Training program at University of St. Thomas helps engineers, students utilize new technology
Inside a machine shop on the University of St. Thomas campus, rotating drill bits are cut into a block of metal as coolant is applied.
The precise work of a CNC machine reduces the need for manual labor in manufacturing.
But it also increases the demand for skilled workers who can program, run and maintain the automated systems.
The university's School of Engineering is partnering with the Air Force Research Laboratory and Minneapolis-based software company Third Wave Systems to launch a training program.
It will help manufacturing professionals, engineers and students train on the newest technology.
The two-part experience offers a self-paced online course and a two-day, in-person bootcamp.
Liam Baier is a mechanical engineering student who has been through the training.
"We took a part from about two hours to about thirty minutes to produce, and that was going from just traditional processes to a simple optimization on the software," said Baier.
"Our students come in, and they really have their own imagination manifest in these machines. That's the whole point. Is that whatever, whatever their designs require, they can manufacture here," explained Don Weinkauf, dean of engineering at the University of St. Thomas.
"In the initial boot camp, the students have a better understanding of how to set this machine up and cut parts, and then the follow-up gets into optimizing those programs," said Richard Wold, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of St. Thomas.
The goal is to build next-generation skills for Minnesota's seasoned experts and those at the start of their careers.
"It's very important. There will come a point in this boot camp and in the future when you're going to have to apply it all at once, and you want to have that ability and be able to do it quickly and efficiently," said Baier.
To sign up for the training program, click here.