ET Foundation Awards Eight Students for Their Designs

April 9 , 2009

Wauconda, Illinois - Eight college and high school students were recognized for their outstanding designs in the ET Foundation’s 2009 International Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition. First, Second, and Third Place scholarships were awarded, as well as the Hydro Sustainable Design Award. Scholarships, totaling $9,000, were sponsored by Hydro Aluminum. In addition, four students were recognized with Honorable Mentions for their designs.

Judges for the 2009 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition included Craig Werner, Aluminum Extruders Council Chairman and owner of Werner Extrusion Solutions, LLC in Lake Forest, Illinois; Dr. Joseph Benedyk, Research Professor in the Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering department at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois and contributing editor for Light Metal Age magazine; and Jack Miller, President of Sapa Extrusions, Inc. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

First Place was awarded to Caleb Vainikka, a junior studying mechanical engineering at North Hennepin Community College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for his Elbow Saver Dry-Eraser, earning him a $3,500 scholarship. Vainikka’s inspiration for the design was sympathy for his former aging calculus professor faced with an entire board to erase by hand with his small foam erasers. The invention of a mechanical dry-eraser that rides in a track at the top and bottom of a dry erase board was his way of repaying his professor, explained Vainikka. The system consists of three major parts: the upper track, lower track, and a rectangular tube that houses the mechanics of the eraser. He designed the system to fit any length of dry-erase board and gave it a clean, sharp look featuring a brushed aluminum case for the eraser mechanics. “I especially found his entry noteworthy, not just from the functionality and potential marketability standpoint, but also in terms of originality and presentation,” commented competition judge Dr. Joe Benedyk. “His conceptual write up addressed many issues that a potential customer or client might have about his product and design.” The other judges agreed. “Mr. Vainikka saw a problem,” said Jack Miller. “By combining the light weight and bright surface characteristics of aluminum with the forming capabilities of the extrusion process, he turned that problem into an opportunity. The Elbow Saver is a unique, creative solution, designed to tackle one of the everyday class room problems.” Craig Werner commented, “For over 25 years, I have used the image of an extruded aluminum chalkboard tray when describing our process; how fitting that this year’s winner should design an enhancement to this fundamental tool used throughout academia.”

Second Place, earning a $2,000 scholarship, was awarded to Sydney Minnis, a sophomore studying industrial design at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Sydney created a modern looking retail display unit named Cirque. The rounded design allows for customizable shelving that can be connected to cover any distance or height, according to the designer. “All of the design competition judges could envision Sydney Minnis’s concept used throughout higher end retail displays and offered for use in modern home decorative shelving applications,” noted Werner. “The clean, circular design takes exceptional advantage of the aesthetic opportunities available through the use of aluminum extrusions.” Miller thought Minnis’ design “best utilized the extrusion process to create a design that was functional, flexible, and attractive. The interlocking clips were a unique feature that allowed the Cirque unit to be combined into nearly any configuration.”

Third Place, earning a $1,000 scholarship, was awarded to Steve Duffin for his “Raise” floating dock system. Duffin, a sophomore studying industrial design at Purdue University, developed his design based on knowledge he had with boating. “All over the world, people are attracted to build houses by the water, so naturally there is a big market for small personal watercraft,” explained Duffin. “What they all need is a dock. [Currently] available docks are usually permanent and difficult to install without professional knowledge and equipment. I wanted to create something that anyone with a free afternoon and access to a pick-up truck could install. ” His design features aluminum extruded sections that are injected with foam to be “nearly unsinkable” and easily connected with a rod. The system offers durability, mobility, and long life, according to the designer. The judges felt his design utilized aluminum extrusion’s hollow shape to full advantage. “The use of aluminum extrusions in marine environments isn’t new, but Steve Duffin’s simple design of this docking system, incorporating the structural properties of aluminum extrusions, the non-slip surface and the inclusion of closed cell injectable foam ‘floatation’ into the cavities of the extrusion could well be a commercial success in the marketplace,” said Werner. Jack Miller agreed. “Mr. Duffin demonstrated that his design was easily adjustable in width as well as length and the profile also helped protect buoyancy. New solutions for an old problem,” said Miller.

Hydro Sustainable Design Award
The Sustainable Design award was established by Hydro Aluminum to foster innovative solutions to growing societal and/or environmental issues. “There were a number of quality entries this year,” commented Lynn Brown, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Hydro Aluminum in Linthicum, Maryland. “In the end, one entry stood out—both for the way it addressed sustainability issues and the originality of the application and the design solution.” The Hydro Sustainable Design was awarded to Daniel Schaumann, a senior majoring in materials design and industrial design at Purdue University, for his Alumi-Cooler. The award earned Schaumann a $2,500 scholarship. The Alumi-Cooler design is a liquid-to-air intercooler device used as a heat exchanger in forced induction automotive applications. His one-piece extruded aluminum core design, with two internal side-by-side chambers, would replace the current multicomponent bar-and-fin design, which typically requires a welded tank. The cross-sectional profile of the extrusion was designed to maximize the surface area between the aluminum and the two fluids, according to Schaumann. “With more surface area between the two fluids, heat transfer can occur at a much greater rate, resulting in an overall greater temperature drop in the air. In general, the system uses aluminum’s relatively large heat transfer coefficient to efficiently accomplish the task of cooling air with an overall goal of producing more power in forced induction engines,” the student explained .

According to Brown the new design takes full advantage of aluminum’s inherent heat transfer properties and design possibilities that the aluminum extrusion process provides. “And, the Alumi-Cooler would allow smaller engines to run more efficiently and generate more power, thereby reducing fuel consumption. This fits well with the overall goal of the Hydro Sustainability award for societal benefit,” said Brown.

Four Students Recognized with Honorable Mentions
In addition, the judges decided to recognize four students for their efforts with honorable mentions, although no money is associated with these awards. David M. Lewchanin III, a sophomore studying industrial design at Purdue University, won an honorable mention for his design of an extruded aluminum stand-on bicycle training wheel peg he called “Tri-Peg.” “Parents can teach their children how to ride a bike while being on the bike and having fun at the same time,” explained Lewchanin.

William Mecker, a sophomore studying industrial design at Purdue University won an honorable mention for his Aquafire concept, a portable water purification system that uses aluminum extrusion’s properties of heat transfer, heat exchange, and linear extrusion. “The product uses basic scientific properties to separate harmful particles and bacteria from pure drinking water in almost any setting. Aquafire can be
used in situations of emergency as well as instances of convenience,” Mecker explained.

Eric Chalko, a junior majoring in industrial design at Purdue University, won an honorable mention for his Handi-Ramp, an aluminum extruded access ramp for vehicles. Chalko’s design is a hinged, pull-out ramp that slides along a track bolted to the floor of a vehicle such as a van. “The lightweight aluminum material makes it easy to store away, and without the need to install electronics this particular ramp is reliable and easy to install and remove again,” noted Chalko.

For the first time in the history of the competition a high school student was recognized with an award. The 2009 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition received entries from eight high school students, the most high school entries received so far for a competition. For this reason, the judges decided to recognize one high school entry that stood out. Akil Patel, a junior at Bartlett High School in Bartlett, Illinois won the High School Honorable Mention for his Extruded Door design. The hollow sections of his design can be filled with insulation, lowering heating and cooling costs while the width of the door can easily be changed by just adding an additional section, Patel explained in his entry. Competition judge Jack Miller commented, “Utilizing the interlocking capabilities of extrusions allowed Akil Patel to increase the width efficiently to form a lightweight, high strength solution to a ‘heavy’ problem.”

The 2009 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition received 59 entries from college and high school students across the country studying design and engineering. “This year’s design competition winners came up with practical, innovative uses for extrusions which take advantage of the inherent design flexibility, aesthetics and process/material capabilities of aluminum extrusions” said Werner. “It is always encouraging and invigorating to see the unique designs and uses of aluminum extrusions that students develop. As an industry we understand the tremendous advantages we offer, but further translation of these into growing market opportunities is important for the long term growth and health of our industry.”

Dr. Joe Benedyk, a perennial judge for the competition, knows the work involved in entering a scholarship contest like the Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition. “And not to be forgotten, kudos to all the students and their mentors—teachers and parents—for their efforts in solving some down-to-earth problems and creating innovative product ideas with aluminum extrusions,” said Benedyk. “Considering the value of the experience students gain in thinking about the ways in which aluminum extrusions can make their ideas come to life, everyone is a winner in our book.”

Next year, the 2010 International Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition will be open to students and professionals, alike. A Call for Entries will be available in the fall. Visit www.etfdesign.org to view the winning entries from this and previous competitions and to obtain details on the 2010 Design Competition as they become available.

The Extrusion Technology for Aluminum Profiles Foundation—ET Foundation—has been established for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes to develop, promote, provide, and fund education and research related to aluminum extrusion processes and technologies. The ET Foundation is dedicated to providing superior educational programming and opportunities to promote the global exchange of new and improved technologies in aluminum extrusion.

For more information, contact the ET Foundation:

Nancy Molenda, Communications Manager
1000 N. Rand Road, Suite 214
Wauconda, Illinois 60084, USA
Telephone: 847.526.2010
Fax: 847.526.3993
mail@etfoundation.org
www.etfoundation.org