Additive manufacturing contest winners design device to assist veteran with his favorite pastime

SME and Stratasys Ltd. have announced the winners of this year's additive manufacturing (AM) student competition, held at the 54th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Ky. The contest is designed to stimulate student knowledge of AM and 3-D printing techniques.

This year's contest included 44 teams representing high schools, colleges/universities, and career technical institutions. Prizes include scholarships from the SME Education Foundation (for high school participants), a one-year Tooling U-SME subscription, RAPID + TCT conference passes, Solidworks® 3D-CAD design software, and a MakerBot Mini printer.

This year's challenge focused on solving a real-life medical problem for a veteran who endured a traumatic thumb amputation on his left hand. As part of the contest, students watched an introductory video to learn about the patient's disability, assessed his current condition, and determined how each could design an adaptive device enabling the veteran to continue using his PlayStation 3 gaming system. The winning devices consisted of 3-D-printed parts designed to allow the veteran to comfortably use a PlayStation 3 controller without his current silicone prosthetic.

The winners in the high school category are:

• Gold Medal: Getty George and Sam Green, Martin Luther King High School, Riverside, Calif.
• Silver Medal: Noah Logan and Johnathan Urbani, Stafford Tech Center, Rutland, Vt.
• Bronze Medal: Andrew Daddone and Layke Martin, Frederick County Career & Tech Center, Frederick, Md.

The college category winners are:

• Gold Medal: Adolfo Vargas and Alexander Kemnitz, Central Community College-Hastings, Hastings, Neb.
• Silver Medal: Deema AL Namee and Aric Donerkiel, Vermont Technical College, Randolph Center, Vt.
• Bronze Medal: William Swaner and Ashton DeZwarte, Tennessee College of Applied Tech-Nashville, Nashville

To see the winning device designs, visit https://grabcad.com/library/skills-usa-additive-manufacturing-nationals-challenge-2018-1.