IEC Summits Bring Industry and Students Together

by Eric Lanke
NFPA CEO

The Industry Engagement Committee (IEC) of the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) is part of the industry oversight structure that NFPA has helped put in place to make sure that the research strategy and projects conducted by the CCEFP serve the long-term needs of the fluid power industry. Twice a year, the committee holds a summit at one of the CCEFP universities to review progress on CCEFP research projects and to interact directly with the students performing the research.

The last such summit was held in February 2015 at Georgia Tech. Nearly 60 people attended, and the focus was on potential advances for industrial applications. Students presented their progress on several key projects, including a new elastomeric accumulator and the experimental use of MEMS valves in pneumatic systems. In addition to these individual projects, several multi-project testbeds were profiled, including the ankle-foot orthosis and the patient handling device. The testbeds are unique in the sense that they provide CCEFP students with a systems-based understanding of the fluid power principles they’re working on—something extremely useful for the companies that are seeking to hire them.

It was a fantastic event, with lots of connection opportunities for fluid power companies seeking to enhance their technical understanding or add to their engineering workforce. The next IEC summit will be held June 3-5 at Purdue University and will focus on high power and mobile applications.

The next IEC summit will be held June 3-5 at Purdue University and will focus on high power and mobile applications.

Anyone interested in getting involved in the activities of the Industry Engagement Committee is welcome to attend. Full program and registration information can be found at: https://www.ccefp.org/get-involved/iec-summit-purdue.