While the company is typically engaged with printing things like medical implants, industrial tools, and custom replacement parts, the Hilkene brothers felt the opportunity to host this contest was just too special to pass up. "Having grown up in Kansas City during the 30-year championship drought, we talked about how incredible it was to win the World Series. With our company's unique access to the best plastic and metal printers, hosting a contest just felt right," CEO Cullen Hilkene said.
What the Hilkene brothers didn't anticipate, however, was that the winning submission would come from a high school classroom at Kansas City's Pembroke Hill School.
The team of Samuel Hrabko, Raghav Parikh, and Momin Tahirkheli submitted the winning design, a layer cake concept imbued with a degree of intricacy, detail, and customization that makes it an optimal candidate for 3D Printing. The design features the last name of every player featured on the Royals 25-man roster, to-scale buildings from the Kansas City skyline, and the inscription "Supported by the Fans" encircling the bottom layer. For good measure, figurines of Royals supporters serve as footers for the whole design, holding up the trophy.
"The students absolutely captured the essence of the contest," Cullen Hilkene stated. "Their design really lends itself to industrial grade 3D Printing with all of the great details. It perfectly celebrates the team and the way the community rallied around them."
The students have their teacher, Bill Griffiths, to thank for the opportunity. He learned of the contest through a colleague and decided that it was a project worthy of inclusion in his 3D Printing course curriculum. Asked about directing student efforts toward the project, he stated, "Using class time for the KC Trophy was an easy decision. The students were so excited about the Royals – as was the entire city – that the contest presented the perfect opportunity to incorporate organic student interest into the classroom."
Griffiths went a step further to note the uniquely positive impact that the 3D Printing course had on his students. Designing for successful 3D Printing helped them get comfortable with failure, improved their attention to detail, and most importantly fostered critical thought. "It is a lot of fun as a teacher to observe students thinking outside the box to solve a problem. Often I see four or five different approaches to a given project, and some are quite clever."
As a result of winning, the students will receive $500 in cash and $1,000 in 3D Printing credit for use on www.3Diligent.com. The students were unanimous in their plans for the platform credit: a few side projects and getting something 3D Printed for Pembroke Hill.
Regarding the cash prize, the students were split. Hrabko says he's planning to put his proceeds toward toward building his own computer. Takerheli took his cue from the sporting world: "I'm going to Disney World man!"
3Diligent is the B2B Marketplace for 3D Printing. On 3Diligent's online platform, customers submit Requests For Quote and 3Diligent's network of qualified vendors bid for the job, saving customers time and money while guaranteeing quality. Visit www.3Diligent.com to learn more.
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SOURCE 3Diligent
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