The Institute of Technology, Sligo, has completed a groundbreaking manufacturing support project with major implications for industry in the North West and North East.
The Institute was the lead partner in the Robotics and Integrated Manufacturing for the 21st Century (RIM 21) project, which ran in partnership with the Northern Regional College (NRC) in Ballymena.
The total value of the project was €1.9 million, with 75% of this part-financed by the European Union through the Interreg IIIA Programme, managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the ICBAN (Irish Central Border Area Network) Partnership.
RIM 21 liaised with local manufacturing industry on both sides of the border, identifying technology gaps which were affecting company competitiveness. Ground breaking, ‘cutting edge’ manufacturing ‘cells’ and training laboratories, were set up in IT Sligo and NRC, providing an opportunity for industry to access the latest robotic technology and tailor a robotic system to update their own manufacturing needs.
“We saw the opening for a centre of excellence to research the latest robotics technology and upskill manufacturers in this technology” said Frank Carter, Head of Department of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering at IT Sligo. “RIM21…is another step towards taking the manual handling out of large and small scale manufacturing industry.”
The RIM 21 robotic ‘cells’ demonstrated to local industry the possible economic benefits of using this technology as part of automating manufacturing processes. By providing state-of-the-art facilities and expert training locally, companies can apply the technology to their own manufacturing units. The partnership with local industry has shown that employment is available for highly skilled graduates.
As a direct result of the project these companies now have increased their productivity, reduced downtime and up-skilled their staff in latest technology uses, encouraging innovation through the automation of simple tasks.
Pictured: Dr Richard Thorn, IT Sligo, and Dr. Jimmy Devins, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in the RIM21 Robotics Lab at IT Sligo
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