Wim van der Hoek Award 2023 nominees
The Wim van der Hoek Award honours the Dutch doyen of design engineering principles, Wim van der Hoek, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 94, and aims to promote and stimulate the discipline of mechanical engineering.
This year, the jury has received a total of four nominations for students who applied existing or new design principles in their graduation work in an appealing manner. The award includes a certificate, a trophy produced by the Leidse instrumentmakers School and a sum of money (sponsored by the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) EAISI institute). It was presented for the eighteenth time on Thursday 16 November under the auspices of DSPE, during the second day of the Precision Fair in Den Bosch (NL).
The award is presented every year to the person(s) with the best graduation project in mechanical engineering design at a university of technology or university of applied sciences (UAS) in the Netherlands and Belgium. Criteria include the quality of the design, its substantiation and innovativeness, as well as its suitability for use in teaching design principles. This year, the jury, under the presidency of DSPE board member Jos Gunsing (MaromeTech), received four nominations, one of which for a duo project, submitted by the graduation supervisor/professor of each student concerned. The nominations came from Avans UAS in Breda, HU UAS in Utrecht, TU/e and University of Twente (UT).
Coen Foolen, TU/e
Design of a rotary table using air bearings
“Coen investigated the design of a rotary table using air bearings, for potential application in a sample manipulator (50 nm positioning accuracy) in a synchrotron. He performed a thorough error budget analysis, and evaluated several design alternatives. In intensive consultation with specialists, he came up with a good compromise between accuracy, manufacturability, and cost. Coen has shown to be capable of both analysing a mechanical problem on critical aspects, and coming up with a sound mechanical design. He has very good analytical skills, and works quite independently, although he knows how to approach people for relevant input.”
Max Koning, HU UAS
Development of a test machine for properties of 3D-printed soles
“Max not only developed a new design, but also built and tested it, all within 20 weeks. He carried out the assignment very independently and therefore more than met the client’s expectations. Working accurately and carefully, he can determine the design details at the appropriate level while also managing the project well. He is original in coming up with solutions and has an eye for the feasibility of his design choices. Max is (too) modest and curious, makes informed decisions and is able to look at problems from different relevant angles.”
Elwin Vree, HU
Miniature flexure-based goniometer “Elwin pushed the boundaries of flexure-based design by designing, building and testing a small-scale, large-stroke flexure joint, demonstrating a unique combination of a high level of theoretical understanding of flexure design and practical knowhow. He addressed the challenge of limited stroke and parasitic motion by the clever application of three design principles. Notably, he managed to integrate all the mechanical components into a compact 30-mm-cubed package, while using flexure thicknesses that were just on the edge of manufacturing possibilities. His professional design approach led to a product that is nearly ready for the high-precision motion market.”