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Canny engineering students have a crush for summer!
Budding young engineers at Glan Y Mor Comprehensive School in Llanelli are aiming for a sustainable future this summer, after completing a design technology project to create a special can crusher.
The aim of the 2 year long project was for the students to gain a Double Award GCSE in engineering and an NVQ level 2 in Performing Engineering Operations. They attended the local Coleg Sir Gar Campus to study the subject. On top of this, the students performed many business tasks such as market research, costing, time management, project management and presentation experience.
The students pictured (there were six in total) who carried out the project were Matthew Jenkins, Declan Jones, Liam Thomas, Luke Stacey. Their design, which was finished after twenty month’s hard work, is ideal for crushing drinks cans, food cans and domestic aerosols.
The pilot design scheme was also supported by local industry partner, Corus, and overseen by its education resource, SCRiB.
According to SCRiB, crushing cans is an important part of encouraging steel recycling. Steel cans that have been crushed have fewer air spaces in them, allowing for more to be transported at one time. This means fewer journeys and less fuel being used which means fewer toxins in the air and a greener environment.
One of the students involved in the project 16-year-old Liam Thomas. Liam said “I have always liked building things and I really enjoyed the project, which was challenging but rewarding. Having the opportunity to see the finished design was fantastic and we were really pleased with the feedback we received from SCRiB.”
Adam Twells, Section Leader of Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at Coleg Sir Gar commented on the project, “The can crusher was a great project for the students to be involved in. Not only did they get to create one of their own designs but the skills they picked up along the way will be invaluable to them in their future careers.”
SCRiB’s Nicola Bennett, who was there to unveil the finished design when the students returned for the last time to their comprehensive ‘Glan Y Mor’ recently, said: “Young people are the future and their ideas often have a fresh and creative approach. I was very impressed by the student’s knowledge of recycling and how design technology can help encourage and facilitate recycling. The final design was effective, sustainable and really brought recycling to life for me. I hope more students will be inspired by its success.”
