And the Winner is...

Adria Portero, Marina Belinchon, and Oriol Gomez from Elisava Barcelona School of Design and Engineering in Spain amazed us with their redesign of a Triple Clamp on a high-performance motorcycle. If you have been keeping up with the contest winners, Elisava should sound familiar with two previous winners hailing from their hallowed halls. Their complex optimization was able to develop a new, optimized triple clamp that was a fantastic 53% reduction in mass while maintaining a respectable 1.6x factor of safety and a mere 0.33mm displacement. Inspire and Elisava have done it again with an incredibly safe and beautiful design that might just be gracing the front of motorcycles to come. Congrats again to the team and to Elisava!

Filipe Moises Rodrigues from the Universidade Federal de São João Del Rei in Brazil, went over and above, quite literally, in his optimization of the spars in a model aircraft wing. Filipe took results from a fluid analysis of the wing to carefully map out the appropriate pressures on the wing and used that information to develop an amazing optimization. Inspire provided Filipe with a design that was optimized down to a single part that he could easily 3D print and was actually stronger than the original. This drastically decreased the complexity of the wing reducing the wing support from 30 parts down to 1 while increasing the factor of safety over 4 times. Way to go Filipe the future of aircraft design is going to be safe in your hands!

Chúc Anh, Hai Duong, Danh Nam, and Duc Thang from the Hanoi University of Science and Technology in Vietnam, used Inspire to optimize a Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) - yes, we had to Google this too ;) - which is the joint that connects the lower jaw to the skull. TMJ issues can affect up to 20% of the population, causing difficulty moving the jaw and tremendous pain, so coming up with an optimized replacement is very important. The team loaded their model with numerous forces and set Inspire to the task of developing a lightweight titanium design for the replacement TMJ. Their new design met all their specifications and was an incredible 45% lighter. Great work team!

Linhan Sheng and her team from Dalian Minzu University in China took to the air in their optimization project. They used Inspire to create a drone body. Drones need to be very lightweight but have to be strong to maintain stability. Linhan took an incredible 43% of mass out of their frame. This results in a drone that is capable of longer flight, can support greater payloads and is cheaper to manufacture. Linhan stated, “During the optimization process, the Altair Inspire Software could realize the optimization data more quickly and carry out rapid design iterations.” We at Altair are happy to help and thrilled with your amazing work. Keep it up!

Mariona Figueras and Cristina Rovira from Elisava Barcelona School of Design in Spain stayed grounded with their optimization project this month. With their “Aeroflex” putter they sought to bring an advantage to the millions of people who regularly chase that little white ball across the “links”. Mariona and Cristina used Altair Inspire and its incredible lattice optimization capabilities to create a new putter that was not only an astounding 43% lighter but also maintained the stiffness needed to accurately put the ball in the cup every time. I would not be surprised if Nike or Callaway were rushing to their phones to talk to you about this incredible and beautiful design. Amazing work!

Jesús Rodrigo Pérez Delgado, from the Instituto Politecnico Nacional in Mexico took his optimization ambitions to the edge of space this month. In his amazing project, Jesús looked at a “can sat” that would be launched and then retrieved. Weight is of course everything in something you need to put in the air, but critical parts cannot fail. Jesús wanted to lightweight a critical part that connected to the parachute, vital to bringing the can sat back to the ground. He took close to 70% of the mass out of the part but kept stress and deformation within the goal. Way to go Jesús your can sat looks amazing.

Madu Chukwuemeka of the University of Benin in Nigeria realized that just about everywhere you look, there is potential for weight savings. Madu picked a Hydraulic Jack as his target for optimization. Anyone who has ever changed a tire knows those jacks can weigh A LOT, but safety is critical as a failure could mean damage to the vehicle or worse, the person working on the vehicle. Using Altair Inspire, Madu reduced the mass of the jack by an incredible 50% while keeping a safety factor that guarantees it will not fail. Madu, great work, your success is really “uplifting”!

Shruti Patil, Viraj Patil, Abhinav Wani, and Shreya Mali from Team Ayodhya of Rajarambapu Institute of Technology in India decided to go with a Rocker Arm for their optimization. The team modeled up the rocker arm as well as important parts of the frame in Altair Inspire and set about to see if they could improve it. After finding the current design had a factor of safety well beyond what was needed, they put Inspire to work. Following a creative setup and a quick analysis, they had their new design which came in at an astounding 84% reduction in mass. That’s not a typo, under their guidance, Inspire reduced the material usage by 84% and still maintained a respectable 1.7x factor of safety. Team Ayodhya you might just have a record there. Way to go and congratulations!

Finn Witt of Washington University in St. Louis went for a practical design solution. He took a tool, we are all familiar with, an Open-End Wrench. We have all used them and they can get a bit weighty, especially if they are used all day long, day in and day out. Finn went through several iterations, eliminating non-practical designs, and took advantage of strategic Non-Design Space placement to settle on a great design that was 63% lighter but still had an amazing 5.2x safety factor. Way to go Finn, better get Craftsmen on your speed dial!

Ulises Maldonado López from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico City chose a part from his Shell Eco-Marathon Car to optimize for the contest. In case you are not familiar with the competition, these amazing cars can go hundreds of miles per gallon so weight savings are critical. His Transmission Pulley was a challenging part to optimize, and he took advantage of cyclic symmetry, an advanced tool in Inspire, to make sure his pulley was not only lightweight but properly balanced to rotate smoothly and safely. His new design was a stunning 54% lighter while maintaining a great factor of safety. Great work Ulises and we are happy Inspire improved your car’s fuel efficiency.

Ezekiel Iferia from the University of Benin in Nigeria is no stranger to the Altair Student Contest and continues to provide amazing submissions. This month he went to the skies deciding to optimize a Front Landing Gear Fork for a Cessna Airplane. He knows that less weight on an aircraft means better fuel efficiency resulting in longer range and fewer emissions. His Inspire skills did not let him down, taking 35% of the mass out of the fork yet maintaining structural requirements and a really cool-looking design (he even photo-rendered it!). We can’t wait to see what’s next Ezekiel.

Nguyễn Vĩnh Khang, representing the AITB Team from HCMC University of Technology and Education in Vietnam, showed us how his team improved the design of a Motorcycle Swing Arm. They did an amazing job on a critical motorcycle part that was a perfect choice for Inspire to lightweight while keeping it safe. In their own words “[…] our core mission is to show people what could we do with Altair” and “ […] with Inspire, optimization isn't complicated anymore.” Well, you certainly proved that making a reduction in mass of an incredible 55% can look easy. Way to go Team AITB, keep those incredible designs coming!

Rohit Patil of Team Chanakya from Rajarambapu Institute of Technology in India tackled an Airplane Flap Actuator Bracket for their project. Team Chanakya did an excellent job walking us through their very through, step-by-step process of using inspire to analyze this bracket. Their process was flawless and in the end dropped a stunning 77% of the mass while making a part that was still able to meet their design requirements. Awesome work Team Chanakya, you are optimization rockstars!

Robert Adams of the University of Michigan BAJA team has done it again. This time he showed off his amazing optimization work on a Shifter Mount. Robert realized that every ounce counts in competition and even a part like a shifter mount can be optimized, making it strong, 36% lighter, and dropping that overall vehicle mass even more. Way to go Robert!

Ripfumelo Godie, from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg South Africa, really went out of his way to show how to win this contest. He optimized a Hydraulic scissor hoist Bracket actually designing it in Inspire and then putting it into Inspire Motion and letting the motion drive the optimization, reducing the mass by 50.8%. That’s doing it right Ripfumelo! BUT he didn’t stop there, then he made it polynurbs and even photo rendered it in Altair Theo. Amazing Job Ripfumelo!

Robert Adams from the University of Michigan in the United States drew upon his extensive experience on the UofM Baja Team to find a great optimization opportunity. Robert saw that the steering mount was an ideal part of weight-reducing optimization. After some self-described “chicken scratches” Robert developed an appropriate loading scenario and put Inspire to work. In the end, Robert and Inspire reduced the mass by an incredible 40.4% all while maintaining strength and stiffness requirements. The University of Michigan has a long and successful history in SAE's Baja Competition and its successes are in part due to innovations like Robert found with Inspire. Way to go, Robert, well see you and your vehicle in the spring.

Kaushik Shirsat and Sachi Takalkar of COEP Technological University in India looked at the Brake Caliper of their ATV and saw the perfect opportunity to optimize their vehicle. Using Altair Inspire they took the current design and easily converted it into a design space ready to optimize while keeping their critical mounting areas safe. Their work in Inspire yielded a caliper that was a stunning 74% lighter while still maintaining their required factor of safety. As an added bonus the part was quite beautiful and will undoubtedly turn some heads as it stops their ATV. Well Done!

Ahmet Emir Sariboga of the Middle East Technical University in Turkey looked up for inspiration for his contest entry, and we mean WAY up. Ahmet wanted to tackle the challenging task of supporting a space telescope mirror. Inspire was up to the task and allowed Ahmet to design a robust support structure that was an amazing 50% lighter. In a situation where it can cost a thousand dollars per pound to launch an object into space and an engineering failure can cost billions, weight and reliability are everything. Ahmet nailed both with his design and if NASA is watching maybe a future space telescope will carry his designs.

Parthesun from Sai Ram Engineering College in India saw an opportunity to improve their competitive vehicle design by optimizing their wheel hub. Inspire was the perfect tool for this task and he and his team put it to the test. In the end, they developed a great new design that met their structural requirements and yet reduced the mass by 76%. Way to go, Parthesun! We’re sure this new design will help you do great in your next competition.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Ezekiel Iferia from the University of Benin in Nigeria looked to his past for inspiration for his optimization submission. There he found a very unlikely candidate for optimization, a C Clamp.  While most would accept this age-old design, Ezekiel felt it was too heavy and inconvenient for artisans and wood/metal workers. He put Inspire to the test and did not disappoint. Ezekiel developed a great new C-Clamp design that was a stunning 82% lighter but still had only miniscule deformation. Great work Ezekiel, I am sure 100’s relieved woodworkers will be thanking you one day!!!

Lorenzo Gaglio from Woodhaven High School in Michigan US had a problem: He has an awesome laser engraver, but he needed new legs to provide stability and increase the volume he could engrave. He knew that Inspire was the perfect tool to help him create the best part while using the least amount of 3D printer filament as possible. What he came up with were perfect legs for his engraver, reducing weight/filament usage by over 62%, and a new developing marketable skill that he can use in college and professionally. Way to go Lorenzo and we at Altair LOVE the Altair Logo you engraved to show off your new supports!

David Galvis from the Universidad de La Sabana in Columbia took his passion for robotics to the next level with a little help from Altair Inspire. David decided to tackle a job that utilized some of Inspire’s more advanced features. David showed us the power of coupling the motion and optimization capabilities to take an amazing 57% of the mass out of the arm of his robot making it lighter so it could move faster and move around a heavier payload. Way to go David you pushed Inspire and it came through for you!!

Luca Sutton from the Technical University of Munich in Germany used Altair Inspire to create an Ultra-Light Suspension System for the TUFast ECO Car.  First, they used Inspire’s Motion tools to develop accurate road loads that they then applied to an optimization on 5 TOTAL PARTS resulting in a net weight reduction of 47% across the entire suspension.  They even managed to maintain a 1.3x factor of safety so they know that suspension will survive the competition and beyond.  They compete in the Shell Eco Marathon where the best designed cars can reach 100’s of miles to the gallon, so weight and reliability are everything.  Way to go TUFast, your goal of a First Place Trophy is in reach!!!                                                                                                                                                

Pranav Bansal and Dhruv Prasher from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology in India chose to show us the great work they did on a Front Hub from their team’s Formula Race Car.  The two of them set up some detailed design spaces and not only optimized their hub but then went the next step to use Inspire’s Polynurbs tool to create a beautiful and functional design.  Their optimized design reduced the Hub’s mass by an incredible 61.3% while maintaining a respectable factor of safety.  There is no doubt that car is going to be a force to reckon with in the 2024 FSAE competitions, way to go!!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Claudia, Joaquim, and Alicia from the University of ELISAVA in Spain, imagined what the future of Tennis Rackets might look like.   They used Altair Inspire to help them on this quest and in the process actually Reimagined one that was bigger, lighter, and stiffer. They designed the racket of the future that was 30% lighter weight and utilized an amazing lattice structure.  Wimbledon, keep your eye on these three!!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

A wise Jedi once said, “Do or Do not, there is no try”  Well Andrew Furlotte, an upcoming freshman at the University of Michigan in the United States, listened to these wise words and created a strong, lightweight, and beautiful stand for his lightsaber to be displayed on.  Using Altair Inspire, Andrew optimized his design reducing the mass by 40% saving pricey filament, and reducing printing time.  The force is strong with this optimization rockstar Jedi!!                                                                                                                              

Sripaad Mahankali of IIITD&M Kancheepuram in India, has developed an interest in robotic design and is working on a rescue robot for disaster response.  He used Altair Inspire to help him design a “snake” robotic arm that has to be as light as possible but 100% reliable when lives are on the line.  His work resulted in an AMAZING 72% reduction in mass and cutting an incredible 2.5 hours off the printing time.  We all hope the future is disaster free but if there is one, Sripaad’s rescue robot will be out front saving lives!!!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Vanessa Rupp and Lena Grabherr, of Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University in Germany took the contest to a new creative level.  Wanting to relax after a hard day of school they envisioned a table where they could set their beers and still access the case for the next one.  Altair Hyperworks took the imagined rough design, modelled from milk crates, and developed an optimized shape that was not only strong and light, but artistic as well.  Enjoy those beers, you earned them!                                                                                           

Nguyen Huu Nghia from the Vietnamese German University in Vietnam, heard us ask students to optimize something that was important to them and he took that to heart.  He modeled the front lower control arm from his own car and came up with an optimized design that would do the engineers at Toyota proud.  He reduced the mass of his control arm by an amazing 50% while maintaining a good factor of safety.  Nguyen said, “I love this design so much, it looks like art” and we couldn’t agree more.  Way to go it’s a safe and beautiful design!

Colin Dagg of International Academy West in Michigan USA, was tasked with helping his FIRST robotics team, The HOT Team #67, create a strong support for their intake assembly support, but make it as light as possible.  Colin was able to use Altair Inspire to take over 70% of the weight of the part out while still maintaining a 3x factor of safety.  Way to go!! Colin, with work like that it’s no surprise the HOT team went to the World Championship and won the coveted GM Industrial Design Award!! Congrats!                                                                                                     

Team Bishma from the Rajarambapu Institute of Technology grabbed the first prize in the APAC region with their optimization of a Steering Knuckle using Altair Inspire.  The team saw a mass reduction of 50% over the original design while maintaining the required safety factors.  Team Bishma even used the polynurb function to create a manufacturable geometry right there in Inspire.  Way to go Team Bishma we loved your great high-tech video as well.                                                                                                       

Luca Bauer from the Technical University of Munich in Germany took a unique approach to optimizing the drag on a vehicle using the Altair Virtual Wind Tunnel.  Luca went through 15 different vehicle cross-sections before finalizing the design which resulted in an amazing 46% reduction in drag.  Congratulations Luca we can't wait to start saving gas money with your cool designs!

Team Unifei from the Universidade Federal de Itajubá in Brazil took first prize in the Americas region with their use of Altair Inspire to reduce the mass of a support bracket.  They successfully reduced the mass by over 50% while still maintaining a 1.5X safety factor. Great Job team Unifei you really highlighted the power of Inspire!