Proto Challenge 2023 – Selected companies and products

Dana Italia, based in Arco, is the Italian branch of Dana Incorporated, a leader in producing drivetrain systems for industrial and agricultural applications.

The proposed challenge requires component optimization of a steel agricultural axle for parking brake release, with emphasis on the use of alternative materials.

GPALMEC, based in Rovereto, operates in the engineering industry and specializes in the design and implementation of technology serving industrial automation.

The Challenge aims to redesign a system consisting of several coupled hydraulic blocks serving the auxiliary controls of a crawler machine, condensing them into a single block.

NTP, based in Polo Meccatronica – Rovereto (TN), is a company operating in the field of bio- and nanotechnology applied to the medical sector. The solutions developed aim to bring to the market various innovations in the fields of Virology and Digital Pathology, in the processes of detection and prevention of numerous diseases and viruses.

The company brings a challenge that aims to optimize the plastic wiring system that connects a work table moved on two axes to the skeleton of the Nano Eye Device (NED) machine used for the analysis of biological samples.

Valland SpA, founded in 2006, is a company based in Piantedo (SO) that makes tailor-made valves for applications in the energy sector. Since 2016 Valland SpA has been developing and investing in the Additive Manufacturing sector for the design and manufacture of critical components.

The request made for the Challenge concerns the redesign and optimization of a stainless steel manifold for high-pressure hydraulic operation.

Alpitude is a new component brand founded by Andrea Sega of Werking cycles, who founded his custom carbon frame-building company in 2015 after several years of experiments and learning know-how in the composites world. The focus of Alpitude is to offer super-premium products with artisanal quality.

The Challenge consist in theoptimization of a handlebar and its support for road bikes, currently under development and made with in carbon fiber.