Design Competition: 2005 Professional Winners |
![]() 2005 International Aluminum Extrusion Design CompetitionProfessional Class Winning Entries ![]() First Place Commercial/Industrial: Heatsink, submitted by Todd Kollar First Place Structural/Consumer: CAJ Technology, submitted by Glenn A. Reynolds First Place Structural/Consumer: Super Wonder Wedge, submitted by Jon Bricker First Place Transportation: Retractacycle, submitted by John Dutton Honorable Mention: KOBO process, submitted by Andrzej Korbel Grand Prize: Vertical Windmill, submitted by Randall Kearns
The Grand Prize, awarded across all categories with a $5,000 cash prize, was presented to Randall Kearns, CAD Draftsman-Extruded Products at Hydro Aluminum North America in Ellenville, New York, for his extruded aluminum design of a vertical windmill. Aluminum extrusion was used for the windmill concept because "it turns windmills into a simpler design and lowers cost for remote locations. It will withstand harsh environment and weather," explained Kearns. The windmill's vertical orientation resembles a tower with upright, elongated spinning blades able to catch the wind from any direction while producing 50 percent more power than conventional horizontal-mounted designs. The 100-foot model generates 5,000 kilowatts per hour in 12-mile-per-hour wind. The use of extruded aluminum makes the vertical windmill lightweight and quieter than conventional horizontal windmills and, therefore, more practical. History reveals that the vertical windmill idea dates back hundreds of years.Providing a new twist on an old idea, the winning design maximizes its potential use by making it "an excellent concept utilizing aluminum extrusions that combines technology, creativity and potential marketplace application," according to Design Competition judge Dr. Joseph Benedyk, Contributing Editor for Light Metal Age magazine and Research Professor in the Mechanical, Materials & Aerospace Engineering Department of the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. "This creative entry exhibited not only practicality and broad market potential but won high marks for sustainable development in addressing environmental and societal issues." This type of ground-breaking improvement "highlights the importance of the [Extrusion] Design Competition," Benedyk affirmed. First Place Commercial/Industrial: Heatsink, submitted by Todd Kollar First Place in the Professional Class for the Commercial/Industrial Category, with a $2,000 cash prize, was awarded to Todd Kollar, Sales Engineer for General Extrusions, Inc. (GEI) in Youngstown, Ohio, for a heatsink used in a touch-screen kiosk.
The winning aluminum extrusion heatsink design was the result of creating a customized, highly engineered part. "Our customer's original design incorporated standoffs that were to be inserted into milled holes located on the bottom of the heatsink," explains Kollar. "The locations of the standoffs were directly under the fins and/or hollow areas of the profile. In addition, the locations of the standoffs could not be altered due to mating components and assembly requirements." To solve the problem, GEI came up with a unique solution: extrude the additional metal on the bottom of the heatsink where the standoffs were to be located and CNC (computer numerically controlled) machine the area to mill away the excess material to create the standoffs as built-in features of the extrusion itself. "GEI was able to use the extrusion process to create a more 'manufacturable,' less costly part without compromising the part's overall integrity with respect to the end use," Kollar stated. The judges were impressed with the complex shape of the part and GEI's solution to the standoff design problem. "Solving the problem by machining the base made this a winner," noted competition judge Angel Rosario, Applications Engineer for Alcoa Engineered Products in Chicago. "That's what extrusions are supposed to do." First Place Structural/Consumer: CAJ Technology, submitted by Glenn A. Reynolds ![]() Glenn A. Reynolds of Gossamer Space Frames, Inc. in Long Beach, California, submitted the winning space frame design using 6061-T6 alloy. "This new structural joint design creates a rigid connection with the strength of a welded joint but without welding or bolting," Reynolds noted. V. Gary Curtis and Dean R. Hackbarth of Gossamer Space Frames, Inc. in Long Beach, California, along with Alfonso Feria and Asim Sehic of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, helped Reynolds create the winning design. The judges chose to award this entry because of its innovative technology and versatility of application across multiple markets. "Space antenna designs need to be very precise in order to maintain a viable signal," commented Design Competition judge Dr. Joe Benedyk, Contributing Editor for Light Metal Age magazine and Research Professor in the Mechanical, Materials & Aerospace Engineering Department of the Illinois Institute of Technology. "Traditionally, welding has been used to connect the joints, but welding can cause a variance in the antenna signal. This design solves that problem." ![]()
The bridge is the first large-scale application of the CAJ technology, which offers economic, aesthetic, and practical advantages, according to the project construction manager. The economical advantage of the CAJ design was realized by the reported $500,000 savings. Aesthetically, the client, along with the City of Long Beach, desired a roller coaster design that offered maximum transparency, which the CAJ technology could deliver since field assembly procedures minimize difficult fitting conditions. The design itself resembles the Cyclone Racer roller coaster that was a popular attraction at the Pike from 1930 to 1968. Though the original roller coaster was made of wood, aluminum was the practical choice for the bridge to control the salt air's destructive nature. The 450-foot long, 87-foot high bridge is held together with 1,288 pieces of aluminum pipe connected with the patented CAJ requiring only one wrench and a few people to assemble, according to Reynolds. First Place Structural/Consumer: Super Wonder Wedge, submitted by Jon Bricker
The Super Wonder Wedge design was one of two entries awarded First Place in the Professional Class for the Structural/Consumer Category, earning a $2,000 cash prize. Jon Bricker, Industrial Designer and Manager of the Purdue University Exhibit Center in Lafayette, Indiana, created the winning Super Wonder Wedge design—an extruded aluminum joint construction device that is used to manufacture knock-down furniture. According to Bricker, the extrusion is designed to be sold in kits to accommodate different leg lengths, styles, and colors selected by the consumer. "The Super Wonder Wedge also allows for versatility and ease in assembly because it is a device that solidly assembles and locks together furniture without the use of either hand or power tools," explained Bricker. "We plan to use the Super Wonder Wedge in the fabrication of our knock-down exhibit furniture." Assembling and disassembling furniture using this hardware system will not cause damage. Aluminum was specified because of high strength, light weight, and durability. The judges decided to recognize this entry in the Structural/Consumer Category because of its exceptional commercial viability. First Place Transportation: Retractacycle, submitted by John Dutton ![]() The Retractacycle retractable motorcycle seat designed by John Dutton, a sophomore majoring in industrial design at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, impressed the judges enough to elevate this winning entry from Student to Professional Class. Providing a real marketplace solution, the judges acknowledged the ingenuity worthy of the award. "This student's design is one that deserved to move up to this [Professional] level," commented Design Competition judge Angel L. Rosario, Applications Engineer for Alcoa Engineered Products in Chicago. "This is a great marketing idea offering a very practical application." ![]() Honorable Mention: KOBO process, submitted by Andrzej Korbel ![]() "The KOBO extrusion process provides the capability of extruding hard alloys at room temperature by creating friction at the die in order to produce fine grain products," explained Dr. Joseph Benedyk, Contributing Editor for Light Metal Age magazine and Research Professor in the Mechanical, Materials & Aerospace Engineering Department of the Illinois Institute of Technology. "The KOBO process is an emerging extrusion process with great potential for the industry. The process has been successfully applied to the extrusion of aluminum and copper alloys with the surprising results of extrusion force reductions of 40 percent and more," noted Benedyk. "This process could change the future of extrusion," commented Competition judge Bruce Kasten, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Penn Aluminum in Murphysboro, Illinois. ![]() |
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Extrusion Design University - EDU '18