Electrochemical surface polishing of additively manufactured metal parts won the Gold Medal of the Chairman of the Evaluation Committee at Brno‘s International Industrial Fair 2024. The award was received during the gala evening by researcher Daniel Koutný of the Institute of Machine Design, who collaborated with experts from CEITEC on the development of the ONE3D technology. The Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement was awarded to Professor Přemysl Janíček, who works at the Institute of Solid Mechanics, Mechatronics and Biomechanics.

"The ONE3D technology responds to one of the major disadvantages of additive manufacturing of metal parts, which is the surface quality. Because of this, additively manufactured components are below the acceptability threshold in space applications, for example. At the same time, the poor surface quality limits the use of thin-walled and rod structures, which have the potential to improve the utility properties of newly developed components, for example for weight reduction, more efficient heat exchange or tissue ingrowth in the case of biocompatible bone replacements," explained researcher Daniel Koutný, who heads the Department of Reverse Engineering and Additive Technologies at FME.

The award-winning technology thus opens up a very promising method of additive manufacturing of aluminium and stainless steel parts to new areas of application. "Compared to the current commercial offer on the market, by which we mean technologies developed outside the Czech Republic, the main difference is that we use specific shaping of cathodes, including their production technology, which significantly streamlines the process of smoothing the surface of components with a complex shape. Thanks to this, our technology is more cost-effective and acceptable for the end customer compared to the costs of rival smoothing processes," adds Koutný, adding that the electrochemical process was also designed with regard to the use of the least toxic chemicals possible and works without the use of hydrofluoric acid, which makes disposal of production waste cheaper and more environmentally friendly.

Recognition of lifelong work

An important award in the form of a Gold Medal for lifelong creative technical work and innovative achievements was awarded this year to Professor Přemysl Janíček of the Institute of Solid Mechanics, Mechatronics and Biomechanics of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Brno University of Technology.

Přemysl Janíček was born in 1935 in western Slovakia. After graduating from the Bratislava University of Technology, he worked at První Brněnská Strojírna in the field of expansion and special turbines. In 1970, he joined the then Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Brno University of Technology. "During his active scientific and pedagogical activities, he fully understood what the rise of computer technology and computer support was bringing. Subsequently, together with Professor Emanuel Ondráček, they developed the Czech school of systems approach and systematic engineering used for an original approach to problem-solving. Professor Janíček is one of the most important Czech-Slovak professors," the organizers said in the profile of the award-winning colleague.

Congratulations to all awardees!