It took a little longer than anticipated to be able to visit the Challenge’s winning school but, from the Bagpress point of view, it was definitely worth the wait.
Richmond-Upon-Thames College was a well-deserved winner in displaying excellence in the use of vacuum pressing technology and, not only that, the age 16-18 (Challenge 2) category winner came from the same school.
Martha Haines impressed the judges with her dog feeding station, which was designed to make Monty, her dog, more comfortable when eating and drinking due to his long legs!
Martha presented a clear production plan and step-by-step illustration of the manufacturing process and was able to create a streamlined curved, end-product with the use of a Styrofoam mould, plywood exterior and, of course, a Bagpress.
The net result, when seen in reality, was an extraordinarily professional piece of work and could easily be used as a real life product design for manufacture.
Bagpress was impressed by the fact that Richmond-Upon-Thames College had not entered the world of vacuum pressing prior to the competition and the first attempts at using the technology yielded some spectacular results.
Charlie White should also receive a special mention for his sports storage station – and the quality of these two particular entries made it a difficult task for the judges in appointing a final winner.
The age 14-16 category winner of Challenge 1 was Christopher Grennan from St Francis of Assisi Catholic Technical College who created a superbly-manufactured product, designed as a mobile phone and gadget tidy for the home.
He produced a clear product analysis based on market research into common trends and the results of a questionnaire regarding finished material preferences. His apple shaped display and storage tidy was first prototyped in cardboard which led to his being able to produce a styrofoam mould to create the final product with a flexi-ply core and plywood face material.
Christopher wins a Bagpress MiniPress Original compete with bag kit as his prize and it is hoped he will use it to create more impressive pieces.
A Bagpress spokesperson says: “Overall, we were extremely impressed by the high standard of entries and level of creativity presented, in all cases, by a wide spectrum of schools. Well done to all who entered and thank you for showing us just how much you enjoy using your Bagpresses and how well you understand the technology behind it!
“Our thanks go to Becker UK for providing the 16 cubic metres per hour press for the frame press awarded to Richmond-Upon-Thames as the winning school.”
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