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Real Lives
Richard Astbury
Engineering Education Scheme
University & Course:
University of Warwick - Mechanical Engineering
Employer: Ransomes,
Sims, and Jefferies Ltd
When I started the sixth form
at Failingaye High School, I really had no idea what
I wanted to do in life. I was interested in science
and technology, so I assumed that a career as a
scientist was the only option – how wrong this idea
turned out to be.
During the Autumn term, I was
introduced to the Engineering Education Scheme and
encouraged to apply to join the team. A number of
other students applied and after a selection
interview I successfully made it onto the team. The
school was partnered with Ransomes, Sims and
Jefferies Ltd., of Ipswich who are manufacturers of
professional grass cutting machinery.
The project set was to design
and prototype a device to automatically rotate
lawnmower grass-cutting cylinders whilst being
sharpened in a grinding machine. This was a real
life problem for which the company needed a
solution. Rotating and positioning the next blade on
the cylinder against the grinding wheel was an
operation previously executed by hand. This was not
a particularly desirable task, as the grinding wheel
generated lots of sparks and noise. The job was
required to be undertaken by a skilled operator and
presented a number of health & safety issues for the
company as it could cause injury to the
inexperienced user.
The project solution was
highly successful, resulting in our designing a
mechanical device attached to the casing of the
grinding wheel, which was patented in Europe. The
device rotated the cylinder to automatically Index
(accurately position) the grinding wheel onto the
next blade.
I thoroughly enjoyed working
on the project; although at times was hard work, it
was very rewarding and taught me a number of
valuable lessons, which I still draw upon today.
After completion of the Scheme
it was time to start thinking about making
applications to Universities. I found the scheme
highly rewarding and I believe that taking part was
extremely helpful in my application to University. I
would not have followed a career path to engineering
without the scheme. I was accepted at the University
of Warwick, where I undertook a four-year course,
from which I graduated in 1999 with a Beng MEng (hons)
in Mechanical Engineering.
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