Winners of the 2013 PneuDrive competition officially received their certificates at a special awards ceremony hosted in Johannesburg by the event sponsors and organisers – SEW-Eurodrive and Pneumax.
The aim of the PneuDrive competition is to provide mechanical, electrical and mechatronic engineering students with the opportunity to combine engineering theory with the latest drive engineering and pneumatics technology, while solving business problems in a controlled environment where they gain real world experience.
The theme for the 2013 challenge was greener mining. The two-man team from Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) won with their Waste Granite to Cobble Machine, designed for breaking large pieces of granite in abandoned mines and converting them to cobbles, which could be used to pave dirt roads and improve living standards in impoverished communities.
SEW-Eurodrive general manager marketing and communications, Rene Rose, states that the winners received a 10 day all expenses paid trip to Germany and Italy where they were hosted by the head offices of the sponsor companies. “Furthermore, CPUT also receives R100 000 worth of products from SEW-Eurodrive and Pneumax, while each participating university is entitled to R40 000 worth of products for completing the competition.”
Competing CPUT student Gareth Hardman notes that the project required dedication and hard work. “One of the toughest aspects of this project was committing a lot of time and effort to a prototype, only to realise you’ve hit a dead-end and you can’t go any further. You have to learn from it and in some cases start again from the beginning.”
His partner, Christian Mpiana, observes that he had to overcome several challenges while working on the Waste Granite to Cobble Machine. “The toughest challenges included time management and staying objective when working on an idea. In terms of the learning process, it is good to question yourself before making decisions.”
CPUT Engineering Project and Innovation Centre manager Francois Hoffman guided Hardman and Mpiana through this project, which he believes was a valuable learning experience for his students. “There is that light bulb moment where you realise that you’ve been asking the wrong questions and trying to solve the wrong problem. You have to flip the problem on its head. It is not the solution that is the problem, but the problem itself.”
He adds that Hardman and Mpiana were struggling to move the granite block from station to station in their design, before realising that they didn’t need to move the block, rather the machine could move while the block remained stationary. Hardman and Mpiana agree that the PneuDrive competition was a rewarding experience that has placed them in good standing for the future.
A briefing session was held at SEW-Eurodrive’s Johannesburg head office in January to receive feedback from the 2013 challenge and to announce the theme for 2014 – green warehousing logistics.
Rose explains: “The sponsors of the 2014 competition, SEW-Eurodrive and Pneumax, recognise the importance of partnering with higher education institutions to help address the enormous pressures that they are under, and to prepare skilled engineering students for the labour market. The 2014 competition aims to bridge that gap.”
One of the lecturers in attendance commented that the PneuDrive competition can be easily incorporated into his third year design course. “This year, I am in a good position to incorporate the competition into the course, because one of the course requirements is a team project and the competition can work perfectly to fulfil that requirement.”
Pneumax managing director Adrian Buddingh reveals that there are numerous steps in place to assist the students with the competition, which commences with a road-show that clearly defines the rules, processes, theme and benefits of submitting an entry.
“Past experience has taught us that there are gaps between the learning and working experience of engineering students. In order to address this situation, workshops have been arranged to ensure that students not only gain exposure to products, but can also meet with experienced engineering experts to receive feedback on their design proposals,” he states.
In addition to the road-show and workshops, there is also information on the competition website, www.pneudrive.co.za, which serves as an information portal for competing students. It includes comprehensive information on the rules and guidelines, documentation and presentation templates, past entries, as well as access to product information and support.
For more information contact Renee Rose, SEW-Eurodrive, +27 (0)11 248 7000, rrose@sew.co.za, www.sew.co.za
| Tel: | +27 11 248 7000 |
| Email: | info@sew.co.za |
| www: | www.sew-eurodrive.co.za |
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