Commercial Intertech Corp.

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The Skinny: Commercial Intertech's Oildyne division sought publicity for its cylinders in trade magazines reaching its target market - design engineers. This piece focused on an unusual application for the Oildyne product: a Rose Parade float.

Style: Technical case study format - problem/solution

Excerpt:

Smart Cylinders Bring Parade to Life

Since 1949, students at the Pomona and San Luis Obispo campuses of California Polytechnic University have joined forces to design and construct a float for the annual Tournament of Roses Parade. Over the years, many of these self-built floats have been major award winners, earning eight trophies for best display of animation, and four Founder's Trophies for best self-built entry. In keeping with the 1991 parade theme, Fun and Games, Cal Poly designed a float called Tickle Attack. The float depicted a lighthearted jungle scene with tree monkeys teasing and tickling a tiger and an orangutan.

Cal Poly floats are the only ones completely designed, built, decorated and financed by students, and the students rely heavily upon the business community for support. After completion of the Tickle Attack float frame, Cal Poly contacted Oildyne, Minneapolis, a unit of Commercial Intertech Corp., for assistance with the hydraulic animation of the jungle figures. Oildyne contributed electohydraulic servo cylinders, with position-feedback capability so the animated characters could move in a complex, lifelike fashion.

A system using an IBM-compatible 8286 industrial microcomputer controlled animation functions on the float. Two automotive engines - converted to propane fuel - powered sophisticated pressure-compensated, variable-displacement pumps for separate animation and propulsion circuits. The Cal Poly students chose hydrostatic propulsion and fluid power animation to avoid the design limitations that axles and mechanical linkages would impose on wheel location and animation geometry.

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