Dear Professors, dear Students
Let us respectfully draw your attention to the first International HILTI Student Challenge, in 2023 Autumn, in Hungary. The event is organized in the joint cooperation of the TEAM Society, the John von Neumann University and the HILTI Tool Ltd.
We are waiting for entrepreneurship, young talents who are open to spend one week at the factory of HILTI TOOL Ltd. in Kecskemét (HU), and solving real, industrial issues in different topics. The main research lines are as following:
- engineering design / production optimization:
- turning tool lifetime optimization (potential solutions for cutting tool life extension);
- investigating alternative surface treatment methods replacing the shot-blasting technology, while maintaining its benefits like surface cleaning and compression stress.
- automation of forging technology to increase efficiency, improve quality, and reduce costs
- sustainability:
- waste cutting oil recycling or reducing (investigating oil life and its influencing factors as well as the possibility of oil recovery from steel scarp);
- environmentally friendly oils and lubricants (investigation of potential solutions for replace petroleum-based oils)
- packaging waste reduction (development of packaging process, increase the utilization of the available paper cutting machine);
- industry 4.0 / smart factory:
- a concept of predictive maintenance system (for evaluate a possible machine malfunction or failure in advance by using sensors’ data and machine learning algorithms);
- using online machine parameters for product qualification (development a system capable for machine parameters monitoring with the aim of concluding the product quality).
All issues will be presented in detail, in person at the opening.
Teams of three students are warmly welcome to apply.
The date of the competition: 6th – 10th of November.
The winners of the competition will be awarded.
You can apply by filling the forms on the following link, until 7th of July :
Application link
Locations
- HILTI TOOL Ltd., Kecskemét (HU): Szent István Ave. 17. Kecskemét, 6000 Hungary
HILTI has greatly evolved since being founded in 1941. Originally it was a small family start-up, and HILTI's innovations and commitment to their partners' success has helped them grow into the trusted global business they are today. The company is still family-owned, with its global headquarters in Schaan in the Principality of Liechtenstein, where Martin Hilti established the company more than 80 years ago.
Their aim is to help sustainably, increase the customers’ productivity and profitability while helping to keep them safer. Each year, the HILTI reinvests resources for further research and development to help provide the costumers with tools and systems to help increase their bottom line. The Kecskemét HILTI factory was founded in 1989, as the top senior West-European company in the city after the regime change. Now HILTI is one of the most popular workplaces among the students involved in the dual training program, and the company is among the fifty most significant companies in the south-east region of the country.
- GAMF Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science of John von Neumann University: Izsáki road 10. Kecskemét, 6000 Hungary
The predecessor of the faculty, the Higher School of Mechanical Engineering, was founded in 1964, and the institution now continues its work as the faculty of John von Neumann University.
Over the last five decades, the institution has undergone a huge evolution. From the initial training of production engineers in mechanical engineering, the faculty now offers undergraduate courses in mechanical engineering, vehicle engineering, computer engineering, and logistics engineering.
In 2012, the faculty – as a pioneer in the country – introduced a dual training model in close cooperation with partner companies, following the German model, which meets the expectations of the economy better than ever before. The “Kecskemét model” has since become a national model.
The faculty has three teaching departments in different disciplines, as well as ten scientific workshops are working on relevant research topics related to engineering. As the regional center for research and development, the faculty has been involved in numerous projects in the fields of equipment and tool design, automation, industrial informatics, applied informatics, materials processing technology, measurement technology, vehicle testing and organizational development in close cooperation with other research institutes and higher education institutions and companies. The faculty has a state-of-the-art, accredited Materials Testing and Measurement Laboratory at the disposal of its partners.
Who are we looking for?
If you study mechanical or computer engineering, this challenge is made for you by default. If you study logistics, technical management or similar studies, you can also find your challenge here, for instance in the topic of sustainability.
University or College student groups of three members can apply for the challenge. One team is entitled for one problem only, but each participating faculty can run separate teams for each of the three topics. Please note that the company supports only one team per faculty (so other teams should be financed by the home faculty).
Both bachelor and master students are welcome. Mentors dedicated from the HILTI company will help the teams during the competition process. At the same time, accompanying lecturers are also welcome, to whom the GAMF Faculty will be able to organize networking events (guest lectures, lab visits, etc.), if it is requested. We would like to ask the accompanying lecturers to please be kind enough to use the Erasmus or the Ceepus scholarships for support.
Some technical details and preliminary program:
The stay and lunches are free for students. The teams only must care about their other daily meals. With regard to traveling, students can enjoy the support of their home faculty. One gala dinner is also organized for Thursday evening.
Preliminary program:
06th of November, Monday: arrival to Kecskemét, accommodation check-in;
07th of November, Tuesday: bus transport to HILTI factory, presenting of the detailed objectives, start of the challenge;
08th of November, Wednesday: bus transport to HILTI factory, developing project solutions;
09th of November, Thursday: bus transport to HILTI factory, developing project solutions, gala dinner;
10th of November, Friday: bus transport to the GAMF Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science at John von Neumann University, presentation of the proposed solutions, closing ceremony.
Contacts:
Academic, professional and organizational questions: Mr. Gábor J. Béres, beres.gabor@nje.hu
Erasmus-related questions: Mrs. Krisztina Marton, marton.krisztina@nje.hu
Ceepus-related questions: Mrs. Tímea Dormán, dorman.timea@nje.hu
Contact of the HILTI-TOOL Ltd. Mr. József Szabó jozsef.szabo@hilti.com