The winners of the 2010 Innovation of the Americas cutting contest were announced at a dinner reception in their honor that took place during the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago. The contest was designed to recognize talented machinists in the metalworking industry; they were acknowledged both in the display of their parts at the DMG / Mori Seiki USA exhibit, as well as at the evening awards event. The 2010 Innovation of the Americas contest was open to any individual, company, school or research institution located in North, Central, and South America that is involved in cutting and is utilizing CNC machine tools. Individuals and companies that desired an opportunity to showcase their creativity and machining expertise and skills were encouraged to participate. All contest participants were invited to attend the announcement of the winners during IMTS. Five professionals from reputable industry organizations and universities, led by Professor Kazuo Yamazaki of the University of California, Davis, judged entries in four categories: Automotive. Aerospace, Die/Mold/Artistic and General/Tool/Toy. The entries represented diverse machining techniques on a range of materials that were submitted from across the Americas. The contest grand prize winners for each category received individual prizes of $2,500 and the second place winners received individual prizes of $1,500. The following is the list of the winners and finalists for each category:

Automotive Parts

Winner - B&H Engineering; San Carlos, CA

Second Place - F&D Machine Company; Troy, MO

Third Place - CP Pistons; Irvine, CA

 

Aerospace Parts

Winner - Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena, CA

Second Place - Gamma Engineering; Mansfield, TX

Third Place - Ronlo Engineering; Camarillo, CA

 

Die/Mold/Artistic Parts

Winner - Biomet Orthopedics PMI; Warsaw, IN

Second Place - Vector Tool & Engineering; Grandview, MO

Third Place - Cidra Precision Services; Wallingford, CT

 

General/Tool/Toy Group

Winner - S. Himmelstein & Co., Hoffman Estates, IL

Second Place - Superior Tooling Products Inc.; Muenster, TX

Third Place - Protomet Corporation; Oak Ridge, TN

Due to the continuing success of the Innovation of the Americas competition, DMG / Mori Seiki USA plans to continue the contest for a fourth competition in 2012.