Mobility/Medical goes Additive – The VDI Student Competition

Objective

The objective of the competition is to sensitize students to the theory and practice of solving complex problems in interdisciplinary teams. In this context, the interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial potentials of additive manufacturing in connection with the opportunities and challenges of digitization in the field of mobility and medical technology shall be focused. Hence, it is planned to organize the three-day competition on a regular basis, at different locations within Germany, bringing together student teams from different universities to compete against each other.

By means of a use case from the field of mobility and medical technology, which will be presented to the students with different scientific backgrounds on the first day of the competition, teams will compete with each other using additive manufacturing techniques and currently available digital possibilities. Each team will be judged by taking into account technical, economic and communicative evaluation criteria. Not only the realized result in the form of a new or optimized product plays a role, but also its implementation in the team during the first two competition days and its presentation in front of a jury of experts on the last day. This presentation refers to the product and a business model adapted to the use case. The best three teams will be awarded with valuable prices.

Task

The challenge is to solve a complex task within two days without preparation in interdisciplinary, gender-spanning teams. Evaluation criteria include various technical, economic and communicative aspects of the actual production of a product and its professional performance in front of a top-level panel in English. Thus, during the competition, not only the technical and economic expertise of the team members but also the teamwork and the application of communication skills, project management and problem-solving strategies are crucial.

Teamwork and networking

The purpose of the competition is to improve students' awareness of the opportunities and challenges of additive manufacturing in the context of digital transformation. On the one hand, young talents should be supported by the solution-oriented application of professional and social skills in interdisciplinary, gender-spanning teams and under industry-related conditions. On the other hand, the competition is intended to promote the exchange between the students and networking with representatives of business enterprises from different sectors with two joint evening events.