06.20.2019 - RADFORD, VA – Thomson Industries, Inc., a leading manufacturer of mechanical motion control solutions, sponsored the 22nd year of the International ¼ Scale Tractor Student Design Competition (IQS) of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), donating $15,000 worth of motion control products. The event took place May 30 – June 2, 2019, at the Expo Gardens Fairgrounds in Peoria, Illinois.

As a platinum sponsor, Thomson has supported the competition for the past five years by contributing motion control products to participating university teams, providing access to design engineers and having company representatives volunteer as judges at the event.

“Having a sponsor like Thomson involved in the competition has allowed teams to expand into designs that were previously out of reach,” said Competition Co-Chair Kent Thoresen. “Thomson’s comprehensive offering of linear motion products and the technical support they provide make the relationship very beneficial to the students.”

The IQS competition is focused around student teams’ ability to conceptualize, design, fabricate and test their designs, competing in an array of evaluations, including written technical reports and design reports judged by a panel, oral presentations, maneuverability, durability, and a traditional tractor pull. Each year, engineering students submit a new design and compete in a variety of events. This year, teams were given a 31-hp Briggs & Stratton engine and a set of Titan tires.

Jeremy Gong, Key Account and ROA Regional Sales Manager at Thomson Industries, attended the event. “At this year’s competition, 11 schools used Thomson products in their designs,” he said. “In particular, their favorite was our Electrak® HD actuator, which was selected for its balance of compact form, high force rating and integrated CAN bus control. It was used for steering applications as well as transmission belt tensioning, ballast systems and clutch actuation.”

Additionally, the Thomson Electrak Throttle actuator was widely selected and incorporated for its space-saving design, rugged housing and CAN bus controls. Overall, Thomson products were designed into more than 75% of the competing tractors.

Amongst the top five overall winners of the competition, Thomson contributed products to South Dakota State University (2nd Place) and Ohio State University (4th Place). Other winning teams incorporating Thomson components included North Dakota State University, Iowa State University and University of Manitoba.

“The event is a valuable educational experience for those involved with design work for the next generation of those types of products,” said Gong. “It’s a good way to give back and support them.”

You can find out more information on Thomson’s products here: https://www.thomsonlinear.com/en/products.

For more information on the competition, please visit: https://asabe.org/IQS.

About Thomson

With more than 70 years of motion control innovation and quality, Thomson is the industry’s premier producer of Linear Ball Bushing® Bearings and Profile Rail Bearings, 60 Case® Shafting, ground and rolled Ball Screws, Linear Actuators, Gearheads, Clutches, Brakes, Linear Systems, and related accessories. Thomson invented the Linear Ball Bushing Bearing in 1945, and has set the standard ever since with an unsurpassed set of mechanical motion control solutions serving global commercial and aerospace & defense markets. Thomson Industries, Inc. has facilities in North America, Europe and Asia with over 2000 distributor locations around the world.

Thomson Industries, Inc., 1500 Mittel Boulevard, Wood Dale, IL 60191-1073; 1-540-633-3549; 1-540-633-0294 (fax); Thomson@thomsonlinear.com; www.thomsonlinear.com.