Congratulations to Chris Hatcher for being chosen as one of three national finalists in the High school Engineering Category for the 2009 Extreme Re-design Contest. Hatcher won the judges over with his re-design of a laptop cooling fan. Currently, manufactures are selling general cooling pads for laptops but actual internal temperature of the laptops is hardly affected by these devices.
Hatcher, an Edgewater senior, is enrolled in the Engineering Science and Technology Magnet Program offered at Edgewater and as a lab top user thought that the cooling fan could use a few upgrades.
“My solution was to force airflow throughout the system via cooling fans that are positioned under air flow vents on the laptop” said Hatcher.
Increased efficiently of these fans have developed into three or four identical fans placed under vents that force airflow throughout the system, instead of just cooling the exterior.
Hatcher tested his design on four different laptops that were able to calculate exactly how much the cooling fan improved the internal temperature. It worked and as a result the laptops were 35 percent cooler.
“We were so excited for Chris when he got the news of his results regarding his Laptop Cooling Fan design and prototype,” said Mr. Daniel Linnehan.
To enter, students or teams must submit an STL file of their Extreme Redesign to Dimension along with a completed submission form, including a 200-word description or a 30-second video explaining the value and benefit of the redesign model.
Students in Engineering Technology (E/T) use both SolidWorks-3D and Autodesk Inventor-R3 to make their 3-Dimensional ideas come to life.
Linnehan selected those Level 3 students proficient in 3D CADD Modeling systems to submit their most creative, useful and innovative re-designs to Dimension Headquarters in Minnesota for judging.
As a finalist, Hatcher will be receiving a full scale design of his ABS plastic model printed by a Dimension 3D Printer as well as a $50 Visa gift card.
As a top three finalist, Hatcher has the opportunity to receive a $2,500 scholarship if his design is the winner. As a runner-up he may also receive a $1,000 dollar scholarship. The winner will be announced later this month.