Tightest competition ever at Toronto edition of
2009 Canadian Fluid Power Challenge

One point is all that separated the two top teams at the ninth annual Canadian Fluid Power Challenge,  held on Thursday, May 7th in Etobicoke.  The devices built by the winning team from Hodgson Senior Public School and runner-up Lambton Kingsway Junior Middle School were among the most successful in the event’s history based on the number of cycles completed within the two minute demonstration period.

Students from 18 west Toronto middle schools were asked to design and build fluid-power devices to pick up a cylinder and place it on a stepped platform.  They were evaluated on a set of criteria including the number of cycles completed, the quality of their design portfolios and how little material they used to build their devices.

“It was really exciting to see two teams go head-to-head at that level,” observed Steve Rogers of Kidder- Technology Teaching Systems who acts as facilitator for the Challenge.  “But we were also pleased that so many schools were able to complete a full pick-and-place cycle or demonstrate gripping capability or motion in one or more axes.  They all achieved some degree of success.”

This year’s teacher tour, which took place while the students were building their machines, visited the Automation and Robotics Program at Centennial College in Scarborough. There the teachers were given demonstrations of various automation equipment and informed about different technology programs available on the campus.

Special thanks to this year’s Toronto Challenge sponsors:

For additional coverage of this exciting event see: Design Engineering

2009 Photo Gallery of the Workshop and Challenge Days

Sample Fluid Power Challenge Kit
Click here to view sample Fluid Power Challenge Materials

Strathcona 2009 Tech Challenge
The 4th Annual Strathcona Technical Challenge was held on March 26, 2009 in Edmonton.  The event continues to grow each year, with 36 teams and a total of 147 students participating in the 2008 challenge.  These teams represent classes from Grade 7 through to Grade 12, and the event is one of the most anticipated activities in the area. 

The task this year was to build a free-standing platform which had the ability to pick up a golf ball.  The team that could raise the golf ball the highest in 20 seconds was declared the winner.

The Alberta Minister of Education, President of the Edmonton School Board and one of the City councilors attended, as did two local television stations. 

This event would not be possible without the continued support of our sponsoring companies.  We take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank those companies that support CFPA’s pursuit of effective workforce development.

Viewing and printing PDF documents requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. If Acrobat Reader is not installed on your computer system, you can download it at no cost by clicking here: