When macaroni becomes a masterpiece

Between meter-high steel girders and heavy machinery stand unusually delicate structures: cranes made of macaroni, precisely constructed, carefully glued. For the first time, the University of Siegen's "Mission Noodle Crane" competition was held in the modernized industrial hall of the Buschhütten campus. 91 pupils from eleven schools in the tri-border region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate came to compete to find the strongest crane made from standard pasta. The rules were clear: two packs of macaroni and glue - that was all any team had at their disposal. Within three months, the task was to develop a construction that would achieve the maximum load capacity in relation to its own weight. The overall score was also based on the quality of the documentation, the creativity of the idea and the precision of the execution.

Location combines young inventive spirit with industrial charm

For the first time in the 23-year history of the engineering student competitions at the University of Siegen, the final took place at the Buschhütten campus. "This location is something very special. We had the opportunity to hold our competition in an old steel hall, where work was going on in the background at the same time," said Prof. Dr.-Ing. Daniel Pak from the Chair of Steel Construction and Composite Steel Construction at the University of Siegen. The industrial setting is ideal for a task that involves statics, understanding materials and teamwork. Pak moderated the event with his road construction colleague Prof. Christian Schulze.

97 industrial companies, mainly from the region, are now cooperating with the University of Siegen and other partners from the fields of research and education at the Buschhütten campus. Dr. Gabriele Barten, a member of the Achenbach-Buschhütten Holding management team and jointly responsible for the Buschhütten campus, addressed the students with clear words: "I hope that you are not just sitting here today as enthusiastic noodle crane builders, but that some future civil engineers, mechanical engineers and road builders are also here. By the way, it's great that some girls are also taking part today. The engineering sciences are super exciting and good engineers - that's for sure - are in high demand, so the world is open to them." Barten added: "Just come back to our campus next year for the competition."

Who has the best design?

From solid to filigree - the range of constructions was enormous. One team used almost the entire kilo of pasta stock. One crane with a radically minimalist approach was particularly eye-catching. It made do with a single-digit number of noodles, weighed just 18 grams and was reminiscent of cranes from ancient Greece or Rome. Even before the load tests began, there were whispers that this model was the favorite.

The structures were tested in a hydraulic test facility. Using live measurements, the teams of students were able to see on a screen how much force their constructions could withstand. When it was the turn of the team from the Rudolf Steiner School in Siegen, the hall held its breath. The construction deformed under high loads, but remained stable. The first cheers of disbelief erupted. Only at 23.6 kilograms did the material fail and the macaroni splintered. A performance that looked like a sure victory for a long time.

But then came the appearance of the lightweight: the 18-gram crane from Berufskolleg Technik Siegen. At just over two kilograms, its load capacity was well below that of its competitors. But because the ratio of dead weight to load-bearing capacity was decisive, minimalism beat mass: first place for the most filigree structure of the day.

Nora Eibach and Nina Gripskamp from Engelbert-von-Berg-Gymnasium Wipperfürth reported how much planning went into the seemingly playful crane constructions: "It was important to us that we didn't just start building, but had a plan. We first built a prototype to test weak points. This taught us how successful group work can be and how we can find solutions as a team." In total, they spent over ten hours planning and building. In the end, their crane carried a load of 4.6 kilograms.

First to third place were awarded cash prizes of 150, 100 and 50 euros, donated by the University of Siegen's Architecture and Civil Engineering Sponsorship Association. The elimination and load test was supported by the Buschhütten campus with the SDFS Smarter Demonstration Factory Siegen and the SLB Smarter Learning Factory Buschhütten.

1st place: Berufskolleg Technik Siegen, Team 6.1
Load: 2.085 kg, dead weight: 18 g
Elias Schreiter, Erik Boike, Nils Urban, Leonhard Möllney

2nd place: Rudolf Steiner School Siegen, Team 5.1.
Load: 23.614 kg, own weight: 252 g
Jesaja Gjokaj, Rouven Eichenauer, Emil Müller

3rd place: Städtisches Albert-Schweitzer-Gymnasium Plettenberg
Load: 10.925 kg, own weight: 253 g
Felix Päckert, Jinhon Nahn, Jiehou Nahn, Nina Seibt, Lena Schröder