During the annual conference Meeting Materials of 15 December, organized by M2i, Grade2XL held its first open Additive Manufacturing Design Contest for young engineers.
We therefore challenged young professionals and researchers to design a novel, multi-material product that can be printed with wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). The expert jury had a tough job judging all the innovative designs that were submitted, but agreed on two winners who will see their idea take shape in the first semester of 2021:
Yarop Ali from the Technical University Ilmenau has won the first prize with design for a multi-material mould with a lightweight support structure and integrated cooling channels. The expert jury evaluated the design as being “interesting and challenging to manufacture with conventional methods. The design foresees the use of multiple materials, which add both functionality and value.” The mould will be printed at RAMLAB, in The Netherlands.
Jan Reimann, also from the Technical University Ilmenau has won the second prize with a design for a topology-optimised node. The expert jury appreciated “the geometry that cannot be easily produced by other methods, as well as the idea to use high strength metal ‘fibres’ for extra strength”. The node will be printed by Naval Group in France.
The Design contest will be held every year until at least 2024, with submission deadlines mid-November.
In January, we will share the video of the Award Ceremony of the Design Contest. Stay tuned!