Do you know how pneumatics work? How about hydraulics?

Well, ask your children — because they should after the amazing experience they had on Thursday!

Year 6 enjoyed an exciting workshop from SMC, a pneumatic engineering company based in Milton Keynes. The session was designed to spark enthusiasm ahead of next week’s DT project, where pupils will be using pneumatic principles to make their WWII tank models fire projectiles.

During the visit, SMC introduced pupils to the basics of pneumatics and demonstrated how air pressure is used in real-life engineering. The children saw examples of pneumatics in action — from lifting and moving heavy objects to operating production lines in factories, as well as technologies SMC supports such as tube train doors, theme park rides, and aircraft components.

The demonstrations helped pupils understand how compressed air can power movement, giving them valuable insight before beginning their own pneumatic designs next week.

A big thank-you to SMC for an engaging and inspiring visit that has left Year 6 eager to get started on their DT tanks!