Young tech talents impress with creativity and team spirit.
For the fourth time, the Mechatronics Challenge for HTL students took place at the Upper Austrian machine engineering company Fill in Gurten. From December 10 to 12, around 40 young talents from the HTLs in Andorf, Braunau, Grieskirchen, and Ried took on the practical task of developing innovative mechatronic solutions in mixed teams.
This year's theme was: “Design and manufacture of a 3D-printed miniature robot – including delivery by driverless transport system, assembly instructions, and marketing video.” Under time pressure and with high team dynamics, the students designed fully functional prototypes, programmed the necessary user interfaces, and developed a creative marketing concept. All five teams impressed with their impressive variety of ideas and technical implementation. Team "Filluminati" emerged as the overall winner of the 4th Fill Hackathon. The eight-member group – with students from all four HTLs – was delighted to receive Weberzeile vouchers worth 1,600 euros.
Technological challenge meets teamwork
The challenge reflected the real-world requirements of a high-tech company: from software development to design and 3D printing to automation, all disciplines had to work hand in hand. At the heart of the project was an automated guided vehicle (AGV) system that collected the manufactured parts and transported them to the goods issue area—collision-free and efficiently. “The hackathon impressively demonstrates the potential and enthusiasm that young people have,” emphasizes Alois Wiesinger, CTO of Fill. “With creativity, technical know-how, and team spirit, they have achieved great results - skills that qualify them as potential employees for our company.”
Exciting finale at the Fill Future Dome
At the grand finale event in the Fill Future Dome, all teams presented their projects to an audience of around 200 people, including classmates, teachers, and coaches. The jury was impressed by the high standard and professionalism of the presentations. “All participants showed enormous commitment and enthusiasm,” praised Wiesinger at the end. The winners of the 4th Fill Hackathon were team “Filluminati” with Lukas Fuchs and Elena Schmidhuber (HTL Andorf), Josua Dornauer and David Kohlmayer (HTL Braunau), Sami Almnayer and Florian Greindl (HTL Grieskirchen), Valentin Hölzl and Danilo Miljanovic (HTL Ried).
Strong partnerships and professional conditions
The Fill Hackathon thrives on collaboration: each team consisted of students from all four HTLs, resulting in an intensive exchange across school boundaries. Fill provided state-of-the-art equipment - from 3D printers to tool sets - while HTL Braunau provided the AGV systems. The event was organized by an interdisciplinary Fill team led by Verena Hohensinn from Human Resources Development in close cooperation with teachers from the participating schools. Their joint commitment made the successful implementation possible.
Corporate Data
FILL is a leading international machine engineering company based in Gurten, Upper Austria. With sophisticated high-tech systems and custom manufacturing solutions for metal, plastics and wood, Fill makes its customers the best in their fields. The automotive, aviation, sports and building industries all benefit from Fill's expertise. Since it was founded in 1966, the company has distinguished itself through enormous innovative strength, strong values and the best jobs. "If you are seeking the best solution, shape your future with Fill,” is the guiding principle of the company’s more than 1,000 employees. “We are one!" is their vision and stands for togetherness with the team and with customers, suppliers and partners. The company is 100 percent family-owned and is managed by Andreas Fill (CEO), Martin Reiter (CFO), Alois Wiesinger (CTO) and Günter Redhammer (COO). In 2024, Fill recorded an operating output of 202.5 million euros.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us:
Fill Gesellschaft m.b.H.
Fillstraße 1, 4942 Gurten
Martina Moserbauer
martina.moserbauer@fill.co.at
Caption:
With an outstanding overall performance, Team "Filluminati" impressed the jury and secured victory at the 4th Fill Hackathon.
Photo:
© Fill
