Hydro recognizes extrusion innovation in Orlando
(June 2, 2004) Hydro Aluminum North America president, Martin Carter, recently presented awards in the 2004 ET Foundation International Design Competition. The presentation was made during the opening of ET 2004, the quadriennial extrusion technology conference recently held in Orlando, Florida, which hosted some 1,300 participants from 53 countries.
This year marked the fourth time the ET Foundation has held the design competition – and the first year of Hydro's involvement. Hydro Aluminum North America is the sole sponsor of the awards for both the 2004 contest, open to both students and professionals, and the student-only contest in 2005.
 STUDENT AWARD: Two awards went to the industrial design student Shivangi Narke for designing an aluminium extruded system for traffic light posts and signage. |
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"We feel strongly that the health of the extrusion industry is dependent upon innovation," Carter commented when announcing Hydro's sponsorship last year. "A stronger, more visible aluminium extrusion design competition is a key means of stimulating new applications and a renewed interest among students and professionals. And it helps attract bright young students to the field."
The Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition was created by the Extrusion Technology for Aluminum Profiles Foundation (ET Foundation) to promote greater understanding and use of extruded aluminium profiles, as well as to highlight innovations and recognize excellence in aluminium extrusion design.
The competition issues awards in two categories: a student design competition held annually, and a professional design competition held in even-numbered years. Students may submit entries in any category. Professionals choose from architectural, transportation, industrial, commercial, and residential product areas. Winning designs are those that best demonstrate the benefits of aluminium extrusions, whether by creating a new product or improving an existing one.
As part of its awards sponsorship for 2004 and 2005, Hydro created an additional award, the Hydro Sustainable Design Award, to be given to the student entry that best addresses societal and/or environmental issues.
 PROFESSIONAL AWARD: Total Structures of Ventura, California, was awarded for its structural truss system, here seen as a wave framework for sign or screen. |
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In 2004, both the first prize in the student class and the Hydro Sustainable Design Award went to Shivangi Narke, a graduate student studying industrial design at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana. Ms. Narke designed an aluminium extruded system for traffic light posts and signage. Her sleek, minimalist design replaces the heavy steel posts that she calls "aesthetically disturbing."
The 2nd prize among the 40 student entries was awarded to Amy Robertson, also of Purdue, for a modular wine rack. The 3rd place prize went to a team from the University of Bridgeport (Connecticut) for a two-piece system of miter braces designed to ease the assembly of wooden shed roofs.
The professional competition showcased a similar diversity of applications, with winning entries from Germany, India and the US. The applications ranged from a uranium rod holder to a residential home structural system and a rear suspension link for a passenger automobile.
First place in the commercial category was awarded to Total Structures of Ventura, California, which combined slices of a complex extrusion produced by Hydro's Phoenix, Arizona, plant with carbon fiber poles to create a structural truss system.
Reflecting on the entries, Carter noted: "I was most impressed by both the quality and diversity of the designs submitted. They demonstrated real understanding of the potential of extrusion. We're definitely looking forward to next year's competition, which I trust will be even bigger."
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