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Importance of Engineering Apprenticeships
By Paul Fears | 15 March 2021
When 21-year-old Ryan Haig-Godden finished wiring his first solo magnetiser panel project, it marked another important step in a three-year training journey and highlighted the importance of engineering apprenticeships. As Bunting is one of only a small number of global designers and builders of magnetisers, connecting the components within the magnetiser panel and building the magnetising fixture are both highly specialised jobs. Tasks that could only be taught ‘on-the-job’.
Ryan joined Bunting as an apprentice straight from school in 2018. With assistance from Activate Apprenticeships in Oxford, Ryan fulfilled his career ambition of pursuing an apprenticeship rather than go to university. Although there were no particular family links with engineering and manufacturing, Ryan’s interests lay in ‘making things’.
Under the guidance of Dave Lewis and Dave Pollard, Ryan has spent three-years with Bunting developing his engineering skills. Once a week he attends college through the Activate Apprenticeships scheme, further developing his knowledge to support his role on the Bunting-Berkhamsted shop floor.
Ryan’s First Solo Magnetiser
Bunting specialises in designing and building bespoke industrial, bench-top, and laboratory-scale magnetisers. These are used widely in the electronics, automotive and aerospace sectors.
- Technical Product Information: Magnetising Equipment
The latest project, for a USA-based globally-leading electronics manufacturer, was for a model BMCL5030 magnetiser, which is a flexible system suited for high volume small part production and low volume, high variety lab work. The complete unit features many bespoke and complex parts that all need to operate within a few milliseconds when activated, feeding a very high current pulse into the separate magnetising fixture, where the magnet or magnet assembly is then magnetised. The magnetising fixture sits on a workbench area and is either hard wired, when permanently installed, or connected by quick release plugs for applications using several different magnetising fixtures.
For this project, Ryan assumed responsibility for wiring up the panel, and building the magnetising fixture. The complete project, from the initial design through to final test, took approximately two months.
“Although taking on the full responsibility for building this magnetiser was initially nerve-wracking, the training and guidance I’ve had from the Bunting team just took over as soon as I started,” explained Ryan.
“Engineering apprenticeships are vitally important to the future of engineering and manufacturing in the UK,” explained Simon Ayling, Bunting’s European Managing Director. “We want to actively encourage young people to seek careers in engineering and manufacturing. Through hard work and dedication, Ryan has developed into an excellent young engineer with an exciting future.”
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Magnetiser Design
Bunting designs and manufactures a wide range of magnetisers, with many bespoke for specific applications. For further information, please contact us via:
Phone: +44 (0) 1442 875081
Email: sales.berkhamsted@buntingmagnetics.com
Via Bunting-eMagnets for online purchase of Magnets and Magnetic Technology
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