The 1st Edition of DEM Industry Day took place on Wednesday, April 13th. The initiative, organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering (DEM), at the Abreu Faro Amphitheater, had several initiatives that ensured a busy and productive day for all the participants.

The event started with the opening and welcome message of the President of Técnico, Professor Rogério Colaço, who addressed the importance of an event with a program “that brings the entire university value chain for discussion”. He also said that a “university that does research, development and produces knowledge, produces technology, can only do so and can only fulfill its mission by being permanently permeable with what are the needs of the economy, business and society”, he said.

The program began with a presentation of DEM, by the voice of Professor Pedro Coelho, who presented the department, talking about the facts and statistics regarding the undergraduate, master and doctoral students, the structure of the DEM, the courses it covers and the investigation centers and research areas.

Next, the importance of the partnership between Técnico and the companies was explained by the engineer Andrea Costigliola, in this case, taking by example the Hovione. There are more than 100 employees with doctorates in the most diverse areas of the company, as well as master’s and graduates. Then, Professor João Miguel Sousa reinforced the importance of these partnerships for Técnico.

Minutes later, the event brought to the stage 3 engineers who recently finished their training cycles in Técnico, with the presentation of two master’s theses. The engineer Manuel Vicente presented the thesis “SETUP 4.0 – Assistance to the procedure and time recording of the setup” that he carried out in partnership with The Navigator Company and which focuses on “processes in which there is an exchange of tools, parts or programs of a machine or equipment” and, therefore, it’s something critical for companies because they are tasks of unadded value that require the stopping of the equipment and of the production, as well.

After that, the engineer Tomás Murcela followed with the presentation of the thesis “Condensation in Intercoolers”, in collaboration with João de Deus & Filhos, S.A. (JDEUS), work that emerged after the automobile industry reported condensation problems due to excessive efficiency in the Intercoolers (whose function is to reduce the air temperature), which, not happening, can lead to the transfer of water to the engine, which may cause damage to the vehicles.

Finally, Dr. João Pragana made the presentation of a component of his doctoral work, which was the “Hybrid additive manufacture of commemorative coins” together with the National Press-Mint (INCM) to overcome the limitations inherent in the so-called conventional additive manufacture, such as parts with low precision, high cost of equipment, etc., allowing to create “highly complex coins with intricate details” and custom cylinders for coin production.

In an interview, Professor Paulo Peças, responsible for the interface with the industry of DEM, declared that the impact of these initiatives occurs at all levels, given that “Tecnico are the students. Companies hire students. And that’s why it makes sense for students to know companies very well. Everything that is related to laboratories and research has to come through a competitive budget. It means, they have to be co-financed projects or contracts made with companies. If companies are also interested in development, this aid for both technological and structural development of Técnico is essential, and the involvement of companies is also essential.”

After the coffee break Dr. Carla Patrocínio, coordinator for the Technology Transfer Area (TT), made a presentation about the mechanisms of collaboration between Técnico and the companies and a brief presentation of the research units associated with DEM. Several companies made their presentations, by sharing their opportunities for collaboration in partnership with Técnico.

Outside the building, it was possible to see some examples of prototypes developed by students of Técnico who explained that they “aim to apply the knowledge” acquired in the classes, “in order to have more contact with reality, not only the industry, as well as apply the technology that is available, the Team Leader of Formula Student Tecnico Lisboa (FST Lisboa) Pedro Oliveira said. Eduarda David, student and member of the student center of the Mobile Energy Sustainability Project (PSEM) recorded the importance of these events since the students of Técnico have the possibility to participate in the Green Power Challenge competition, which makes races in Spain and England, and the team was able to win every year the title of the best engineering project, Siemens Engineering and Design Award.

The 1st Edition of DEM Industry Day ended with a visit to DEM laboratories, for a demonstration of those that are the real capabilities of the research centers. The promise of this event is to return in future with new editions.