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5 Awards and 2 Special Prizes are given by the Jury of the 2008 European Aluminium Award competition for Industrial Design & Engineering. 48 companies with an innovative product that incorporates aluminium were taking part in this year’s European Aluminium Award.  30 entries were nominated in 5 categories.Winning a prestigious prize such as this European Aluminium Award not only recognises your innovative approach to business, but is also an important stimulus that helps to promote your company. The Awards were handed out at the Award Gala during the International World Trade Fair ALUMINIUM 2008, which was held from 23-25 September in Essen (Germany).

From the Jury table
For the European Aluminium Awards 2008 Industrial Design & Engineering the Jury judged 48 entries,  from 10 different countries, all meeting the regulations. All entries were divided into two categories - Consumer Products and Industrial Products - each category subdivided into subcategories, resulting in the following:

Consumer Products
• Design 8 entries,
• Innovation 12 entries, including 3 entries for durability

Industrial Products
• Automotive & Transport 5 entries
• Building & Construction 11 entries
• Mechanical Engineering & Electronics 12 entries, including 6 entries for production technics.

30 Nominees, 7 Winners
Of the 48 entries 30 were nominated for the award. In unanimous decision 5 Awards, 1 Special Prize and 1 overall Jury Prize were given. It is with great pleasure that the jury did observe that the quality of the entries is improving year by year moving up to even higher standards. The market is looking for creative and robust solutions and finds in aluminium and aluminium alloys a versatile metal, meeting the competitive needs of the customer.

In particular environmental issues like weight saving and CO2 reductions make aluminium an obvious material to consider. The overall Jury Prize was therefore awarded to put special emphasis on the environmental and sustainable impact of light-weight constructions and products.

Judging
The independent international jury is headed by Prof. Laurens Katgerman, of the Technical University of Delft. Other jury members come from Germany, England, Italy and Benelux.In principle the products must be designed for mass and serial production. For each category a selection committee compares the entries against the regulations. The nominated entries are then assessed by an independent jury.
The winner of the Aluminium Award receives a sculpture, made of bauxite and aluminium, as well as a certificate.

The international jury consisted of the following persons:
• Prof. Laurens Katgerman, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands (chairman)
• Mr. Elmar Schüller, Vice-President Red Dot, Germany (vice-chairman)
• Ms. Roberta Bordiga, Edimet, Aluminio e Leghe, Italy
• Mr. Eur.Ing. Steve Harmer BSc, The Institute of Materials, United Kingdom
• Mr.Ing. Rein van de Velde, Aluminium Centrum, the Netherlands (secretary)

5 Awards and 2 extra Prizes

The European Aluminium Award 2008 in the category Consumer Products
for Design is awarded to:

Vasco Belgium with the “Bryce Radiator”

Bryce Canyon, well-known for its unique geological rock formations, was the inspiration for the designers of Vasco, when they introduced a new look in domestic heating. The column-shaped structures inspired the VASCO designers to develop a radiator composed of vertical aluminium profiles. This concept causes striking light to reflect in multiple colour variations, depending on their incidental angle.
The use of aluminium in this field, where traditionally steel is being applied, is not easy. But Vasco took the challenge to develop a complete aluminium radiator that can be fully integrated in the interior design. The Bryce is a fully closed radiator with connection points and other awkward elements hidden from the eye with great attention to detail: even the backside is well designed. The embodiment in aluminium allows more efficient heat radiation and at the same time creates an aesthetic exposure. This radiator system is modular allowing for the necessary flexibility. The Bryce radiator is a good example of original and functional use of aluminium.

The European Aluminium Award 2008 in the category Consumer Products
for Innovation is awarded to:

Alurunner Germany with the “Alurunner Sled”

The shape, the X construction of the frame combined with an elegant and innovative design, is for the jury the reason to give this innovation award to Alurunner. The Alurunner is the world's first sled with real shock absorption through an adjustable shock absorber system. It represents a new concept: combining athletic handling and comfort with many high-tech details. Hills and bumps are "ironed out", the driving stability is significantly improved and the risk of crash is equally diminished. Even jumps are possible with the Alurunner. The collapsible aluminium frame allows for space-saving easy storage and transport. Simply push the upper part of the sled with the seat up onto the runners, slide the shock absorbers in the specially made retainers and close both quick-release fasteners toward the front, put on the security cover and the Alurunner is ready for use. The sled can be just as easily collapsed again.
An aluminium claw, which is mounted and centred under the seat, ensures effective and safe braking. By pulling the wide and easy-grip handle, the claw grabs into the ground exactly under the centre of gravity, without influencing the direction of the sled. The brake can be operated with one hand and.

The European Aluminium Award 2008 in the category Industrial Products
for Automotive & Transport is awarded to:

Resqtec Zumro Holland with the “Aircraft Recovery System”

The jury means that elegance is combined with functionality in this lifting system. The use of forged aluminium parts shows the lightness compared to strength in perfect harmony. The parts are nice to touch, and have a smooth surface. Because the lifting system works hydraulically there is no need for electrical contacts in the direct neighbourhood of the aircraft in line with necessary safety regulations.

The European Aluminium Award 2008 in the category Industrial Products
for Building & Construction is awarded to:

Bayards Italy with the “Paliriccione / aluminium stairway”

This building Palariccione is a combination of elegance and industrial use of aluminium. The light weight construction is achieved in a very functional way with a clear focus on design. All the stairs have different dimensions, what makes the production and logistics very complicated. This stairway gives the building a great appearance and is part of the architectural solution in perfect harmony with the glass facade.

The European Aluminium Award 2008 in the category Industrial Products
for Mechanical Engineering & Electronics is awarded to:

Alimex Germany with the “ACP5080 MF Solar Panel”

Alimex produced a highly reflective aluminium surface only by machining, that can be used for solar applications. ACP 5080MF is produced by a special milling technique on dimensions up to 2.000 x 3.300 mm (width x length). The resulting surface has a mirror finish with no requirements for further hand polishing. In the past it was not possible to produce such surfaces at these dimensions only by milling. The overall result also includes a severe cost reduction to produce the surfaces. The process guaranties a consistent surface quality with a surface roughness Ra < 0.1 μm.

A Special Prize for Production Technics in the category Mechanical Engineering & Electronics  is awarded to:

Balco India with the “Aluminium Fuse”

The jury means that the use of aluminium in a fuse in the primary smelting process operation is very efficient. At a normal production plant all the pots in the pot line are connected in series and electrical current is passed through each pot to produce aluminium metal. From the collector bar, current passes through the aluminium bus bars to the next pot in the line. These aluminium bus bars are connected to the next pot raisers by a shorted joint.
To put pots online, insulation plates are inserted at the shorted joints of the raiser to avoid any bypass of current to the next pot. In the non-running pots, current is bypassed to the next pot through shorted joint, when the insulation plates are being removed. To take a pot back into the line, the power of whole pot line is to be switched off to 0 kilo Amps for about 8 min. 
BALCO invented the “Aluminium fuse” whereby 320 kA current could be bypassed to the next pot through the fuse instead of the shorted joint for about ten minutes.As the fuse operation depends on the generation of heat under conditions of excessive current, it is designed to withstand ten minutes of the shortened raiser current safely. So by using the fuse technology, pots can be powered on and off at 320 kA without reducing the power to 0 kA. This is a real invention and the device is implemented in a very creative way.

The Overall Jury Prize European Aluminium Award 2008  is awarded to:

Lotus Engineering UK with the “Evora Aluminium Sports Car Structure”

Lotus provides an automotive structure with a unique approach. They combined adhesive bonding techniques with mechanical joining resulting in innovative and creative solutions. 
The jury considered the design to be very innovative and versatile.  Moreover the design is very courageous, and Lotus took quite a risk building this structure. Lotus used the expertise and know-how in lightweight materials to complete this structure, achieving a low weight and a high structural stiffness and therefore ensuring a major impact on environmental and sustainable performance.
The Overall Jury Prize was this year awarded to Lotus to give special emphasis on the environmental and sustainable impact of light-weight constructons and products as represented in this ‘green sportscar’.

The European Aluminium Award

Designers, manufacturers, builders and constructors could enter into various categories for the 6th European Aluminium Award 2008 Industrial Design & Engineering.
The competition is held every 2 years. The Aluminium Award is given to products or projects in which aluminium has been applied in an innovative manner. An independent jury makes a selection from the nominated entries. Every company that has an aluminium innovation can enter and both industrial and consumer products can take part.

The European Aluminium Award is an initiative of the Dutch Aluminium Centre. For this fifth edition a wider base has been acquired through the support of the European Aluminium Association (EAA), the GDA – the German branch organisation- and Aluminium 2008, the largest trade show in the area of Aluminium in Europe. In addition, the leading companies ALCAN, ALCOA, HYDRO and NOVELIS are now involved as main sponsors of the competition.

More information on the organisation regarding the European Aluminium Award 2008:

Secretariat European Aluminium Award 2008
PO Box 557
8440 AN Heerenveen
Netherlands
E-mail:  artsant@euronet.nl
Fax : +31-(0)513 650260
Attn Mr R.T.J. de Ruijter, project manager