![]() The equipment has been maintained by the facility staff at Kent State University. The UKKO IceCat B220 is USED and NOT in working condition. “It was the one thing everyone said we wouldn’t be able to make work,” acknowledged David van Eijl.Kent State University Ice Arena is looking to sell our 2006 UKKO IceCat B220 Ice Resurfacer. Going from one heavy machine to two to four much lighter devices did create a challenge with the ice shaving blade part of the system. “A person will need to open the rink doors. This won’t mean less jobs,” said David van Eijl. “This is not about getting rid of the operator. While a Sutto6 pair of machines would be automated, a bit like a robotic floor sweeper, the process still needs human help. “It’s doing the job by committee,” Paul van Eijl said. The result looks similar to when a team of snowplows clear a highway running side-by-side. One big change was the ability to cut the job into pieces with either two or four preprogrammed autonomous machines doing the job instead of one large vehicle with a driver. ![]() “I really felt we were on to something.”Īfter considering many concepts, they finally settled on a new approach to ice resurfacing. “The wheels started turning,” said Paul van Eijl. “I thought there has to be a better way to do that,” he said.Īfter a call to his brother, who consults with manufacturers and runs a local printing business called Texteijl, they were soon brainstorming ideas in a Winona coffee shop. This project started eight years ago when Paul van Eijl watched the ice being resurfaced in Winona as he waited to play in an Old Timer game. Since the video was shot, they have put together the sixth iteration, which improves upon the earlier models. The duo took the fifth version for their device onto local ice rinks for testing and created video with commentary from local ice rink managers.īob Montrose, of Rochester’s Graham Arena, described the device as “a game changer.” Steve Howarth, of Dodge County Ice Arena in Kasson, said, “It’s actually awesome.” Ice time can be much more expensive in cities with fewer rinks.Ĭutting the resurfacing time from eight to 15 minutes between sessions to two to three minutes could result in more cold, hard cash for ice rinks. Rochester, which has six indoor rinks, charges $180 an hour at Graham Arena. It is also costly for rinks, which charge anywhere from $100 to $500 an hour for ice time. Waiting for the ice to be ready is one of the hardest parts of a practice or game for hockey teams or skaters. While they believe their creation will make better quality ice using a superior computer-controlled process, Sottu6’s big selling point is that it could give ice rinks more of its most valuable commodity - time. The duo hope their novel approach will challenge the giant company that is synonymous with ice resurfacing - Zamboni. They call their working prototype “Sottu6.” A pair of local brothers think they have a slick new solution for resurfacing ice rinks, an industry that has seen very little change in decades.Īfter eight years of work, $2.5 million of investment and six patents, David and Paul van Eijl have created the sixth version of their electric, autonomous ice resurfacer in their Elgin workshop. (Ken Klotzbach / Forum News Service)ĮLGIN, Minn. They call their working prototype, Sottu6. have eight years of work, $2.5 million of investment and six patents in their electric, autonomous ice resurfacer. Brothers Paul, left, and David van Eijl are working on the sixth version of their ice resurfacer they think will replace the Zamboni.
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