My name is Carmel Kelleghan, and I am a Principal Engineer at AVIRE. My journey in engineering began with an NCEA in Plastics Engineering at Athlone RTC in Ireland. I started my career in the UK, spending seven years at a toolmaking company, where I progressed from a design support role to designing plastic injection mould tools and die-cast tools, all hand-drawn on a drawing board. I hold a City & Guilds qualification in AutoCAD and completed an aluminium extrusion profile design course run by Sapa while at MEMCO.
I joined AVIRE (then known as MEMCO) on 19th February 1996 as a CAD draughtsperson in a supporting role. As I gained experience, my role evolved to designing detector housings and controller enclosures. My first design project, the Panachrome range of detectors and controllers, won the Halma Innovation Awards in 2008. Over the years, I have accumulated extensive experience in designing plastic and aluminium extrusions, plastic injection moulded parts (both twin shot and single shot), and sheet metal designs.
My role at AVIRE has significantly evolved over the years. I started as a CAD draughtsperson, moved to a Mechanical Design Engineer position, and recently became a Principal Engineer.
What excites me the most about my job is collaborating with my colleagues on new designs and seeing the first assembled prototype of a new product. This moment is always an exciting time for all of us. Throughout my time at AVIRE, I have worked on numerous products, including SmartView 2, DCP Evo modifications, AUS PSTN (MK853), TOC DAU (obsolete), DAU (MK891), E series detectors (E10, E32, E40), E10 static fixing kits, Panachrome+ controller, Panachrome detectors and controller, MPS (492 021), MEMCOm flush mount COP (450 340F), Panatech (P1500) detectors (now obsolete), Pana40 Plus Model 740 alu re-design, Pana40 Plus 3in1, 22mm (Model 775 220), and currently, I am working on the AOR handset.
