Fun with Air-Powered Pneumatics
Students test their pneumatic system.Copyright 2008 Jacob Givand, CCEFP, University of Minnesota
Working as engineering teams in this introductory pneumatics lab, students design and build working pneumatic (air-powered) systems. The goal is to create systems that launch balls into the air. They record and analyze data from their launches.
Pneumatic systems, called circuits, are used extensively by engineers to power and control robotics. Engineers design pneumatic circuits to perform activities in manufacturing and other industrial applications that require repetition and consistency. One of the most common applications of pneumatics used by engineers is safely controlling a pneumatic cylinder to provide linear force.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Design and build a pneumatic circuit.
- Graph two variables and reach a conclusion.
- Plan and conduct a controlled experiment.
- Understand the engineering design process.