FORCE America Reaches Fifth Year as Challenge Organizer

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.


FORCE America reached a new Challenge Champion milestone earlier this year and celebrated five years of facilitating the NFPA Fluid Power Action Challenge hosted at Alexandria Technical and Community College in Minnesota. Each year, this design and build competition introduces middle school students to hydraulics, pneumatics, engineering and careers in the fluid power industry. New this year, they made arrangements for 74 students to tour FORCE America and several other local manufacturing facilities so that the teams could connect the concepts they learned on Workshop Day with real world applications.

On Challenge Day, the 19 teams returned to Alex Tech to compete against their peers. Teams were evaluated on their portfolio, design and teamwork. As the teams built their devices, judges observed the teams and interviewed students, asking them about how they came up with their design and how they work together as a team. When the time was up, the teams all gathered together and put their machines to the test.

Many thanks and congratulations to FORCE America and this year’s event sponsors, Alexandria Technical & Community College, Braas, Power Systems, and SMC for putting on a successful event.

To learn more or get involved with the Fluid Power Action Challenge, contact Stephanie Scaccianoce at sscaccianoce@nfpa.com.

Recent Posts

Allison Forsythe Speaks About the Value of Participating in Standards Development

We’re excited to share a new onboarding video from Allison Forsythe, your Standards and Program Manager at the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA). In this video, Allison highlights the important work we’re doing in standards development and how you can get involved. At NFPA, we manage both domestic and international standards, including those through the…

Read More about Allison Forsythe Speaks About the Value of Participating in Standards Development

Enhance Your 2025 NFPA Annual Conference Experience By Bringing a Guest

2025 NFPA Annual ConferenceFebruary 25-27, 2025Tucson, AZRegistration Now Open The 2025 NFPA Annual Conference is not just about professional growth—it’s an opportunity to connect with your peers, your industry, and even your loved ones. As always, we’re offering an inviting Spouse/Guest Program that encourages you to bring someone special along to share in this experience.…

Read More about Enhance Your 2025 NFPA Annual Conference Experience By Bringing a Guest

NFPA Executive Leadership Program Dives into the Art of Negotiation

The NFPA Executive Leadership Program is an in-depth and interactive program that helps emerging leaders in the fluid power industry develop their network and advance their management and leadership skills through tailored content. Its sessions are presented in collaboration with the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, with Kellogg faculty helping to curate interactions among…

Read More about NFPA Executive Leadership Program Dives into the Art of Negotiation