Welding

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Penn College first in U.S. higher education to get innovative welder

Through a partnership with Cambridge Vacuum Engineering Inc., Pennsylvania College of Technology will soon have an electron beam welder, similar to the unit shown here, for use in its welding and metal fabrication program.

Pennsylvania College of Technology is partnering with Cambridge Vacuum Engineering Inc. to bring electron beam welding to the curriculum of its welding and metal fabrication program.

A 6okV electron beam welder from CVE, a Cambridge, England-based, company with a U.S. sales and support office, will be used by the college in its soon-to-be expanded welding instructional facility in the Lycoming Engines Metal Trade Center. This is the first electron beam welder placed by the company in any college or university within the United States, and one of only a few in higher-education institutions worldwide.

The welder will be installed in the fall of 2019, immediately enabling the college to enhance the majors offered within the welding and metal fabrication program, providing exceptional opportunities for Penn College students.

The need for electron beam welder technicians is increasing in industry; the partnership with CVE will help Penn College satisfy that demand. Electron beam welding has become a vital technology in the aerospace, automotive, energy, medical, semiconductor and military industries.

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Penn College, leading company form perfect ‘package’

Packaging Progressions Inc. in Souderton – the world’s leading supplier of high-speed interleaving and stacking machines – boasts a multi-generational connection to Penn College. Company founder and chairman Larry Ward (center) graduated from Penn College’s predecessor institution, Williamsport Area Community College, in 1966. Welder/fabricator Brett E. Stanley (left), of Lancaster, graduated from Penn College in 2012, and automation engineer Johnathan T. Capps, of North Wales, earned his degree from the college last May.

On the surface, the three men have little in common. One looks like a vibrant, distinguished grandfather with his neatly trimmed white goatee and confident gait. The second could pass for a lead singer in a rock band with his lip and nose rings, faded T-shirt and long hair. The third appears to be a budding executive with his coiffed hair and button-down shirt complemented by a perfect smile.

They are separated by appearance, age, background and job title. But the three share educational roots at Pennsylvania College of Technology and mission at Packaging Progressions Inc. in Souderton.

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SkillsUSA video features college’s all-female welding team

Produced by SkillsUSA, a “Diversity in Manufacturing” video features the state champion Penn College welding team of Erin M. Beaver, Joelle E. Perelli and Natalie Rhoades. The welding and fabrication engineering majors are helping to change America’s outdated ideas on what manufacturing is and what kind of person can find success, security and satisfaction in a manufacturing-related career. The video, added to the college’s YouTube channel, also includes insights from Volvo Construction Equipment North America.

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State Senate Appropriations Committee chair tours campus

Always engaged and advocating for the college, Yaw (right) converses with Browne in the atrium of the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center.

State Sen. Patrick M. Browne, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, visited Pennsylvania College of Technology on Thursday.

Browne, who represents the 16th District – which includes Allentown and other municipalities within Lehigh County – came to campus after presenting an election and legislative update at a breakfast sponsored by the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce.

He was invited by fellow Appropriations Committee member Sen. Gene Yaw, who also serves as chairman of the Penn College Board of Directors. Yaw also hosted the Chamber legislative update event, held at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport.

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Celebrating those cheery, eerie Halloween nights

Screaming and sprinting through their fright night in the welding lab, this group aims for (relative) safety in numbers.

“In this town we call home, everybody hail to the pumpkin song,” say the lyrics in a modern-day film favorite, and Penn College students surely welcomed Halloween with a pair of juxtaposed traditions: kid-friendly hours for trick-or-treating at The Village Apartments on Wednesday, balanced by the following night’s shudder-inducing attraction of the ever-expanding “Arc Asylum” haunted welding laboratory.

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Penn College welding expansion project underway

Ground was broken recently for a welding expansion project at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Made possible in part by a $2 million grant provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, the project will increase the size of welding-related instructional space in the Lycoming Engines Metal Trades Center by approximately 35,000 square feet.

Construction has commenced on a project that will expand and enhance the space available for welding instruction at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The expansion, made possible in part by a $2 million grant provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, will increase the size of welding-related instructional space in the Lycoming Engines Metal Trades Center by approximately 35,000 square feet.

Expanding will allow the welding program to grow the curriculum and enroll up to 60 more students annually. Traditionally, the program has a waiting list for enrollees.

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Penn College Women Welders Help Serve the Greater Good

The all-female team from Penn College that participated in a welding fabrication competition at the SkillsUSA National Championships, shows the rocket stove they built during the event. The stove will be donated to a family in the developing world by WaterStep. From left are Joelle E. Perelli, of Bath; Natalie J. Rhoades, of Weedville; and Erin M. Beaver, of Winfield.

Three talented female welding students from Pennsylvania College of Technology didn’t win their national competition, but the result of their effort will endure much longer than the shine of any medal.

A rocket stove manufactured by welding and fabrication engineering technology students Erin M. Beaver, of Winfield; Joelle E. Perelli, of Bath; and Natalie J. Rhoades, of Weedville, earlier this summer at the SkillsUSA National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky, is in the process of being donated to a family in the developing world.

“You don’t realize what you have until you find out what other people don’t have. That made me appreciate the competition even more,” Rhoades said.

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Volvo Applauds Welding Intern’s Accomplishments

A welding and fabrication engineering technology student, who recently completed an internship with Volvo Construction Equipment, was given an online shout-out by her summer employer for an “exceptional performance” at SkillsUSA nationals. Natalie J. Rhoades, of Weedville, was one of three women on Penn College’s welding fabrication team that competed in Louisville, Kentucky, in late June. “It’s fantastic to have such talented and dedicated young professionals as Natalie launching their careers with Volvo CE, and we want to congratulate her and her team for their performance,” said Gustavo Casagrandi, vice president of Shippensburg operations. “We believe that supporting young talent will help benefit the entire construction equipment industry and we are happy to play any part we can in helping young people pursue a career in the manufacturing fields.”

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Penn College Students Dominate Scholarship List

Recent scholarships from the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies reflects Pennsylvania College of Technology’s standing as a national leader in applied technology education.

Penn College students received nine of 22 awards from the PMMI Scholarship in Memorial of Claude S. Breeden, Glenn Davis and Art Schaefer. The $4,000 scholarships honor students who maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher, plan for a career in packaging and processing machinery manufacturing, and show industry involvement through internship and career development activities.

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Penn College Women Welders Aim for National Recognition

An all-female team from Penn College will compete for gold in welding fabrication at the SkillsUSA National Championships in late June. From left are Natalie J. Rhoades, Weedville; Joelle E. Perelli, Bath; and Erin M. Beaver, Winfield. The three students are seeking bachelor’s degrees in welding and fabrication engineering technology.

Pennsylvania College of Technology students vying for gold at the SkillsUSA National Championships is common. An all-female welding team representing the school at the prestigious competition is not.

Thanks to three talented female welding and fabrication engineering technology students, it may be in the future. The trio aim to be trendsetters at the college and nationally.

“I told them that they shocked Pennsylvania when they went to Hershey and won gold. I truly believe that if they stay focused and put in the time and effort, they could very well shock the nation,” said Jacob B. Holland, the welding instructor instrumental in forming the all-female team for SkillsUSA’s welding fabrication competition.

Erin M. Beaver, of Winfield; Joelle E. Perelli, of Bath; and Natalie J. Rhoades, of Weedville, defeated all-male counterparts at the district and state levels to advance to the SkillsUSA National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky, June 25-29. The annual event showcases the best career and technical education students, who compete in about 100 categories from computer programming to culinary arts.

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Two Alumni Honored at Penn College Commencements

Pennsylvania College of Technology presented honors to two alumni during Spring 2018 commencement ceremonies, held May 11-12 at the Community Arts Center, Williamsport.

Andrew S. Wisner, of Cumming, Georgia, formerly of York, received the Alumni Achievement Award on May 11, and Bradley G. Willis, of Harrisburg, formerly of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, was presented with the Volunteer of the Year Award during morning exercises on May 12.

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Penn College Baja Team Pumped for Kansas Competition

Members of the Penn College Baja SAE team take a well-earned break during their April competition in Maryland. Standing from left are: Myron D. Milliken, Lewistown; Matthew J. Nyman, Lock Haven; Todd R. Mercer, Williamsport; Dylan A. Bianco, State College; Christopher M. Schweikert, Jamison; Mathias Decker, Farmington; Shujaa AlQahtani, Saudi Arabia; Trevor M. Clouser, Millmont; Daniel M. Gerard, Doylestown; Joshua J. Cover, Selinsgrove; adviser John G. Upcraft; and Jonathan R. Sutcliffe, Orangeville. Sitting on the car from left are: Logan B. Goodhart, Chambersburg; Johnathan T. Capps, North Wales; and Mark A. Turek, Red Lion. Sitting on the ground is alumnus Zach Mazur, who started the college’s Baja SAE team in 2005.

During the past few years, the Pennsylvania College of Technology Baja SAE team has been among the world’s best. Now, the dedicated students want to be the best.

Penn College can obtain that lofty ranking when it competes against 99 other schools in the next Society of Automotive Engineers event, scheduled for May 17-20 in Pittsburg, Kansas.

“Our goal is to win the endurance race,” said Logan B. Goodhart, a manufacturing engineering technology major from Chambersburg, who serves as team captain. “Our car has a lot of potential. We just have to play things smart and have a little luck.”

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Shower of Sparks Brings May Flowers

In the welding lab (from left), Sparkman, Nolan and Carlson display their towering, flowering creation ... — In the welding lab (from left), Sparkman, Nolan and Carlson display their towering, flowering creation …

... before it was transported "over the mountain" and installed at its permanent location outside the ESC. — … before it was transported “over the mountain” and installed at its permanent location outside the ESC.

An instructor and two students in his Gas Metal Arc welding class created an appropriate greenhouse sign for the Schneebeli Earth Science Center, home to Penn College’s horticulture/landscape technology major. The project began when Facebook-posted photos of metal roses crafted in Matt W. Nolan’s welding lab on main campus caught the eye of a faculty colleague at the ESC. “I asked him if he would be interested in creating a new sign for our Greenhouse #3,” said Carl J. Bower Jr., assistant professor of horticulture, noting that the existing sign – a small piece of wood into which the facility’s name was carved – was rather dated. “He and his students came through and created a fitting sign for us.” Nolan was joined on the job by welding and fabrication engineering technology majors Daniel C. Carlson, of Linesville, and Tyler J. Sparkman, of Aliquippa. “Carl said he planted sunflowers in this greenhouse, among other plants, so I thought some steel sunflowers would be perfect. I also wanted to create a piece of art that would stand the test of time much like that old wooden sign was struggling to do!” Nolan said. “The students did such a great job and also created a piece of artwork that showcases the skills they have learned. I’m very proud of Ty and Dan’s hard work on this project, as well as all the welding students in our program.”
Photos by Bower

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SkillsUSA Competitors Strike Gold; 21 Students Headed to Nationals

Nearly all 27 members of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s SkillsUSA team – 21 of them advancing to the 54th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, Kentucky – earned medals during recent state competition.

The competitors represent majors across four of Penn College’s academic schools, and the theme for the April 18-20 Pennsylvania Leadership and Skills Conference in Hershey couldn’t have been more fitting for students gaining career-making skills in hands-on fashion: “Champions at Work: Job-Ready, Day One.”

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Welding Students Earn Top Honors in Proficiency Tests

From left are Michael E. Allen, welding instructor and department head; students Bachman, Brown, Cline and Passarelli; Flood, AWS president; and students Carroll and Rosler.

Flood addresses the Thompson Professional Development Center audience …

... and joins top prize-winner Bachman (with his plaque and Rebel Welding Machine). — … and joins top prize-winner Bachman (with his plaque and Rebel Welding Machine).

Six Penn College students were among those recognized at a recent American Welding Society banquet as the top winners in a peer-to-peer skills competition held this semester in the Avco-Lycoming Metal Trades Center. The annual event was the culmination of precision tasks performed by advanced welding students and judged by retired faculty and industry experts. Aided by X-ray inspection of the contestants’ test-weld coupons, the judging team assessed the students’ aptitude, selected the highest performers, and showered the winners with plaques and prizes. Awarded first through sixth places, respectively, were Gavin P. Bachman, of Slatington; Leif E. Brown, of Huntingdon; Skyler M. Cline, of Erin, New York; Timothy O. Passarelli, of Purcellville, Virginia; Douglas V. Carroll, of Gouldsboro; and Ethan D. Rosler, of Bloomsburg. Cline and Rosler are enrolled in welding and fabrication engineering technology; the others are all welding technology majors. The featured speaker for the evening, which also celebrated the winners of a related high school competition, was 2018 AWS President Dale Flood, of Tri Tool Inc. in Rancho Cordova, California.
Photos by Rachel A. Eirmann, student photographer

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