The European Alliance for SMC BMC is proud to announce the winner of the 4th edition of the SMC BMC Design Award. Floris de Groot of Technical University Delft received the Gold Award for his winning Quiet Cover design during the award ceremony at JEC World 2024.
SMC and BMC are composite materials ideal for making light, and intricate parts that combine structural performance with a smooth surface finish. For that reason, SMC and BMC are increasingly used in a broad range of end-use applications and markets.
Design competition
The European Alliance for SMC BMC organized the 4th edition of its well-known design competition, seeking ideas and proposals for applying these versatile materials. The theme of this edition was “On the Move” – SMC solutions for Public transport and Future Mobility. How to travel better and faster, how to create a joyful travel experience through novel products and solutions, how to significantly reduce environmental footprint and increase travel security with ever increasing numbers of travelers?
The innovations entered into the SMC BMC Design Award were judged by an independent Jury with expert members from both the Design community and the Composites industry. It consisted of Ismael Bavandi (Chief Designer Interiors at Alstom), Eduardo de la Guerra Ochoa (Structural Engineer and Project Manager at Talgo), Joan Montobbio (Chairman SMC BMC Alliance, Managing Director Menzolit Spain and Menzolit UK).
Award Ceremony
During the award ceremony at JEC World 2024, Floris de Groot of Technical University Delft (Netherlands) received the Gold Award for his winning Quiet Cover design, enabling high speed train passengers to have privacy and a more comfortable journey. The Jury thought it was a great concept, very well documented and with a clear rationale. It would attract more people into trains, and is feasible in SMC.
“We envision this application can be made in SMC and become commercial”, commented Joan Montobbio, Chairman of the Jury. “We very much liked the detail of the design process, including the design philosophy and drivers. Also we liked very much the marketability and relevance to travelers. So congratulations to Floris!”
The Silver Award went to a design team of ESAD Oporto (Portugal) consisting of Mariana Rodrigues, João Santos, and Juliana França. Their novel The Platform seating design for train and metro platforms was very attractive and versatile, durable, and through its modularity allowing for easy cleaning and repair.
Karlijn van den Bos Technical University Delft (Netherlands), received the Bronze Award for her RampLite train access ramp, addressing a clear need in making travel in public transport more inclusive. The Jury said it was easy to use by fellow travelers, also at stations with limited railway personnel, easy to retrofit on existing trains, and feasible in SMC.
Follow up
The Alliance will support the winners in fine-tuning their designs, improving part manufacturing-ability and business plans, and in bringing their innovations to market. Dedicated workshops are being planned with the finalists later this year.
Picture on top (© JEC)
From left to right: Eduardo de la Guerra Ochoa (Jury, Talgo), Karlijn van den Bos, Floris de Groot, Mariana Rodrigues, Juliana França, Joan Montobbio (Jury, Menzolit), João Santos, Thomas Wegman (AOC, SMC BMC Alliance).
European Alliance for SMC BMC
The European Alliance for SMC BMC is an industry association of European companies involved in SMC and BMC technology, promoting the benefits of SMC BMC composite solutions through:
- Connecting key stakeholders in the supply chain
- Providing details on typical end-uses
- Explaining the features and associated benefits
- Making available design information to engineers and designs
- Facilitating the information exchange at selected events
More information about the European Alliance for SMC BMC on https://smcbmc-europe.org/.
The European Alliance is an association operating under the umbrella of EuCIA in Brussels, Belgium.
Media contact
Thomas Wegman
Phone: +31 6 8364 2884
Email: info@smcbmc-europe.org/ thomas.wegman@aocformulations.com
