporate clients to determine their training needs to build customized training programs.
FPI has been a member of the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) for more than 30 years. MSOE faculty and staff are active on several NFPA and ISO fluid power standards development committees, including the Technical Board, and Fluids and Education Committees. FPI also supports the activities of the Fluid Power Educational Foundation and the International Fluid Power Society.
MSOE is an independent, non-profit university with about 2,500 students. MSOE offers 18 bachelor’s degrees and nine master’s degrees in the engineering, engineering technology, building and infrastructure engineering, health-related engineering, computer, business and nursing fields. The university has a national academic reputation; longstanding ties to business and industry; dedicated professors with real-world experience; and extremely high placement rates and the highest starting salaries of any