Students of Ecotechnologies in Industrial Process Engineering design and manufacture more sustainable, lighter and stronger all-terrain skateboards.
Students of Ecotechnologies in Industrial Process Engineering design and manufacture more sustainable, lighter and stronger all-terrain skateboards.
Students of Ecotechnologies in Industrial Process Engineering design and manufacture more sustainable, lighter and stronger all-terrain skateboards.
During the end-of-semester project, the students were able to put into practice the knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom. This experience gives them the possibility to face the real challenges of the manufacturing industry that they will face in their future career.
Students of the degree in Industrial Ecotechnologies Engineering (Green Manufacturing) taught at the Galarreta campus in Hernani have been working hard during the last semester. The challenge was to replace the traditional skateboard with an all-terrain skateboard that was, above all, much lighter than its predecessor, more resistant to corrosion and more environmentally sustainable. To do this, they have used materials such as cork and cardboard. With these materials they have managed to design and manufacture a prototype which, after completion, they have decided to put it to the test in Gros, in the Sagüés area, and verify its operation.
During the eight weeks of work, the students have been able to put into practice the knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom. This experience gives them the possibility to face the real challenges of the manufacturing industry that they will face in their future career.
Work process
They have first developed conceptual designs that suit the urban environment and then moved on to selecting the most suitable materials for their boards. The first skateboards are made of maple, birch, cedar and brake wood because of their flexibility, but these boards are complex to manufacture, not very durable and easily damaged by weather conditions. To improve them, the students got down to work and decided to choose composite, light and resistant materials. They opted for a board made of cardboard and cork covered with fibres (flax, glass and/or carbon).
In addition, these future engineers had to make computer simulation models of the boards in order to choose the material and to find out how many layers of it are necessary to meet the specifications required by the teachers, in order to finally manufacture the mountainboard in the most sustainable way possible.
Students from the University of Patras (Greece) and the University of Milan (Italy) have also collaborated in the design, simulation and manufacture of the prototype.