Equipment World

June 2016

Equipment World Digital Magazine

Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/692436

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 8 of 99

T he big construction equipment show ConExpo-Con/Agg is teaming up with a group of students and engineers to display the world's fi rst 3D printed excavator at the show's new Tech Experience pavilion. The display will show the fi rst large scale use of steel in 3D printing, known as additive manufactur- ing. The excavator project is a collaboration between the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), National Fluid Power Association, the Center for Compact and Effi cient Fluid Power (CCEFP), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the National Science Foundation. The group is working with engineers and research- ers at Georgia Tech and the University of Minnesota to convert current excavator designs into one that is conducive to 3D printing. The Georgia Tech students are developing the boom and bucket for the excavator, while the team in Minnesota is designing a hydraulic oil reservoir, heat exchanger and cooling system that will be integrated into the fabrication of the machine. Additionally, the group is inviting students from around the country to submit designs for the cab of the excavator. Entries can be submitted on the CCEFP website (ccefp.org). The winning team will receive a $2,000 cash prize and the opportunity to visit the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee to watch the printing of the selected design. The show's new Tech Experience pavilion, which will be located in the Silver Lot in front of the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center is designed to let attendees "actually step into the future and experience what's new and next in the construction industry," AEM says. The 75,000-square-foot pavilion will show innovations in three key zones: the worksite of the future, jobs of the future, and the infrastructure of the future. Other plans include a Maker Beta Lab that will feature what AEM calls a "collaborative future factory environment." The association is also presently taking proposals for pavilion displays. ConExpo-Con/Agg will be held March 7-11, 2017, in Las Vegas. EquipmentWorld.com | June 2016 9 reporter | by Tom Jackson | TJackson@randallreilly.com add this to the list of things you must see at ConExpo-Con/Agg 3D printed excavator, technology pavilion: Photo: Georgia Institute of Technology. Clayton Greer (front) is the graduate student working on the de- sign of the 3D printed excavator boom and bucket. He and James Collins, an undergraduate research assistant, are shown working with a micro-computed tomography machine. (Inset) Location of the Tech Experience on the show grounds

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Equipment World - June 2016