Support for young talents

The promotion of young talent is an integral part of Norelem's corporate philosophy. Once again, this is demonstrated by two current student projects with which Norelem supports the 3D printing of fiber-reinforced polymers and the development of a high-speed transport system.

The systematic communication of topics relevant to mechanical engineering is the goal and task of the Norelem Academy. The formats for passing on know-how include product training on standard parts as well as technical training on a wide variety of design topics. At the same time, the Norelem Academy implements a pillar of the corporate philosophy with the targeted promotion of young talent. An important part of this is the promotion of school and student projects, for which Norelem provides components free of charge - including advice from Norelem experts.

Strengthening innovative technologies

Two projects that Norelem has recently sponsored are "FiberFusion" and "Hyperloop". FiberFusion is a two-semester project at ETH Zurich that aims to develop an additive manufacturing process and implement it with high precision as continuous 3D printing of fiber-reinforced polymers. For this purpose, Norelem provided the project team with a number of components. These included housing bearing units made of stainless steel and gray cast iron that accommodate shafts and enable rotation with little resistance, sliding tension rollers that guarantee a force-fit connection of the belt drive, tensioning sets that ensure proper tensioning of the fibers, and plain bearings for smooth and low-resistance rotation of the fiber rollers. Simple and safe installation is possible thanks to the combination of angle fitting and ball socket. The pivot point of the gas spring is mounted on a ball, so that twisting is possible during opening and closing. The gas spring thus makes it easy to open and close the hood.

Another project with which Norelem supports innovative technology is the development and optimization of a high-speed transport system based on the Hyperloop principle. Around 60 students from the interdisciplinary "mu-zero Hyperloop" group first developed the prototype of a transport capsule including a novel drive system. In a second step, a new team further developed the transport capsule driven by a linear induction motor and optimized it for higher speeds.

Norelem supported the Hyperloop projects with, among other things, keys that positively connect wheels and shafts and thus prevent them from rotating. Circlips secured wheels and bearings in the axial direction, and dowel pins facilitated precise positioning and assembly of the various assemblies. Damping elastomer springs decoupled the magnets from the rest of the structure and connected them to the retaining plates by means of threaded rods, thus ensuring trouble-free operation. 

This year, this support goes into the next round with another new team.