Coleg Menai Engineering Students create a solution to a real life engineering problem for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service
Working in partnership with North Wales Fire and Rescue Service (NWFRS), three Coleg Menai Engineering students have designed and created an LED light adapter to help keep the Service’s fire appliances ready for emergency call outs.
NWFRS faced an issue when the light cluster they needed to power the circular blue lights on their fire appliances was no longer being manufactured.
The Service got in touch with Coleg Menai to see if the Engineering department could help them find a solution by designing and 3D-printing an adapter for the lights, so that they could use more modern and readily available LED bulbs.
Bringing a real-world engineering challenge into the classroom, the collaboration provided an exciting opportunity for the young trainee engineers.
Under the same pressures that they would face working in the industry, the Level 3 Engineering students at the college’s Llangefni campus got straight to work.
Aiden Bedford and Oliver Haigh, both 16, and 17-year-old Osian Owen, scanned the circular lamp cluster then designed a prototype adapter using Autodesk Fusion Software.
After the initial prototype was printed on Coleg Menai’s 3D printing machine, NWFRS brought in an operational fire engine to campus so the students could test out their design.
A few adjustments later, the students managed to create an adapter that worked perfectly - gaining invaluable problem-solving skills and providing a solution to the issue faced by NWFRS.
Bryn Jones, Engineering Lecturer and Programme Leader at Coleg Menai, said: “Our students have shown a real commitment in developing a working solution that has the potential to make a positive impact in the local and wider community. External projects like our collaboration with NWRFS bring unique opportunities for our students to showcase their skills and help us with our aim of producing the next generation of outstanding engineers.”
Stuart Austin, Technical Supervisor at the Fleet Department of NWFRS, said: “It has been great to work with the Engineering students at Coleg Menai, helping to develop and empower the next generation of engineers to find innovative solutions to real life scenarios or issues. Working in partnership in this way has brought great benefits to us as a Service too, protecting our communities through reaching out and creating connections.”
Grŵp Llandrillo Menai provides a range of engineering courses for young people and adults from Level 1 to Higher Education and apprenticeships. To find out more, visit: https://www.gllm.ac.uk/courses/engineering-and-power-technology
