Direct Acting Wins RIDGID Design Competition

The direct-acting hydraulic system design by Joseph Recht and Nicholas Tierno took first place in RIDGID’s Case Western Reserve University design competition. The contest recognized students’ design and conceptualization of an innovative, compact and lightweight pipe-tubing-pressing method. The winning team received $7,500. Rose Glinka, John Roush and Daniel Shelberg placed second and received $2,500 for their expanding gas design. Eric Diller, Zach Fredin, Sean Knowles, Mike Malguarnera, Geoff Peyton and Russell Smith placed third and received $1,000 for their electric motor and ball-screw design. David Rear received the $500 technical consultation award for his combustion-driven design. Five teams of two to six students with engineering and technical backgrounds were provided with a budget of $2,000 for prototyping, resources and materials. Inventors whose ideas were patented received $500, regardless of their finish in the competition.