Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Finalists nominated for 2010 Swedish Steel Prize

On November 18, 2010, the international Swedish Steel Prize will be awarded. Four companies have been nominated for their high strength steel designs: a Swedish-made bed spring, a German sky lift, a South African truck body, and Australian bucket teeth.

The Swedish Steel Prize is awarded for innovative designs in high strength steel. The aim is to inspire, encourage, and disseminate knowledge about high strength steel and the possibilities for developing lighter, safer, and more environmentally friendly products.

This year's finalists demonstrate great understanding of how high strength steel can be used to improve a product. The 2010 Swedish Steel Prize nominees are:

 

Wranne/Fåhraeus Design AB (Sweden) – Bed spring
Wranne/Fåhraeus Design has developed a new type of bed spring with the help of advanced high strength steel. This solution meets the requirements for comfort, hygiene, cost, and attractive design. The designer uses the elastic properties of the steel in an innovative manner.

BluPoint Pty Ltd (Australia) – Bucket teeth
BluPoint has developed a cost-effective solution for renovating worn teeth of excavators used in large loaders in the mining industry. In this solution, a new tooth tip made of high wear-resistant steel with good weldability is welded to the remaining part of the cast tooth. Since bucket teeth for mining shovels may need to be replaced several times per day, the solution significantly reduces operating expenses.

Ruthmann GmbH & Co KG (Germany) – Sky lift
Ruthmann has used advanced high strength steel in the telescopic boom of a sky lift. The design has increased lift height and load capacity within the total weight limits for light trucks (3.5 tons). The rigidity of the structure is designed to withstand loads, despite a fifty percent reduction of the thickness of the material.

Van Reenen Steel (South Africa) – Truck body
Van Reenen Steel has developed a truck body with more torsional stiffness and impact resistance in a new structure made of steel with high wear resistance and strength. A new bottom profile and rounded corners provide more even wear and faster tipping. The result is longer durability, lower weight, improved environmental performance, and greater productivity.  

The prize will be awarded by SSAB CEO Olof Faxander on November 18 at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm. In addition to a statuette designed by artist Jörg Jeschke, the winner will receive a stipend of SEK 100 000 (approximately USD 14 000).The award ceremony is the culmination of a three-day event in Sweden where hundreds of international representatives from manufacturing and industry will participate in site visits and seminars. SSAB instituted the Swedish Steel Prize in 1999.

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