A Sixth-Form Student’s Insight Into Engineering, Medicine and Work Experience at ALLETT

Meet Josh, a dedicated sixth-form student with aspirations of becoming a surgeon. Currently studying biology, chemistry and geography, Josh is building a foundation to enter the world of healthcare driven by a deep desire to help people and a passion for the scientific aspects of the profession. However, his journey into the world of healthcare recently took an interesting detour into the field of engineering thanks to a work experience opportunity at Allett, a company known for its innovative approach to engineering.

Josh’s work experience at Allett came about in a unique way. His stepdad Steve who works in Allett’s customer service team as Customer Services Supervisor played a pivotal role in his introduction to the company. Despite not having any specific expectations Josh was eager to see how his experience could intertwine with his long-term goal of becoming a surgeon. At first, he wasn’t sure how working in a mower company would fit into his medical aspirations but little did he know what Innovation and Engineering Manager John Gittins had lined up for him.

During his time at ALLETT, Josh had the chance to work alongside various members of the engineering team immersing himself in the world of design, technology and innovation. One of the most exciting aspects was working with Michael (Trainee Design and Development Engineer at Allett), who introduced Josh to the intricacies of CAD (Computer-Aided Design). Watching how a simple idea could be transformed into a complex 3D model was an eye-opening experience for Josh, ‘’It was fascinating to see a project evolve from nothing into a fully designed object’’

John, the Innovation and Engineering Manager, had the brilliant idea of creating an artificial hip joint using 3D printing and CNC Machining techniques. Josh was thrilled by this as it combined both the medical and engineering worlds in a way he hadn’t anticipated. As he worked with Allett’s Senior Design Engineer Shaun on the 3D printing of the socket for the ball joint he realised just how similar some aspects of engineering are to medicine—both fields are about problem-solving and creating solutions that improve lives.

James (Development and Test Engineer) helped with the machining bringing the design to life by crafting the ball joint on the lathe and profiling out the Aluminium stem and base plate using the milling machine. The ball joint was made from steel and the stem aluminium. The 3d printing material was PLA material (Polylactic Acid). This is a filament which is a recyclable, natural thermoplastic polyester that is derived from renewable resources such as corn starch or sugar cane. The filament is biodegradable under certain conditions with high heat capacity and high mechanical strength. Josh appreciated how each team member worked together with their unique skills complementing each other to create a functional and well-engineered product. The 3d printer took around 14 hours to make the hip part of the design after a days worth of planning and design on CAD.

‘’The engineering team at ALLETT made me feel very welcome from the start offering guidance and support while ensuring that the work was relevant to my future goals in medicine which I really appreciated. It is something I can take to university with me in the future and show my peers.

No project is without its challenges, and Josh encountered a few along the way. One of the main obstacles was that some of the designs created on CAD didn’t transfer correctly to the machine used to cut the metal template. As a result Josh had to make slight adjustments to the designs however he took this challenge in stride seeing it as an opportunity to learn and refine his problem-solving skills—a crucial ability in both engineering and medicine.

Reflecting on his time at ALLETT, Josh expressed his appreciation for the effort that had gone into making his work experience as meaningful and relevant to his aspirations as possible.

‘’I am genuinely thrilled with the final product and I really appreciate the effort that’s been made to relate everything to medicine it’s been a fantastic learning experience. I also got the chance to shadow other members of staff on the production lines and learn the different roles within a factory for example creating standard operating procedures etc’’.

Josh spent time shadowing Allett staff on the production lines as well as out in the field product testing with our technical team. He was able to spend time with Allett's Apprentice Quality Engineer Tom learning the processes that happen before during and after manufacturing.

Allett’s Innovation and Engineering Manager John Gittins, who spearheaded the innovative project Josh worked on, couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. “It’s been a great experience having Josh on board for the week. His enthusiasm and interest in the project have been inspiring and we’ve loved being able to share our knowledge with him. We’re excited to see how his passion for medicine continues to develop and we’re proud to have played a small role in his journey.”

Who knows? In the future, Josh may combine the lessons he’s learned at ALLETT with his passion for medicine to bring even more ground-breaking innovations to the world of healthcare.