Basic Hydraulic Arm Activity

PLTW Course Products

For CIM

1823-07 - Basic Hydraulic Arm Activity - 10 pack

Learn about fluid mechanisms, simple machines, design and engineering concepts as you build a multifunctional hydraulic arm.

Price: $ 111.24 / 10 Pack

Activity Guides

Click to download the pdf document (Acrobat Reader 5 or newer is required):

Hydraulic Arm Activity

TeacherGeek Quick Start Guide (Easy Engineering Guide)

Building the TeacherGeek Basic Hydraulic Arm provides the opportunity to understand and apply basic fluid hydraulic and simple machine concepts. The downloadable guide is detailed, informative and provokes thinking making design, construction and revision simple. The arm pivots at two points and the gripper opens and closes. With additional innovative parts you can reengineer parts, change range of motion, prepare for a new function, etc. Please refer to the Hydraulic Arm Activity document for more specific details.

Consider ordering for now or in the future by selecting the cost effective 10 pack.

Students and Arm

Possible Engineering Challenges

Design and draw the arm in CAD, then build it.
Design and build an arm that rotates at the base.
Design and build a better end effecter (gripper).
Design and build an arm to move the most weight the furthest distance.
Design and prototype retail packaging for the arm.
Design and build a practical mechanism/method to measure the weight of the object the arm is lifting.
Design and prototype a new component for the Easy Engineering System. Demonstrate its function on a hydraulic arm.
Design a hydraulic arm to move as many beans from a common tray into the team's tray as possible. Two or three arms can compete at once in this competition.
Design a hydraulic arm to work in an assembly line with other arms. Parts can move in front of the arms by pulling a "belt."

Innovation Components

Innovation components allow for greater alternative and innovative designs. They are not required, but are suggested to bring more engineering and innovation to the activity. Only a few innovation components are usually needed to create alternative designs, so your supply of innovation components can be used for many hydraulic arms and other TeacherGeek activities. Here are our recommendations: