2016 Award Winners
Outstanding achievements in knowledge and technology transfer
Special Prize Winner Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Karl Schekulin
Prof. Karl Schekulin has been awarded this year’s Special Prize as part of the Steinbeis Foundation’s Transfer Prize in recognition of his many years of outstanding contributions to knowledge and technology transfer within the Steinbeis network.
Karl Schekulin began his professional career as a process development engineer at Daimler-Benz AG in Stuttgart. From there, he moved to Switzerland, where he worked as Technical Director at Inter AG, before returning to Swabia in the late 1960s as a test engineer at Gebr. Heller Werkzeugmaschinen in Nürtingen. This was followed by further positions at AEG Elektrowerkzeuge in Winnenden and in the USA, most recently as Technical Director. In 1977, he joined the then Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences (FH Reutlingen), now Reutlingen University, as Professor of Design Engineering. His areas of expertise were machine elements and design methodology. However, he by no means turned his back on the business world: Shortly afterwards, Karl Schekulin began working part-time for Steinbeis, initially for the Technical Advisory Service of Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences; in 1986, he founded his own Steinbeis Transfer Centre for Abrasive Manufacturing Processes (now the Steinbeis Transfer Centre for Process Development).
At the Steinbeis Transfer Centre, he developed a wide range of new manufacturing processes in many different industrial sectors. These included, for example, 5-axis CNC die-sinking EDM, which has become the global standard process, and pulsed electrochemical die-sinking using pulsed direct current. He worked intensively on water jet cutting and, above all, on the development of innovative laser processing methods, such as dispersion, in which diamond and carbide particles are incorporated into the remelted surface. His numerous scientific publications are testament to his innovative spirit. What was initially dismissed as a laboratory experiment has today led to high-quality machined components for the aerospace industry. Karl Schekulin was so passionate about aviation that he fulfilled his dream of obtaining a commercial pilot’s licence and still flies regularly himself to this day.
Since Karl Schekulin left his post at Reutlingen University fifteen years ago, he has continued to devote himself to a wide variety of Steinbeis projects with dedication, an inventive spirit and his unique flair for innovation. Steinbeis is honouring Prof. Karl Schekulin with this year’s Special Award in recognition of more than three successful decades of service to Steinbeis.