WorldSkills UK hosted an exciting benchmarking event, Designathon, that brought together talented learners to demonstrate their skills in CAD design, utilising advantages of Additive Manufacturing. The event took place from 10-14 February 2025, with participants competing in teams of two.
15 remarkable teams participated in this hands-on challenge, showcasing their 3D design and problem-solving skills. Working within a set brief, they engineered innovative robotic grabbers to address real-world functional needs.
Teams were assessed on three key aspects – grabber design (creativity, innovation and functionality), grabber CAD model (accuracy, level of detail, and clarity of annotations) and design documentation (thoroughness and comprehensiveness of the design explanation). Through this experience, participants developed valuable industry skills in CAD design, enhancing their readiness for employment and higher-level competitions.
Steve Taylor, 3D Additive Manufacturing and Fusion360 Technical Trainer at 3DGBIRE, said:
“The quality of the submissions was very high. The teams that achieved the highest marks had thoroughly analyzed the challenge brief, providing detailed insights into their decisions throughout the design process.
There was a wide range of unique ideas that leveraged the manufacturing advantages of Additive Manufacturing. A big congratulations to all the teams that took part!
Congratulations to everyone who took part! The results are now available on the leaderboards below.
| Organisation | Team info | Criteria | Scores per criteria | Total Scores |
| New College Lanarkshire (NCLAN) | Design Mavericks | Grabber Design | 10 | 32 |
| Grabber CAD Model | 11 | |||
| Design Documentation | 11 | |||
| New College Lanarkshire (NCLAN) | The Blueprint Brigade | Grabber Design | 11 | 32 |
| Grabber CAD Model | 12 | |||
| Design Documentation | 9 | |||
| New College Lanarkshire (NCLAN) | The Drafting Dynamos | Grabber Design | 12 | 32 |
| Grabber CAD Model | 11 | |||
| Design Documentation | 9 | |||
| Manchester Metropolitan University | PrintCity Network | Grabber Design | 10 | 31 |
| Grabber CAD Model | 11 | |||
| Design Documentation | 10 | |||
| Newcastle College | Newcastle College Team 4 | Grabber Design | 8 | 30 |
| Grabber CAD Model | 11 | |||
| Design Documentation | 11 | |||
| Northampton College | Robert and Albert | Grabber Design | 11 | 30 |
| Grabber CAD Model | 11 | |||
| Design Documentation | 8 | |||
| New College Durham | Ryan and Archie | Grabber Design | 10 | 30 |
| Grabber CAD Model | 11 | |||
| Design Documentation | 9 | |||
| New College Lanarkshire (NCLAN) | CAD Crusaders | Grabber Design | 9 | 28 |
| Grabber CAD Model | 10 | |||
| Design Documentation | 9 | |||
| New College Durham | Aidan and Ethan | Grabber Design | 9 | 26 |
| Grabber CAD Model | 9 | |||
| Design Documentation | 8 | |||
| New College Durham | Simon and John | Grabber Design | 8 | 25 |
| Grabber CAD Model | 9 | |||
| Design Documentation | 8 | |||
| Brighton MET College | Precision Pioneers | Grabber Design | 7 | 24 |
| Grabber CAD Model | 8 | |||
| Design Documentation | 9 | |||
| Coleg Ceredigion | Aaron and Daniel | Grabber Design | 7 | 22 |
| Grabber CAD Model | 8 | |||
| Design Documentation | 7 | |||
| Fareham College | Gregory Maidwell | Grabber Design | 6 | 22 |
| Grabber CAD Model | 8 | |||
| Design Documentation | 8 | |||
| Design | N/A | |||
| Visuals | N/A |
Missed the event? You can explore our benchmarking resources on the WorldSkills UK Learning Lab—an exciting way to challenge and elevate your learners’ skills across the academic year!
