News about Automated Manufacturing & Machining

The Gene Haas Foundation is donating $30,000 to benefit automated manufacturing and machining students at Pennsylvania College of Technology in the 2022-23 academic year.

The donation reserves $27,500 in scholarship support for students in the automated manufacturing & machining cluster of academic majors and another $2,500 for the college’s Baja SAE team, which won consecutive endurance races in prestigious national competitions in May and June with its off-road vehicle.

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Students in the manufacturing engineering technology major – along with faculty – recently received expert training on a Trak VMC7si CNC Vertical Machining Center. The machining center features an innovative control from Siemens Co. Several Trak/Southwestern Industries and Siemens representatives were on hand recently to help introduce the new addition to students in the Automated Machining Lab, a hub of hands-on learning on industry-standard equipment. With Penn College’s purchase of the new vertical machining center, Trak, through distributor Southwestern Industries Inc., donated a Trak 1630 RX CNC Toolroom Lathe and a Trak TMC5 Toolroom Machining Center. Watch PCToday for more on the equipment donation.

Among the newer additions to the Pennsylvania College of Technology community as the Fall 2022 semester begins are 19 faculty members, as provided by the Office of People & Culture. Fifteen will begin their instructional duties on Aug. 11; the remainder were added to the roster as noted.

“This cohort of new faculty possesses a wide range of experiences and skills,” said Joanna K. Flynn, dean of curriculum and instruction. “We are excited to see the impact they will have on our students and the college.”

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Pennsylvania College of Technology “manufactured” an enriching educational adventure for students this summer with a 16-day excursion to Germany and an institution renowned for vocational training.

Led by Richard K. Hendricks Jr. and Howard W. Troup, instructors of automated manufacturing and machining, the seven students experienced a mix of classroom, lab and hands-on work with German machining methods. The three-credit course – Precision Machining in Germany – comprised robotics, CNC and PLC programming, quality control specialist training, and tours of leading companies reflecting Industry 4.0, manufacturing’s increasing reliance on smart automation and data exchange.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Education has awarded Pennsylvania College of Technology a PAsmart Advancing Computer Science and STEM Education Grant.

The $314,440 grant is part of a Department of Education initiative to help regions grow partnerships between LEAs (Local Education Agencies), higher-education institutions, businesses, early childhood institutions, community groups, and other computer science/STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)-focused organizations.

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A second week of Pre-College Programs, providing an absorbing midmonth bill of fare, winningly delivered eight more options for teenagers looking for purposeful summer diversion. Attracting both the well-traveled and the close-to-home, the latest Penn College sessions covered a range of career-focused opportunity: Automotive Restoration; Design, Build & Grow (landscape and horticulture); Diesel Truck & Heavy Equipment; Fundamentals of Emergency Response; Graphic Design Summer Studio; the first-time offerings of Have Your Cake & Decorate It, Too and Non-Destructive Testing; and Thingamajig Fabricators. This photo gallery provides a sampling of the visitors’ enlightening encounters with their potential futures, with a slightly heavier dose of the inaugural cake-decorating camp … because who doesn’t want an extra helping of cake? (Readers can also relive the first round of Pre-College Programs, published elsewhere on PCToday.)

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Penn College’s winning entry in mid-May’s international Baja SAE competition at Cookville, Tennessee, figures prominently in a YouTube video posted by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The video features footage of the Penn College vehicle in action, as well as comments from the team’s two drivers: Tyler J. Bandle, of Slatington, and Dakota C. Harrison, of Lewisberry. “It is the time of your life. It’ll stick with you forever.” Bandle says during a post-race interview. “This experience has been absolutely transformative for me,” adds Harrison, who also served as club vice president. “I would not be the engineer, the machinist or the man I am today without this program.” The victory at Tennessee Tech was the first of two endurance wins for the college’s Baja SAE team. Three weeks later, Bandle and Harrison repeated the feat against another field of prestigious competitors in Palmyra, New York. Attendance at the Tennessee event prevented a number of team members (the co-drivers included) from participating in Spring Commencement exercises; they will be among the classmates taking part in the Aug. 6 ceremony at the Community Arts Center.

The Thingamajig Fabricators Pre-College Program, widening high school students’ eyes to in-demand manufacturing skills through wide-open access to campus labs – was featured on Newswatch 16’s Tuesday broadcasts. WNEP reporter Chris Keating made an afternoon visit to Penn College with videographer Tom Durant, talking with students Tanner Green, a Sayre 11th grader, and Sullivan Stilson, a ninth grader from State College; as well as Bradley M. Webb, dean of engineering technologies, about the camp. “It lets you experience it so you know what it’s like,” said Stilson, spending the day in the welding lab, “because you can’t tell if you enjoy something without experiencing it.”

The acting secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development visited campus on Monday to talk with Penn College faculty and high school students participating in the four-day Thingamajig Fabricators Pre-College Program that was partially funded by the Governor’s Office.

“The Wolf Administration is proud to support camps like these and introduce the next generation to different ways they can work in the manufacturing industry,” Neil Weaver said. “It’s exciting to be here to see firsthand the excitement and enthusiasm these students have for manufacturing. From what I’ve seen here today, the future of Pennsylvania manufacturing is in very good hands.”

Gov. Tom Wolf had earmarked nearly $80,000 in grants to Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, a charitable foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International, to partner in six Summer Manufacturing Camps this year and another dozen in 2023.

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Lycoming Engines, a longtime corporate partner of Pennsylvania College of Technology, has made a gift to help the college’s Baja SAE team purchase an enclosed trailer – one that will safely store and transport the club’s off-road racing vehicle and related equipment to prestigious competitions nationwide.

For a decade, Penn College’s Baja SAE team has placed among the nation’s elite during the Society of Automotive Engineer’s Collegiate Design Series endurance races. This year, the team captured the top spot at Baja SAE Tennessee Tech and Baja SAE Rochester, besting the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Cornell, Rochester Institute of Technology and Virginia Tech, among others.

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Pennsylvania College of Technology leads the nation in scholarship recipients from a foundation that promotes skilled manufacturing careers.

Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs – the foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International – awarded the $1,500-$2,500 scholarships to full-time undergraduate students enrolled in a certificate or degree program leading to a career in manufacturing.

Penn College students received six of the 32 scholarships for the Fall 2022 semester.

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David A. Smith, a 2014 graduate of Penn College’s automated manufacturing technology major and owner-operator of Motive Machine Works LLC in Lancaster, is the subject of a 14-minute YouTube video uploaded by Practical Machinist for its expansive online community. After working several years for others, Smith said he determined that he wanted to start his own business with a focus on rapid prototyping and quick turnaround for computer numerical control machine products. “I saw a need to improve some of the processes that were done around the industry – a need that I could personally make better – so I ended up leaving my job and went completely ‘full steam ahead’ on the business and acquiring customers.” Four years later, he has one full-time employee, three CNC machines and plans to expand into adjoining space. Check out Smith’s walk-through of the facility, among the latest to be showcased in the “Machine Shop Tour” series.

U.S. Rep. Fred Keller, R-12th, met with local elected officials and representatives of Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry during a District Energy Day that included a roundtable discussion at Penn College. “Right here at Pennsylvania College of Technology, we see the great work they’re doing to educate the future workforce,” said the congressman, who supplemented Monday’s session with tours of plastics, welding and machining labs.

A national foundation devoted to manufacturing’s future is teaming with Pennsylvania College of Technology to spark interest among high schoolers in the sector’s rewarding careers.

Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, the charitable foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International, provided a $2,000 grant for the college to host the Thingamajig Fabricators Pre-College Program for students entering grades 9-12. The program is also supported by the PMMI Education and Training Foundation and Construction Specialties Inc.

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After 17 years of racing, the Penn College Baja SAE team finally captured a coveted first-place finish. Twice. First in Tennessee and next in New York, the all-star team outperformed a strong field from around the world in the famed endurance event. “Going into Tennessee, we really didn’t know if we could do it. It was a lot more of a surprise,” said Dakota C. Harrison, of Lewisberry, Baja club vice president and one of two drivers for the endurance race. “By the time we finished Tennessee, that gave us the confidence to show up to Rochester. We knew that we could do it, but there’s so many things out on the track that could have taken us out at any time.” Rugged terrain, changing elevation, and tight turns were no match for the team’s grit and their buggy’s durability. Meet the team. Hear their story. And relive the victory that will fuel all future competitions.