Manual and CNC lathes to boost technical training

DRMT of Leicester has supplied six Harrison M300 manual centre lathes and an Alpha 1330S manual/CNC lathe to the technology faculty at Coleg Menai, Bangor.

DRMT of Leicester has supplied six Harrison M300 manual centre lathes and an Alpha 1330S manual/CNC lathe to the technology faculty at Coleg Menai, Bangor, in support of the college's educational programmes.

The Harrison package is part of a ?1.5million project to upgrade the college's technical facilities at its Bangor and Llangefni sites, with funding from ELWa (the National Council for Education and Training for Wales) and EU Objective 1.

As well as the Harrison lathes, the funding has helped provide a state-of-the-art computer aided design (CAD) suite incorporating the latest 3D modelling software, new automotive engineering centre, materials testing equipment, co-ordinate measuring machine, milling machines and refurbishment of existing machine tools.

Networked to the CAD suite, the Harrison Alpha 1330S and other manufacturing machines allows students at all levels - engineering foundation courses right through to national and higher national diplomas - to quickly grasp the fundamentals of CAD/CAM operations.

David Price, technology faculty director, says: "A big challenge for colleges, and indeed industry nationwide, is demonstrating effectively to young people the attractions of technology when compared with say, the travel industry or sport and leisure.

With the acquisition of the Harrison Alpha and the CAD suite, however, we now have the tools to do this.

At a recent open day, potential students were shown how to design a component using 3D modelling software, generate the toolpaths, and witness the Alpha machine the part from the downloaded file.

This simple demonstration dismissed a lot of myths and prejudices some had about engineering - and hopefully unlocked their imagination, and potential, with regard to their future career.

The Alpha is also needed as the college shifts its bias from mechanical engineering to manufacturing technologies, which is influenced somewhat by events in the local economy.

The area historically had a population of high-tech companies, and Objective 1 funding status coupled with the introduction of the Smart Scheme, has increased this number considerably." The Smart Scheme allows Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME's) to research, develop and acquire the technologies needed to bring innovative, high-tech products to the marketplace with funding from the DTI.

The faculty's Dr David Ives comments: "By incorporating a high level of CNC programming and CAD machining within our courses, Colleg Menai will eventually become a rich resource for the supply of highly skilled people - ideally suited to the demands of high-tech industry.

This will bring about more employment opportunities, local Smart Scheme SME requirements will be met, and hopefully, other like-minded companies will be induced into the area, thereby enriching the economy even further.

We also intend to create a stand-alone design and prototyping cell based around the Alpha.

This will provide local engineering and manufacturing companies with a development facility, which replicates their own manufacturing facilities but won't disrupt their production cycles." While the Alpha 1330S is providing Coleg Menai with a high-tech manufacturing training solution, the new Harrison M300 centre lathes are forming the foundation for machine tool training for the college's modern apprentice scheme.

Commenting on the lathe purchase, programme leader Colin Parry says: "Funding like this doesn't come along that often so we had to be absolutely sure that we got it right.

We have had 600 Group training lathes before and they have lasted 30 years or so, so we knew the brand was tried and tested.

We also wanted to buy British-made, quality products with good service back up.

I was very impressed with cutting demonstrations organised by DRMT, and after a visit to the Harrison manufacturing plant, my mind was made up - these lathes have got to last a long time!" Coleg Menai is partner in the Anglesey Apprenticeship Scheme.

Within this partnership, apprentices are trained on a full time basis for 12 months and then move on to full time employment with local companies, such as Anglesey Aluminium and Bleanau Plastics, and then return on Day Release programmes.

The standard of this training can be judged by the success of its students, with Coleg Menai trainees recently gaining the prestigious EMPTA North Wales 'Apprentice of the Year' in both first year and fourth year categories respectively.

With educational visits planned to Harrison's site at Heckmondwike, students have the added bonus of visiting one of the most modern lathe plants in Europe, and ideal for seeing modern manufacturing at first hand.

Harrison's Sales Director David Smith comments: "I am delighted that we have forged such close links with Coleg Menai and I look forward to meeting both students and instructors on the planned visits to the factory.

I am particularly pleased that Harrison lathes are playing such an influential role in developing new skills for the young people of North West Wales, and may even be a contributory factor in the development of sustainable growth for the region.".

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