DEARBORN, Mich. & MINNEAPOLIS — July 18, 2017 — (BUSINESS WIRE) — SME, a nonprofit organization that supports the manufacturing industry, and Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq:SSYS), the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company, have announced the winners of a co-sponsored student additive manufacturing competition held during the 53rd annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference.
Now in its third year, the 2017 Additive Manufacturing Competition consisted of 34 high school and post-secondary student teams competing for a chance to take home gold, silver, or bronze medals – as well as scholarships from the SME Education Foundation, and a MakerBot Mini printer. The Additive Manufacturing Competition was created to stimulate student learning of additive manufacturing and 3D printing techniques.
“Each year, we attract more students to participate in the SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the growth,” said Jeff Krause, executive director and CEO of SME. “This is an exciting time for additive manufacturing and 3D printing and we are proud to be at the forefront of its evolution and making sure our future manufacturing leaders will be prepared for what lies ahead as the industry progresses.”
The 2017 Additive Manufacturing Competition involved designing and printing a track piece (fixture) capable of moving a marble to a designated location after the ball rolls down a ramp. The fixture was required to connect with the ramp at specific points and remain stable for the test’s duration. Each team was provided time to design the fixture, build the 3D printed prototype on a Stratasys 3D printer, and make any necessary design modifications the next day.
“Many student competitors impress us and surprise themselves at what they can achieve during the competition,” said Jesse Roitenberg, head of North America Education for Stratasys. “They are preparing all year and coming more equipped than the year before to take on the challenges we plan for them.“
Contestants also participated in a mini-challenge, which required them to fix broken issues within an STL file. After completing the design process, participants later presented findings to a panel of professionals in the additive manufacturing field. Presentations included full analysis of how the design and re-design process was managed.
Participants were also offered the opportunity to participate in Tooling U-SME’s new Additive Manufacturing Fundamentals Certification, the first and only nationally normalized, stackable or sequential, credential process in additive manufacturing.
More than 16,000 people — including students, teachers and business partners — participated in events at the SkillsUSA national conference, highlighting the capabilities of career and technical education students in their respective fields.
2017 winners of the SME/Stratasys SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition included:
High School Teams
- Gold Medal: Cameron McLaughlin, Mathew Marinelli, Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School, Marlborough, Massachusetts
- Silver Medal: Andrew Schalk, Braden Clayberg, Stafford Senior High School, Falmouth, Virginia
- Bronze Medal: Andrew Daddone, Trevor Wheelock, Frederick County Career & Technology Center, Frederick, Maryland
College Teams
- Gold Medal: Collin Goddes, Thomas Houston, Calhoun Community College, Decatur, Alabama
- Silver Medal: James Bruce, Mattias Anderson, Butte College, Oroville, California
- Bronze Medal: Amadeo Verstegen, Timothy Myers, Madison Area Technical College, Madison, Wisconsin
Click here to see the track pieces this year’s winners designed. View our Flickr photos from the competition. To learn more about SME and SkillsUSA click here.
About SME
SME connects all those who are passionate about making things that improve our world. As a nonprofit organization, SME has served practitioners, companies, educators, government and communities across the manufacturing spectrum for more than 80 years. Through its strategic areas of events, media, membership, training and development, and the SME Education Foundation, SME is uniquely dedicated to the advancement of manufacturing by addressing both knowledge and skills needed for the industry. Follow @SME_MFG on Twitter or facebook.com/SMEmfg.
About Stratasys
For nearly 30 years,Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ:SSYS) has been a defining force in 3D printing and additive manufacturing, shaping the way things are made. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot, Israel, the company empowers customers across vertical markets, including aerospace, automotive, healthcare, education, and consumer products, by enabling new approaches for design and manufacturing. Stratasys solutions offer design freedom and manufacturing flexibility, reducing time-to-market and lowering development costs, while improving products and communication. Subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape, as well as Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, which offers 3D printed parts on demand. Stratasys also offers Expert Services in North America and over 4 million free, 3D printable design files through its Thingiverse and GrabCAD communities. Stratasys has 1,200 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents and has received more than 30 technology and leadership awards. Online at: www.stratasys.com or http://blog.stratasys.com/. Follow us on LinkedIn.
Stratasys is a registered trademark and the Stratasys signet is a trademark of Stratasys Ltd. and or its subsidiaries or affiliates. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Contacts
Stratasys
Arita Mattsoff, +972-74-745-4000 (IL)
arita@stratasys.com
Joe Hiemenz, +1 952-906-2726 (US)
joe.hiemenz@stratasys.com
or
Stratasys North America
Stratasys
Craig Librett, +1 518-494-3442
Craig.Librett@stratasys.com
or
Stratasys Europe
Incus Media
Jonathan Wake / Miguel Afonso, +44 1737-215200
stratasys@incus-media.com
or
SME Oneika Mobley, +1 313-728-9496 mobile
Senior PR Representative
omobley@sme.org
Source: Stratasys Ltd.
