Find a Fluid Power Action Challenge Event Near You

Programs like the Fluid Power Action Challenge are made possible in part by the generous support of industry volunteers as well as NFPA Education and Technology Foundation and Pascal Society donors. Support these efforts by making a donation.


Through the Fluid Power Action Challenge competition, the National Fluid Power Association has introduced fluid power to students across the country over the past 14 years. The Fluid Power Action Challenge competition challenges students to design and build their own fluid power mechanical devices using balsawood and syringes.

Students are divided into teams for the first day of the competition (Workshop Day) to begin designing and creating their mechanical devices. After Workshop Day, students will have the opportunity to interact with industry members and engineers who will coach and mentor them during the development process of the fluid power mechanical device. On the final day of the competition (Challenge Day), the students will have the opportunity to make any last-minute adjustments to their fluid power devices, and then they will compete against other teams to score the most points with the mechanical devices.  

If you are an industry member or educator interested in participating in a Fluid Power Action Challenge Competition, consider using NFPA’s Find a Challenge webpage. Users can use the Find a Challenge webpage to find Fluid Power Action Challenge events in their community by filtering events by state, date, or organization name. Currently, Milwaukee School of Engineering in Milwaukee, WI, and Komatsu Mining Corporation Group, in Sugarcreek, Pennsylvania, only have dates for the 2022-23 academic year. Our Find a Challenge webpage will be updated throughout the academic year as we add events and programs. 

If you are interested in participating or have questions about the Fluid Power Action Challenge, contact NFPA Workforce Program Manager Eric Pannell at epannell@nfpa.com or 414-778-3364.

Recent Posts

The Future of Hydrogen in Fluid Power Applications

This episode features James Simpson & John Mclaughlin of Trelleborg Sealing Solutions. Listen to the Podcast Here On today’s show, our guests are James Simpson and John Mclaughlin. James is the Global Segment Director Energy, and John is the Director of R&D Services Americas, both at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions. Trelleborg is one of the world’s…

Read More about The Future of Hydrogen in Fluid Power Applications

Begin Planning Your Fall Engagement with Students

NFPA Speaker’s Bureau enables industry professionals to present to students enrolled in high schools, tech schools and universities across the country to inspire and excite them about career opportunities in the fluid power industry. During the 2023-24 academic year, NFPA helped to connect 16 member companies to present to over 350 university engineering students from across…

Read More about Begin Planning Your Fall Engagement with Students

Q2 2024 ITR Forecast Report Now Available

ITR’s Q2 2024 U.S. Customer Markets Forecast Report is now available. This report forecasts over 30 different popular fluid power markets. Identify which phase of the business cycle a market is in and where it is headed in the future. Forecasts for fluid power, pneumatics, and hydraulics have been updated. Highlights include:  If you have any…

Read More about Q2 2024 ITR Forecast Report Now Available