IT Sligo Mechanical Engineering students were named runners up in the Engineers Ireland Level 7 Innovative Student Engineer Awards 2011, sponsored by Siemens. As a core part of their mechanical engineering course in IT Sligo, the third year students designed, build and tested an innovative multifunctional bale splitter which they call ‘easy shear.’ It is mounted on the front loader of a tractor and enables the farmer to complete many duties throughout the whole year. These duties include bale splitting, stacking and transportation as well as pallet lifting and waste removal.
At the competition in the Engineers Ireland Headquarters, Trevor McSharry, a lecturer and Mechanical Programme coordinator said ‘this is one of many excellent projects completed yearly at IT Sligo. Last year we won the Level 7 competition which was a fantastic achievement and coming runners up the following year is very encouraging. The purpose of these projects is to integrate many key subjects and give students a real life experience of designing, building and testing their own project through effective control of their scope, budget and schedule. The support from colleagues in the General Engineering Workshop as well as the guidance from lecturers such as Jimmy Flynn and Michael Moffatt have been vital ingredients in achieving this national recognition.’
Speaking at the announcement, John Power, director general Engineers Ireland, said: “I strongly believe that the long-term growth in Ireland will be fuelled by innovative companies so it is very encouraging to see such home-grown engineering creativity among our students today. It is imperative we can bring new techniques, processes and skills across all sectors so that we can compete on a global stage with our competitors.”
For information on the BEng in Mechanical Engineering course (SG 333) at IT Sligo, click here.