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05/06/2026

Engineering is learned by doing: what equipment does your course's lab need to prove it?

From classical mechanics to renewable energies, a practical map of the equipment that connects curriculum, student performance, and institutional evaluation criteria.

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What equipment does your Engineering course laboratory need? Cidepe offers solutions for mechanics, electrical, civil, chemical, and renewable energies, focusing on real-world pedagogical application.

 

Every engineering course coordinator already... faced the same tension: the student arrives at the practical class, looks at the equipment and asks what it is used for in the real world. The question seems simple. The answer, however, depends on how well the laboratory was designed to answer it.

A well-structured laboratory is not synonymous with an expensive laboratory. It is synonymous with a relevant laboratory, with equipment selected with pedagogical criteria, integrated into curriculum, suitable for subjects that most demand experimentation and capable of supporting activities throughout the semesters without loss of precision or functionality.

Cidepe has been developing equipment for higher education laboratories for almost three decades. During this period, the main perception that has been consolidated is The choice of the right equipment for each area of engineering has a direct impact on student engagement, the teacher's ability to conduct experiments consistently, and, progressively, on the technical evaluation of the course according to MEC (Brazilian Ministry of Education) criteria.

Below is an overview of the equipment developed for the main areas of engineering training, with a description of the pedagogical applications and what each one represents for the laboratory as a whole.

 

Why equipment selection matters more than quantity

A recurring error in the process of setting up university laboratories Prioritizing the volume of items over pedagogical coherence. The result, in practice, is a space with many underutilized pieces of equipment and few that actually support the experiments planned in the syllabi. Well-selected equipment does the opposite: it makes complex concepts observable, allows the student to collect real data, interpret variables, and develop technical reasoning from what happens before their eyes. This difference - between what is read and what is seen - is what well-conducted experimental practice produces.

For coordinators and managers, this means that the purchasing decision needs to start with the curriculum, the subjects with the highest experimental demand, and the profile of the professors who will conduct the practices. Only then does the technical specification make sense.

 

Equipment by area of training

Mechanics, Experimental Physics, and Dynamics

Mechanics and Experimental Physics courses in the first semesters of Engineering usually introduce students to the fundamentals of motion, periodic behavior, and the physical quantities that structure all subsequent technical training. The problem is that these concepts, presented only through equations, become too abstract to produce real understanding.

The pendulum with an electronic spark gap solves this problem directly.

It allows the student to observe, measure, and analyze motion, transforming the concept of gravitational acceleration, for example, into data collected by themselves, and not into a memorized formula.

Pedagogical applications:

• Study of motion in two dimensions

• Analysis of periodic motion

• Investigation of the simple pendulum

• Experimental determination of acceleration due to gravity

• Observation of non-linear movements

• Relationship between theory, measurement and graphical representation

 

For the laboratory: it represents a solid foundation for the first semesters, the experimental starting point from which many other more advanced concepts will be taken up.

 

Electrical Engineering, Energy and Sustainability

 

 

Renewable energy, hydroelectric, consumer unit, sensors and interface package - EQ385C3 (hyperlink: https://cidepe.com.br/index.php/br/produtos-interna/conjunto-energia-renovavel-hidroeletrica-unidade-consumidora-sensores-e-interface/EQ385C3) 

Energy transition, renewable energy sources and electrical efficiency These are no longer topics for elective courses. They are increasingly required curricular components in Electrical, Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering programs, and the ability to address these topics with real-world experimentation represents a concrete pedagogical advantage.

This set reproduces, on a didactic scale, the operation of a hydroelectric system, with real-time measurement of electrical and mechanical variables. The student follows the entire energy conversion process, analyzes efficiency, and works with data from an integrated three-phase system.

Pedagogical applications:

• Electricity generation by hydro generator

• Study of electrical power and frequency

• Analysis of rotation speed, flow rate, and water drop

• Three-phase system operation

• Energy efficiency and renewable sources

 

For the laboratory: enables integrated classes that connect electricity, fluid mechanics and energy fundamentals in a single experiment – reducing fragmentation between disciplines.

 

Civil Engineering, Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics

 

 

Set of panels for hydrostatics and hydrodynamics with interface and software - EQ310B (hyperlink: https://cidepe.com.br/index.php/br/produtos-interna/conjunto-de-paineis-para-hidrostatica-e-hidrodinamica-com-interface-e-software/EQ310B) 

The behavior of fluids is One of the most demanding topics in Civil and Mechanical Engineering training is also one that benefits most from experimentation. Concepts such as pressure, flow, head loss, and continuity equations become substantially clearer when the student can observe the fluid in motion, collect data, and compare it with the theoretical model.

The set of panels for hydrostatics and hydrodynamics was developed to meet this demand with precision. The integrated interface and software allow for real-time data collection and analysis, bringing the laboratory environment closer to the conditions that the engineer will encounter.

in professional practice.

Pedagogical applications:

•  Hydrostatics and Stevin's principle

•  Pressure in fluids and flow

•  Reynolds number and flow regimes

•  Load loss and Bernoulli equation

• Continuity equation

• Characteristic curves of pumps

 

For the laboratory: offers broad experimental coverage for hydraulics and fluid mechanics disciplines, with high potential for use throughout the Civil Engineering curriculum.

 

Electrical Engineering and Experimental Physics - Electrostatics

 

400 kV Electrostatic Generator, Van de Graaff - EQ047D (hyperlink:https://cidepe.com.br/index.php/br/produtos-interna/gerador-eletrostatico-400-kv-van-de-graaff/EQ047D ) nbsp;

There are pieces of equipment that change the rhythm of a class. The Van de Graaff Generator is one of them. The visual impact of electrostatic phenomena — Visible electric field, discharges, Faraday cage in operation — transforms an introductory electricity lesson into an unforgettable experience for students.

More than just a demonstration, the equipment has high conceptual value. It allows working with abstract quantities — electric potential, dielectric strength, lines of force — in an observable and debatable way in the classroom, which increases the quality of technical debate and accelerates the understanding of fundamental concepts.

Pedagogical applications:

• Electrostatics and electric field

• Electric potential and dielectric strength

• Conductivity and Faraday cage

• Power lines and discharges Electrical

 

For the laboratory: represents a highly durable solution with a permanent didactic impact for Physics and Electrical Engineering courses, with consistent application in the demonstration classes of the first semesters.

 

Chemical Engineering, Thermodynamics and Materials

 

 

Charles' Law Kit with Multimeter and Sensors - EQ234JM (hyperlink: https://cidepe.com.br/index.php/br/produtos-interna/conjunto-lei-de-charles-com-multimedidor-e-sensores/EQ234JM) 

The behavior of gases is a central theme in Chemical Engineering, Thermodynamics and Materials. Charles's Law, which describes the relationship between temperature and volume in an isobaric transformation, is usually presented graphically, but the degree of understanding that the student achieves when performing the experiment themselves is significantly different.

With integrated sensors and multimeter, the system allows for precise data collection, real-time observation of variations, and construction of graphical interpretation from own data. The lesson ceases to be about Charles's Law and becomes about what the student found when testing it.

Pedagogical applications:

• Charles's Law and isobaric transformation

• Behavior of gases and volume-temperature relationship

• Experimental data collection and analysis

• Graphical interpretation of variables thermodynamics

 

For the laboratory: It is a relevant solution for courses seeking to strengthen the experimental base in Chemical Engineering, Thermodynamics and related areas, with direct application in the syllabi of these disciplines.

 

 

The right selection starts in the curriculum, not in the catalog

Engineering course coordinators deal with an equation that is not Simply put: limited budgets, regulatory expectations, MEC (Ministry of Education) requirements, and the need to maintain functional laboratories over the years. This means that every purchasing decision needs to be strategic, focusing on equipment that serves multiple disciplines, that is durable, that is used, and that contributes documentarily to the students' training.

Cidepe's equipment is developed with this perspective. Before any technical specification, there is a pedagogical decision: the equipment needs to work in practice in the classroom, in the hands of the teacher, with students who arrive at the laboratory with varying degrees of preparation and engagement.

This requirement defines the project.

If the course is in the process of structuring or updating its laboratory equipment, the most efficient starting point is a curation by area, mapping what the curriculum requires, what the professors need, and where the current equipment leaves gaps. This diagnosis defines the right purchase, not the biggest purchase.

 

 

Talk to the Cidepe team

Request a curation for your Engineering course

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