2016 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition Awards highlights creativity and innovation

The winners of the 2016 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition were announced at the Eleventh International Aluminum Extrusion Technology Seminar & Exposition – ET ’16. The winning entries highlight how aluminum extrusions can provide versatile and cost-effective solutions to design challenges.

Professional designers, manufacturers and students were awarded a total of $12,000 in the 2016 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition. The awards, sponsored by Bonnell Aluminum, included prizes and scholarships in two classes: a Professional Class and Student Class.

Professional Winners Highlight the Versatility of Extrusions

William Davis of Wrightspeed Powertrains in San Jose, California and Rob Nelson of Almag Aluminum, Inc. in Brampton, Ontario, Canada won the $3,500 Grand Prize/Transportation category for the Wrightspeed Route Electric Motor Housing made of a highly engineered aluminum extrusion.

Currently in production in California, this Grand Prize-winning entry highlights many of the benefits of aluminum extrusion, including its lightweight design, incorporation of multiple features to eliminate downstream assembly, excellent heat transfer capabilities, and ease of fabrication, machining and assembly.



Michael Bankard, Mechanical Products Manager and R&D Engineer for Quest-Tec Solutions in Houston, Texas won the $2,000 First Place Prize in the Engineered Products Category for the Illuminator & Viewing Hood Housing used in the company’s Steam-Trac direct reading bi-color ported steam/water gauge. The extruded aluminum assembly replaces a previous stainless steel design.

The use of a custom extruded assembly reduced manufacturing cost by 40 per cent, according to the designer. “This product is used in conjunction with a steam/water level gauge that has a maximum operating temperature of 696 degrees Fahrenheit,” explained Bankard.

Student Winners Show Off Their Ingenuity

A team of students from the University of Alabama – Huntsville won First Place in the 2016 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition - Student Class for their Design Certification Review project, “Dynamic Arm Support Apparatus (DASA)”.

The DASA is a device that was designed for United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Huntsville, Alabama to assist children, specifically for those younger than 5 years old, with limited arm strength due to muscular atrophy. The project was sponsored by the North Alabama Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Toyota.

Zach Hellman, a sophomore industrial design student at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, won the Bonnell Aluminum LED Lighting Design Award. The award category was added to encourage students to think about aluminum extrusions as a holistic solution to a design problem.

Hellman’s HUB LED light “serves as the nerve of any construction site,” explained Hellman. “The design is focused on modularity and takes advantage of aluminum’s conductivity and heat dissipation properties. Integrated chargers and LED lighting ensure that critical tools are always at the ready,” the student continued.

The HUB consists of an extruded aluminum LED light assembly, an extruded main frame, tables, legs and leg bracket. An extruded aluminum heat sink serves a dual purpose as the LED mounting rail and heat sink.

Rupert Nuñez, a student studying engineering at Ronald Reagan High School, San Antonio, Texas, received a special High School Award for his “Nuñez Off-Road Light Mount” design. “The Nuñez Off-Road Light Mount is built for heavy duty applications where durability, stability and extreme heat dissipation are necessary,” explained the student. He designed the light to accept most kinds of off-road vehicle LED lighting solutions using 6061 aluminum alloy “for strength and low production costs.”

The student Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition is held annually, while the professional competition is held every even-numbered year.