ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Ingersoll Machine Tools’ “Rosenberg Moon Habitat” has won the 2023 Makers Madness contest put on by the Illinois Manufacturers Association.

The bracket-style tournament is used to find the coolest thing made in Illinois.

“Ingersoll is humbled by this recognition and proud to be in the company of these amazing manufacturing organizations. The Rosenberg Space Habitat is a current concept for humankind’s first lunar colony and was printed on the large, Ingersoll Master Print 3X platform. Our mission of advancing the possibilities of manufacturing and human exploration is a challenge we readily accept,” said Jeff Ahrstrom, CEO of Ingersoll Machine Tools.

The “Rosenberg Moon Habitat” is a three-story 3D printed living space made to house a crew of two. It was designed by students at the Institut auf dem Rosenberg in St. Gallen, Switzerland and printed by Ingersoll’s MasterPrint 3D printer.

It is the world’s tallest single-piece 3D printed polymer structure, with a height of 23 feet, but a thickness of only 5 millimeters.

Each of the six 23-foot high panels took 14 hours to print, and the entire habitat was designed, constructed, and installed in 9 months, according to a news release.

“Illinois is a state built around innovation— from the Ferris Wheel to the dishwasher to the zipper. The best of that legacy continues to shine through with Makers Madness and the Rosenberg Moon Habitat by Ingersoll Machine Tools,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This team quite literally reached for the stars and imagined a future of space travel and habitation that inspires us all. To them and to all the participants, congratulations, and thank you for all you do to make Illinois a hub of innovation.” 

There were several other Rockford area companies in the competition, including Astro-Physics and its specialty telescopes and General Mills’ “Fruit by the Foot.” Nearly 250 products from all across the state of Illinois were nominated.

Last year, the Rivian R1T electric pickup truck was called the “Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.”