SME created the additive manufacturing contest to attract students to the new, exciting, emerging technologies and tools involved. These technologies are already very relevant to industry and companies are looking for a workforce with additive manufacturing/3D printing experience and ability.

DEARBORN, Mich., July 5, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SME, working with Stratasys, sponsored a student additive manufacturing competition at the 52nd annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, June 21-23. The students were evaluated on their abilities and knowledge of additive manufacturing/3D printing processes.

SME created the additive manufacturing contest to attract students to the new, exciting, emerging technologies and tools involved. These technologies are already very relevant to industry and companies are looking for a workforce with additive manufacturing/3D printing experience and ability. The competition helps contestants better understand additive manufacturing applications, and with the support of Stratasys, the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company, students get hands-on experience using the latest 3D printing technology and software.

Twenty-two teams competed in this year's SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition, and six teams walked away with gold, silver and bronze medals for showcasing excellence in the field of digital and additive manufacturing. Prizes for the frontrunners include scholarships from the SME Education Foundation, a MakerBot Mini printer, 3D mouse, and SolidWorks 3D CAD design software.

"The winners of this year's Additive Manufacturing competition represent some of the best and brightest at their schools," said Jeff Krause, CEO of SME. "Additive manufacturing/3D printing is growing rapidly, and the demand for talent in this field continues to outpace the availability of the workforce. Capturing the attention of high school students is key to securing a skilled workforce."

Now in its second year, the SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing competition included two design challenges and a written knowledge exam to evaluate students' general understanding of additive manufacturing technology. Each team designed a trading pin and catapult - printed onsite - to meet contest specifications including 3D print time, size, and material usage. Contestants also participated in a catapult challenge to test their designs for distance and accuracy. After completing the design process and challenge, the teams presented their findings and engineering notebooks to a panel of judges - professionals in the additive manufacturing field.

The National SkillsUSA conference hosted the top 6,000 high school and college students out of 300,000 contestants nationally to the week-long championship event that highlight the capabilities of career and technical education students in their respective fields.

2016 winners of the SME/Stratasys SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition:

High School Teams

College Teams
Gold Medal: Christopher Dagher, Justin Heck
Payette River Technical Academy
Emmett, Idaho

Gold Medal: Kevin L Barger, Michael T McMahon
Sheridan College-Sheridan
Sheridan, Wyoming

Silver Medal: Tommy Tran, Adolfo Diaz
Hastings High School
Hastings, Nebraska

Silver Medal: Collin Goddes, Kyle Brakke
Calhoun Community College
Decatur, Alabama

Bronze Medal: Corey Daly, Joao Vitor Garcia
Assabet Valley Regional Tech High School
Marlborough, Massachusetts
Bronze Medal: John Welborn, Joshua Branch
Wilkes Community College
Wilkesboro, North Carolina