MoldMaking Technology

SEP 2017

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Education and Training 32 MoldMaking Technology —— SEPTEMBER 2017 mold materials and process technolo- gies are coming to market that require a specifically trained workforce. According to Mike Guscott, apprentice program manager at Edro, personnel development and training is a key part of the company's ongoing strategy and focus. Edro therefore developed an 18-month apprenticeship program that provides a strong foundation for each individual. It is based on in-house edu- cation at any of the company's many global locations. The program covers mold steels and aluminum, including the company's RoyAlloy stainless prod- uct, as well as customer site visits so that students can learn problem-solv- ing and the ability to make sales calls. North American moldmakers need to be well informed on the best materials and processes available, helping them to produce high-performance plastic mold tooling and stay ahead in today's globally competitive marketplace. To be able to assist, Edro apprentices are instructed on the various types of mold designs, molding operations and specific steels and heat treatments required for each application. Hands- on instruction in machining, heat- treatment and surface coatings are also covered in detail. For sales training, the apprenticeship covers territory plan- ning, time management, market evalu- ation, budgeting and sales. Additionally, Edro regularly cooper- ates with several universities, including Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania, Lehigh University in Lehigh, Pennsylvania, and Concordia University in Chicago, Illinois, to Veterans Training at Vincennes University Helps Fill Skills Gap Haas Automation (Oxnard, California) may be a household name in manufacturing, but many are not as familiar with the Gene Haas Foundation and its mission to help fill the skills gap. In fact, many machin- ists entering manufacturing over the last decade probably honed their skills on a Haas CNC machine or attended classes at one of the growing number of Haas Technical Education Centers. Among them is a special segment of the population that has come to represent part of the solution for workforce devel- opment: U.S. military veterans. In partnership with Vincennes University (VU) in Vincennes, Indiana, the Gene Haas Foundation presented a $1.5 million grant to help build the Gene Haas Training and Education Center to house the university's CNC machinist training programs in Lebanon, Indiana. According to David Tucker, vice president for workforce development and community services at the university, the idea to focus on veterans came out of a meeting with representatives of the Haas Factory Outlet and Haas Automation, where they were discussing a new 15-week training curriculum. "We were discussing the program when somebody says, what about veterans? At that time, Indiana had a veteran unemployment rate of 18 percent—three times the state average," Tucker says. "We agreed we would work with veterans, and we began convening educators, Haas team members and employer part- ners. Haas assisted with bringing in other partners with whom we wouldn't have had access otherwise, such as Mitutoyo, Mastercam and Sandvik Coromant." The 20,000-square-foot facility houses class- rooms, a fully-equipped metrology lab, a CNC machine shop/classroom that features six Haas vertical machining centers, six Haas CNC lathes, a manual engine lathe, a surface grinder, a Bridgeport knee mill, a simulator room where instruction on Haas controls is provided and an industrial maintenance lab. It was opened in time for the 2015-2016 school year. Tucker says that because mold shops are so military- and veteran-friendly, the school regularly reminds employer partners about the program and asks them for referrals. "We know they know some- body, whether it's a relative or an employee, who is a veteran and would be an ideal candidate, but they don't have the skills. Well, now we've got an answer that only takes 15 weeks as opposed to two years." The candidate who Tucker says VU and Haas can help the most is the person who was in the army and in the infantry and didn't gain any practical skills. "They weren't working on machines," he says. "They come out of the service and think, 'now what do I do?' They don't realize they gained skills that are valuable in this industry, such as teamwork, being mission-driven, pulling 20-hour shifts and work- ing under some difficult conditions. That's a machine shop!" For veterans who aren't employed and don't have the resources to pay for training (and that has been all of them so far, according to Tucker), the Gene Haas foundation may be the answer as it has provided more than $380,000 in scholarship support in addition to the $1.5 million grant that helped build the school. Another organization, Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT), is a department- of-defense-funded program based in Detroit that has contributed $200,000 to help cover the financial gap for veterans attending VU. Pictured here is the first class of military veterans to graduate from the CNC machinist training program offered at Vincennes University's Gene Haas Training Center in Lebanon, Indiana. Image courtesy of the Gene Haas Foundation. Our goal is to help the individual develop and become a well-rounded and successful professional in today's plastic molding and moldmaking industries.

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