Second Techathon in Münsterland a complete success: Seven challenges at two universities

Students solve real-life business problems

Another problem on Monday, the solution on Friday: at the second Techathon in the Münsterland region, students at the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences in Bocholt and in the MakerSpace of Münster University of Applied Sciences in Steinfurt encountered entrepreneurial problems. The students demonstrated their skills and creativity in seven challenges during the week-long ideas competition last week. The tasks set by the companies ranged from optimising quality control in production to developing a gripper for fruit and vegetables to further developing the seating in the Bundestag.

In Bocholt, an interdisciplinary team had formed: Four students from the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences from the departments of bionics, mechatronics and industrial engineering took on the challenge of the family-owned company Pieron from Bocholt: clamping rings, which come from production as so-called bulk material in loose form, have to be transported to the testing facility for quality control. The problem: for optimum performance of the testing system, the rings must be fed into the system individually and one after the other. Otherwise, the sensor system of the testing system cannot detect the clamping rings and rejects them as defective.

Technology scout Christopher Langner accompanied the Techathon on site in Bocholt: "On the first day, the students got an overview of the challenge and immediately started brainstorming. By the second day, the group had already decided on a solution concept." The students produced initial sketches and models. The 3D printer then produced the prototype until late at night. The students' solution is a turnstile that separates and clocks the rings. The group presented the turnstile, including the motor, to those responsible at Pieron GmbH at the final event last Friday. Jonas Loskamp, a fifth-semester mechatronics student, is happy about his team's success: "I had a lot of fun working on the real problem. The Techathon is also a super chance to get in touch with companies and make a good impression with voluntary work."

In Steinfurt at the MakerSpace of Münster University of Applied Sciences, one of the tasks was to further develop the chair guide system for plenary halls for the company Trendelkamp Technologie GmbH from Nordwalde. The seats automatically return to the table after standing up and are used in the German Bundestag, for example. The challenge: to develop a mechanism that makes it possible to move sideways with the chair. For this purpose, the student team presented an initially 3D-printed swivel arm with gears. "We hadn't thought of this approach before. The details still need to be worked out, of course, but I see real potential in the idea," said Managing Director Josef Trendelkamp at the final presentation at the Steinfurt campus.

The initiator of the Münsterland-wide Techathon is the Enabling Networks Münsterland project, which promotes networking and exchange between companies and universities with various measures in the field of technology scouting. The challenges for the competition were organised in cooperation with Münster University of Applied Sciences, TAFH Münster GmbH, MakerSpace and Westfälische Hochschule. "The Techathon has now proven itself for the second time as a format for intensive exchange between companies and students and, in our view, has great potential," says Bernd Büdding, project manager of the Enabling Networks Münsterland project at Münsterland e.V.

More about Enabling Networks Münsterland

As a regional network initiative and successor project to Enabling Innovation Münsterland, Enabling Networks Münsterland supports companies and universities in Münsterland in developing innovations, implementing them and finding the right partners for the project. The project consists of two packages of measures: The Münsterland think tanks and technology scouting. The five think tanks bring together representatives from companies, research and regional networks to develop ideas, initiatives and future models for specific topics. The second component is technology scouting. This creates special technology knowledge with which companies, research institutions and competence centres can be even better networked.
The project network with Münsterland e.V. as lead partner consists of the business development agencies of the Münsterland districts and the Münster Technology Promotion Agency as well as the transfer offices of the regional universities and five specialised institutions that drive innovation in their sectors. The project is funded by the European Union and the NRW Ministry of Economics as part of the ERDF call "Regio.NRW".

www.muensterland.com/enabling