On Monday, 29 June 2026, the best student development projects in the ‘Research and Development Project’ module of the Master’s programme in Mechanical Engineering at OTH Regensburg were awarded prizes by WITRON Logistik + Informatik GmbH & Co. KG from Parkstein.
During the summer semester, four project teams worked on a real-world development task drawn from industrial practice. They were supervised by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Florian Nützel and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Schaeffer in close collaboration with WITRON experts Robert Denk and Marco Schönberger.
The project focused on optimising the lightweight construction of a telescopic arm for a container storage and retrieval machine. The aim was to develop innovative concepts to reduce the weight of the existing design. Among other things, the project involved investigating topology optimisation, material adjustments and improvements to the drive and guidance systems. Despite significant weight savings, all functional requirements, the installation space, the kinematics and cost-effectiveness had to be maintained.
The project began with a field trip to a local live project site. There, the students gained a comprehensive insight into the facilities and the existing design. Throughout the semester, regular virtual project meetings supported the development process.
At the end of the project, the four teams presented their concepts to company representatives and the supervising professors. The diversity of the solutions developed impressively demonstrated the high technical standard and creativity of the engineers.
The jury, comprising Robert Denk, Sebastian Biller and Marco Schönberger, then assessed the designs presented. First place went to the team comprising Félix Ittner, Georg Bogenberger and Magnus Heimbuchner, who impressed with a particularly innovative and technically convincing lightweight construction solution.
In addition to certificates, the winners received attractive cash prizes. During the lunch that followed, students, professors and company representatives took the opportunity to exchange technical ideas and further strengthen the successful cooperation between OTH Regensburg and WITRON.
