Proto Challenge for companies

An initiative with the aim of disseminating, training and enabling companies to explore the benefits and techniques of mechanical design with advanced software to improve the performance of the product (or component) and production with additive techniques. 5 teams of young talents in the course of 11 weeks will analyze and redesign 5 products that will be selected from a commission of experts.

The company has to nominate a product or component (metal or plastic) with related challenges and optimisation goals (e.g. lightening, stiffening), and boundary conditions. Over the course of about 11 weeks, a team of young talents will use advanced software to redesign the product and deliver a new 3D CAD to the company.

In just 11 weeks the company obtains an optimized re-design solution (3D CAD) of an owned product, to be possibly prototyped or produced with additive and hybrid techniques, as well as via traditional techniques – yet with lower costs and other benefits. Beyond the output, it is a unique opportunity to develop specialist know-how quickly and at no cost.

All manufacturing or design companies can participate in the PROTO Challenge. To apply a product (element or component) simply fill out the form in all it’s parts. A committee will select the products according to the criteria mentioned in the Notice. We recommend that you carefully read the Notice before applying for a product.

Discover the products and companies that have participated in previous editions of the PROTO Challenge!

All the participants in the PROTO Challenge (Solvers, Mentors and Experts) will sign a confidentiality agreement regarding the selected products, the Challenge and the results produced by the Solver teams during the initiative. This confidentiality restriction remains for two (2) years from the of commencement of the Challenge.