The 2018 LEAP Awards celebrated the most innovative and forward-thinking products serving the design engineering space.

In the category of Additive manufacturing, the finalists were:

3D Systems
Figure 4
HP Inc.
Jet Fusion 300/500 Series

…and the winner is:

HP Inc.
Jet Fusion 300/500 Series

The judges commented: “There are so many aspects of this technology that push the envelope. The material properties, print fidelity, surface finish, and print speed available with the Jet Fusion are taking 3D printing to the next level.”

In the category of Advanced materials, the finalists were:

Dura-Bar
Solution Strengthened Ductile Iron
L.J. Star Incorporated
MetaPlex Optical Grade Polymer Sanitary Sight Windows

…and the winner is:

L.J. Star Incorporated
MetaPlex Optical Grade Polymer Sanitary Sight Windows

The judges commented: “Rethinking the obvious and developing an elegant solution. Sometimes simple things are brilliant … This is one of those work horse innovations that delights industry. A new answer to an old problem with the customer’s needs in mind.”

In the category of Connectivity, the finalists were:

Cicoil
Micro IDC Cable
Fischer Connectors
Fischer Freedom LP360
I-PEX Connectors
MHF I LK Micro RF Coaxial Connector
Silicon Labs
Wireless Gecko SoC

…and the winner is:

Fischer Connectors
Fischer Freedom LP360

The judges commented: “A breakthrough signal and power connector with easy mating and easy cleaning that maximizes usability, efficiency and performance. This product changes the way of fast connection without looking. I think that this will change the way connectors and connectivity is done. A simple and great solution … very clever and useful product.”

In the category of Embedded computing, the finalists were:

Mentor, A Siemens Business
Mentor Embedded IoT Framework (MEIF)
Microchip Technology Inc.
SAM L11
RelChip, Inc.
Extreme Operating Microelectronics (EOM)

…and the winner is:

Microchip Technology Inc.
SAM L11

The judges commented: “This submission is brilliantly designed with security in mind from the start and integrates commonly used peripherals for IoT devices. … a good balance of speed, capability, and security versus power and cost.”

In the category of Fluid power, the finalists were:

Danfoss Power Solutions
D1 Pump
Eaton Corp.
Boom Stability Control System
FD-Groups America, Inc.
Auto-Steering Valve
Festo
Evolutionary Intelligent Pneumatics

…and the winner is:

Eaton Corp.
Boom Stability Control System

The judges commented: “This is a great improvement for boom control, not only for the concrete industry but for boom lifts and man lifts in general … Utilizes modern adaptive control system to stabilize the boom.”

In the category of Industrial automation, the finalists were:

Cognex
DataMan 470
Littelfuse
MP8000 Bluetooth Enabled Motor Protection Relay
Omnify Software
Omnify Empower / 6 River’s Robot Chuck
Omron Automation Americas
CIP Safety Controller
Parker Hannifin
Universal Pneumatic Valve Manifold
Protolabs
Farmbot – humanity’s first open-source CNC farming machine
Schneider Electric
EcoStruxure Augmented Operator Advisor
Serapid
Telescopic Jib

…and the winner is:

Omnify Software
Omnify Empower / 6 River’s Robot Chuck

The judges commented: “Highly innovative and will improve productivity … a great product that will be so helpful to individuals doing picking and packing of the product being shipped.”

In the category of Mechanical, the finalists were:

CPC – Colder Products Company
Ultra-Compact LQ2 Quick Disconnects
R+W Coupling Technology
World’s Largest Ball-Detent Safety Coupling
Rolling Motion Industries
Traction Drive Technology
Twin Spring Coupling
TSC500 flexible coupling unit
WITTENSTEIN
Rack Assembly in Minutes, Chipless Pinning with INIRA

…and the winner is:

Rolling Motion Industries
Traction Drive Technology

The judges commented: “This is a game-changing technology that competitors will be chasing for years to come. Truly impressive performance.”

In the category of Motion control, the finalists were:

AMETEK
Windjammer Pro Brushless Blowers
ElectroCraft
RPX and LRPX
GAM Enterprises
Zero backlash gearbox
Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions, Inc.
15mm Linear Actuator
Kinitics Automation
KLA05 Linear Actuator
Lin Engineering
Miniature Hybrid Step Motor
maxon precision motors
Exoskeleton Joint Actuator
Oriental Motor USA Corp.
Battery-Free Multi-Rotation Absolute Mechanical Encoder

…and the winner is:

maxon precision motors
Exoskeleton Joint Actuator

The judges commented: “Excellent product in a ground breaking application. Maxon has taken a leadership role by packaging products specifically for the exoskeleton market … By providing an integrated assembly, customers will be able to focus on application specific elements without the burden of reinventing joint actuation.”

In the category of Power electronics, the finalists were:

CUI Inc
High Performance Peltier Modules with arcTEC Structure
Maxim Integrated
Himalaya uSLIC Solution
Mentor Graphics
MicReD Power Tester
Power Integrations
InnoSwitch 3-Pro

…and the winner is:

Maxim Integrated
Himalaya uSLIC Solution

The judges commented: “Amazing amount of performance and features in an incredibly small package. … Very high power density, low profile and good efficiency.”

In the category of Switches & sensors, the finalists were:

Omron Automation Americas
A2W Wireless Pushbutton
RAFI
RAMO Series Industrial Controls
Renesas Electronics
CMOS Image Sensor

…and the winner is:

Omron Automation Americas
A2W Wireless Pushbutton

The judges commented: “Great product and technology; an implementation of low-low-low power. Excellent! … Great concept to eliminate complex wiring in a crowded electrical circuit and other applications.”

In the category of Test & measurement, the finalists were:

Anritsu
Signal Quality Analyzer-R MP1900A BERT
Keithley Instruments
DMM and DAQ
Mentor Graphics
T3Ster and FloTHERM and FloTHERM XT Calibration
Tektronix
6 Series MSO Mixed Signal Oscilloscope

…and in this one category there was a tie, so we have two winners. They are:

Anritsu
Signal Quality Analyzer-R MP1900A BERT

–and–

Keithley Instruments
DMM and DAQ

The judges commented: For Anritsu: “This is one of those ‘can’t live without it’ type of products … this will probably become a standard tool for evaluating systems as we move to 5G and ever higher data rates.”

For Keithley: “DMM, Data acquisition, Data logging and analysis in one compact unit, which is an essential tool for testing, quality control and failure analysis of any electrical circuit.”

Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists and winners!