For many years, the School of Engineering at Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) has forged industry connections and collaborations between students, staff and companies that have greatly enhanced the learning environment and the business community.
The Engineering students benefit from a modern educational facility at LYIT, with all the programmes accredited by the appropriate professional bodies, such as Engineers Ireland and the Society of Chartered Surveyors.
The modern workshops and laboratories, with state-of-the-art equipment and computer software, help students to gain the thorough knowledge and skills that are demanded by today’s employers. The programmes offered have a strong focus on applied, practical skills and are delivered in a stimulating yet supportive learning environment.
One such collaboration is with KIRCHHOFF Ireland which is based in Ballyraine, Letterkenny. Students from the School of Engineering visit regularly to view their facilities and processes and to set-up projects where they can use the skills gained throughout their studies.
The workshops are organised by Dr. George Onofrei, a former employee of Kirchhoff Ireland who is now a Lecturer in the LYIT, and are coordinated by Mr. Pat McNally, Engineering Manager, and Mr. Sean McDermott, Managing Director, Kirchhoff Ireland.
The company, part of KIRCHOFF Group, with over 8,000 employees in 11 countries delivers high-quality complex stampings and complete assemblies to global automobile manufacturers, such as BMW, Toyota, Ford, Opel and Volkswagen.
George commented that “the connection with Kirchhoff Ireland allows students to see real life applications used in the manufacturing processes and experience of the challenges that need to be addressed during the life cycle of automotive components through various stages from initial concept design, costing, tooling specification, project management, production and quality control”.
Martin Doherty (Killygordon), a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering, undertook his final year project in collaboration with KIRCHOFF Ireland.
Martin undertook a project entitled, ‘The Optimisation of Weld Procedure in a Robotic Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Welding Station’, under supervision and guidance from Dr. Nicola Anderson, Lecturer at LYIT. Martin worked directly with the Engineering Department in KIRCHHOFF Ireland and determined the required settings for the MIG station at the plant to achieve the optimal weld bead geometry to comply with welding standards for a bracket used to support the engine in cars, such as the Opel Astra.
This collaboration resulted in an improvement of the welding procedure and has been implemented into the processes at the company.
Dr. Nicola Anderson, Lecturer and lead supervisor of the project added, “Martin’s project and its outcomes provided real value to KIRCHHOFF Ireland. These connections, between students and industry, provide practical learning outcomes with real world applications. I had the pleasure of supervising Martin on this project and it’s fantastic to watch beneficial collaborations in action”.
LYIT offer Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) and BEng (Hons) programmes in Mechanical Engineering. These courses offer the students a comprehensive background in mechanical design and manufacturing, including precision engineering and fabrication, which is both knowledge and experience based. This includes CNC programming and machine operation, use of 3D printing technologies, and latest CAD/CAM/CAE software.
Graduates from these programmes acquire a broad range of skills and are readily employed both locally and abroad in roles such as mechanical design, project management, technical sales, computer-aided engineering, process control, manufacturing engineering, renewable energy and product development.
The School of Engineering at LYIT offers a broad range of programmes in Construction and Engineering, as well as a growing applied research and postgraduate capability. Additional information on the Engineering courses on offer can be found at www.lyit.ie/full-timecourses
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