ET Foundation’s 2014 Extrusion Design Competition

Dominic Atibil of Purdue University captured first place, plus a sustainable design honorable mention (a total of $3250 in scholarships), for his “Solarboard” in the ET Foundation’s 2013 International Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition.

The Solarboard is a semi-permanent solar-powered bulletin board for outdoor use in both urban and rural settings. "It harnesses the power of the sun and powers LED lights to illuminate the posters on [the] bulletin board, as well as provides minimal security lighting in the night time," wrote Abitil in his entry materials.

The judges liked the design because of how it incorporates the use of eco-friendly aluminum along with solar power and LED lights. "I can see it on bike paths, in parks, and so on," said Design Competition judge Todd Boyer, Director of Sales and Marketing at Mid-States Aluminum in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

Design Competition inspires creativity and new uses
For designers and engineers, the possibilities are nearly endless when designing with aluminum extrusions. Aluminum profiles can provide the solution to many design challenges — you don’t have to compromise by using standard shapes.

To recognize the best in aluminum extrusion design, the ET Foundation is once again conducting the International Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition. The ET Foundation will be accepting entries from both students currently studying design and engineering, as well as professional designers, engineers, manufacturers, and fabricators for the 2014 International Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition.

Get a glimpse of the 2013 Student winners.

View the 2012 Professional winners.

Note the Professional competition is conducted only on even years, while the Student competition is held annually.

Do you have a great design using aluminum extrusion that you want to enter in the competition? Details regarding the entry deadline, student scholarship and professional cash awards and categories for the 2014 International Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition will be available soon. Visit www.ETFdesign.org for details.