Javier Calvo, César Gracia and Yasser Zekalmi, students at the University of Zaragoza and young researchers at the I3A (Aragon Engineering Research Institute), were this year's winners of the ‘CSIC 2025 Challenge: Best 3D Engineering’. Sixty teams from different parts of Spain took part in the challenge and only five reached the final round. The best proposals managed to design and manufacture lightweight, resistant and easy-to-fix structures.
The three Unizar students defended their proposal during Printer Party 2025, the largest 3D printing fair in Spain, held in Madrid, and their work received the best evaluation from the jury. But what they value most, "simply being able to participate in a competition like this in which you can provide a solution to a real case by applying such innovative technologies beyond the academic aspect, seems to us to be a great learning opportunity. We are already looking forward to participating in the next edition," explain Javier, César and Yasser.
CSIC Challenge
The participating teams have to design a support structure that holds five masses fixed to the floor of the hold of an Airbus drone. This structure has to be designed under a weight and cost optimisation condition. In addition, it has mechanical requirements and accessibility constraints for assembly. The environment in this hold makes the structure resistant to corrosion and temperatures up to 90 degrees Celsius.
Given the boundary conditions of the problem to be solved, they were urged to make a design oriented to 3D manufacturing. Thus, they had to carefully choose the material and equipment for the fabrication of the structure, include an explanation of the assembly process and economic calculations of the cost that would be involved.
In the first phase of the challenge they had to deliver 3D files of the designed structure and a presentation with the corresponding explanations, simulations and supporting calculations. In the final, together with the other four selected teams, they made an oral presentation and showed a 1:1 scale model printed in PLA.
Who are the prize-winners?
Javier Calvo, holds a degree and a master's degree in Industrial Engineering from Unizar. He has spent a year as a senior research support technician in the Precision Mechanics Service of SAI Unizar in charge of an EOS metal powder 3D printer and a ZEISS tomograph and, currently, "I am a researcher in the Department of Design and Manufacturing starting my doctoral thesis. I hope to be able to develop my thesis in the next few years in the field of additive manufacturing, and being part of a group like GIFMA I think is the ideal environment".
Yasser Zekalmi. With a bachelor's and master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, he is now in his third year of a doctorate in manufacturing at Unizar. "My interest in advanced manufacturing and simulation led me to start my PhD in the GIFMA group. I develop models and algorithms to simulate and optimise surface topography in 5-axis CNC machining. In the short term, my goal is to finish and defend the thesis, and to start a postdoctoral stage or to join the industry. My time at GIFMA/I3A has been very enriching both technically and personally, and has allowed me to grow as a researcher in manufacturing and advanced metrology".
César Gracia. Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering Unizar. "I began my studies driven by my interest in structures, mechanisms and the design of complex systems. This training has provided me with a technical and structured vision that allows me to apply creativity to projects with real impact. I collaborate in the GIFMA research group, in R&D projects focused on developing innovative, efficient and sustainable engineering solutions".
