Danobatgroup recognises future research talent

• The group acknowledges the quality of the design of a precision machine tool for grinding shafts created by students of Tecnun´s Master´s Degree in Industrial Engineering

• The students defended their projects in front of a panel of experts yesterday at an event held at the IDEKO facilities, the driving force behind innovation of the machine tool manufacturer

• These awards are part of a collaboration agreement between the industrial group and Tecnun, which seeks to strengthen ties between the industrial reality and the educational community

As part of its commitment to the training of talent and the educational community, the manufacturer of machine tools and advanced production solutions Danobatgroup has awarded a prize for an innovation project applied to industrial manufacturing, developed by students of the Master´s Degree in Industrial Engineering at the School of Engineering of the University of Navarra Tecnun.

The award went to the team formed by Alejandra Areñas, Lourdes Crespo, Alain Lacunza and Juan Pérez de Iriarte, who presented the design of a precision machine for grinding shafts. The project included the conception, dimensioning and presentation of the solution, in compliance with the requirements set by the industrial group, i.e. a yearly production output of 12,000 shafts, a part loading and unloading facility and integration into an automated manufacturing environment.

In addition to coming up with the design of the solution, the students were responsible for developing the structural parts of the machine and applications focusing on digital manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and artificial intelligence, one of the key evaluation criteria.

The students divided up in several teams presented their projects in front of  the tribunal made up of the TECNUN professor, Mikel Arizmendi, and the IDEKO Precision Design and Engineering Manager, Harkaitz Urreta, at an event held at IDEKO facilities, the driving force behind innovation of the machine tool manufacturer.

The awards are part of a collaboration agreement established between Danobatgroup and Tecnun in 2015, which anticipates that the Master´s students will take on the same technological challenge posed by the industrial group.

In this year´s edition, a total of 56 Master´s students took part, divided into 14 groups. Of these, 4 teams made it to the final and had the opportunity to defend their initiatives yesterday.

Before they initiated investigating their projects, the students were given theoretical and practical training guidance by Danobatgroup and IDEKO experts.

"The aim of our alliance with Tecnun is to strengthen ties with the educational community and bring the knowledge acquired at the University closer to real manufacturing environments. These awards are an opportunity to build on the technical knowledge of the students and enhance skills such as creativity, innovation, research and collaborative work," says Iker Usabiada, Sociam Management Director of Danobatgroup.

About Danobatgroup

With 65 years of experience in the field of technologies applied to industrial manufacturing, Danobatgroup has a staff of over 1,300 highly qualified people. The group is an international benchmark in the sector of machine tools and technologies applied to industrial manufacturing.

About Tecnun

TECNUN, the Engineering College of the University of Navarra in San Sebastian contributes to the vocational, scientific and human education of future engineers. Since its creation in the spring of 1961, it has maintained a balance between teaching, research and service to society, ensuring that these activities complement each other.