Putting young engineers on the road to success

Yorkshire Laser Fabrication has been marking the Year of Engineering by joining forces with Year 10 and 11 students from Featherstone Academy to help with their Key Stage Four project.

Engineering is crucial to the growth of the UK economy, providing the backbone to the technology and manufacturing industries in particular. The government estimates there is an estimated 20,000 annual shortfall in engineering graduates which is having a significant impact on productivity and growth. They have declared 2018 the Year of Engineering in a bid to encourage young people and their parents to take a closer look at engineering as a career option.

At Yorkshire Laser our business is engineering led and we are proud to be at the forefront of supporting a new generation of engineers.

With Featherstone Academy the students were challenged to design and make a product. They came up with a design for a weather vane shaped like a motorbike which got the motor running for our MD, Matt Orford, who is bike mad.

A former engineering student himself, he knows how valuable it is that young people experience what Yorkshire Laser do first hand and was extremely impressed with their designs.

The students, and their teacher Martin Speak, brought their designs along to our factory where we professionally laid them out on our state of the art CAD/CAM technology before laser cutting aluminium profiles for them from the sheet metal they had brought along, to incorporate into their weather vane project.

Feedback from the Academy described the visit as ‘amazing’ and highlighted the value of the students seeing millions of pounds worth of cutting edge engineering technology producing real products from raw materials.

At Yorkshire Laser Fabrication we pride ourselves on providing an exceptional quality, service and value whatever your sheet metal design and cutting needs. The versatility of our equipment means we are well placed to help with every stage of the manufacturing process from design to cutting, bending or folding sheet metal and even piecing it altogether to create a finished product or prototype.

To find out how we can help with your projects contact us on 01924 220236 or email info@yorkshirelaser.co.uk.