What Next at CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IFPE exhibition 2017 in Las Vegas

The world’s first use of 3-D printed steel in an excavator will be on show at the 3485 CONEXPO-CON/AGG and 8064 IFPE exhibition in Las Vegas next year, according to the organisers.

The excavator will be designed by engineering students and constructed – in a process known as additive manufacturing – for the event 2017 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, from March 7-11, 2017.

The organisers said that the excavator will bring to life how technology is transforming the construction industry in line with the show’s 2017 theme, Imagine What’s Next. In addition to the pre-printed excavator, show attendees will see a second excavator printing live on the show floor.

The excavator is a joint collaboration between the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), National Fluid Power Association (NFPA), Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The group is working with research teams from Georgia Tech and The University of Minnesota to convert the current excavator design to one that is conducive to and takes full advantage of 3D manufacturing.

Graduate engineering students at Georgia Tech will be creating a boom and bucket featuring integrated hydraulics with the goal of decreasing the weight, materials cost and maintenance, while students at the University of Minnesota are designing a hydraulic oil reservoir/heat exchanger and cooling system that reduces the size and weight and increase the efficiency of the machine.

In addition to the partnerships with the Georgia Tech and the University of Minnesota, undergraduate engineering students from across the country are being invited to participate in a nationwide contest to design and print a futuristic cab and a human-machine interface for the excavator that is both aesthetic pleasing and functionally designed.

Students can submit their designs for the cab of the excavator on the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power website (ccefp.org) and all entries will be judged by a panel of industry experts. The winning team will receive a $2,000 cash prize and the opportunity to visit the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee to observe the printing of the selected design.

For information, updates and news, visit www.conexpoconagg.com/.

CONEXPO-CON/AGG is an international gathering every three years showcasing the latest equipment, products, services and technologies. CONEXPO started in 1909 as a road show demonstration of “amazing new devices” that could do the work of 15 horse-drawn units. In 1996, the show joined with the International Concrete and Aggregates Show to become CONEXPO-CON/AGG.

IFPE is an international exposition and technical conference for fluid power and other technologies for power transmission and motion control applications. IFPE is held every three years and is co-located with CONEXPO-CON/AGG exposition for the construction industries. IFPE is co-owned by the National Fluid Power Association and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.