2014 Production Project

First Piece Inspection

Each year, students in the Machine Tool & C.A.M. program are assigned a project that is referred to as a "production project."  The actual project has changed over the years but last year we started making Stirling Engines.  Last years class was tasked with making 27 engines and they were successful in doing so.  Feeling confident, I decided that this years class was not only going to make a different design but that they would make 50 Stirling Engines.

With two weeks left in the school year, we managed to assemble our first motor.  There was a huge sigh of relief in the entire shop when we managed to get this first motor running.  Keep in mind that I was not even sure if our designs would even work.  (I don't tell the students this concern when I'm telling them to make parts for 50 motors)  Now that we have assembled a functioning engine, we will spend a majority of the last week of school assembling the last 49 engines.  This process should make for an interesting week.

This project has turned into an excellent experience for the Machine Tool students.  Most of their lab assignments require them to make one single part.  With this project, they are required to make 50, which forces them to approach the production of a part from a completely different angle.   In addition, the students are forced to work together in the production of these parts.  This particular engine is comprised of 30+ parts and if a single part is incorrect, the engine simply will not function.  Teams were created with each having a team leader who is charged with coordinating the groups efforts.

There have been some bumps along the way but I optimistic that all fifty engines will be assembled and operational by weeks end.  If you would like to lend moral support, feel free to stop by the shop.

YouTube Video of first assembled engine
2014 Student Stirling Engine

2014 Machine Tool Luncheon

2014 Luncheon

Yesterday, April 27th, the Machine Tool Technology program at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology hosted the 3rd Annual Alumni Luncheon.  As in previous years, it was well attended with approximately fifty people taking part.  Those attending included Machine Tool alumni, current students, local employers, and incoming students.

The original intent of the event was to help recruit high school students into the Machine Tool program.  Although it has been successful in this regard, the event has turned into a true alumni reunion and serves as testament to the success of our graduates.  For the high school students and their families who attend the event, it is a powerful recruiting tool to be able to talk to successful graduates and local employers who have hired graduates in the past.

This event is definitely here to stay.  See you next year!

Performance Numbers Are In!

Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology annually surveys both the companies that hire our graduates and the graduates themselves. We do this so that we can insure that what we are doing is relevant and to insure we remain that way.  Another reason we spend the resources to compile this information is so that we can brag to everyone who will listen.

Class of 2014

Everyone has heard about the ongoing problem of student-loan debt, the rising cost of college tuition, and unemployment rates among recent college graduates.  For various reasons allot of people have an unfavorable opinion of the trades and instead believe that some golden pathway awaits everyone who graduates from a 4-year college.  Instead of considering a career in something like machining, people are spending money they don't have to go to college in the hopes of getting a job that doesn't exist.

Personally, I think the tide is turning and people are once again looking at the skilled trades as a good decision.  With the information shown below it's hard to believe that we struggle every year to find qualified students who are interested in machining. 

• ·         Over the past three years, 100% of our Machine Tool & CAM students have found full-time employment in their field prior to graduation.

• ·         The median reported starting annual salary for Machine Tool & CAM graduates over the past three years 2010, 2011, 2012 is $38,000 ($18.26/hour)

• ·         Over the past three years, student satisfaction from the Machine Tool & CAM program has been a 5 out of 5 (Excellent)

• ·         Employer satisfaction: 98% of all employers of Machine Tool & CAM graduates from the class of 2012 felt the graduate’s educational qualifications from Thaddeus Stevens College prepared him/her for the job and would hire a Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology student again in the future.  

Spreading the Word at Cabin Fever

  The Cabin Fever Model Engine Show is an event held every year at the York Fairgrounds.  If you are remotely interested in this type of thing then you need to put it on next years calender because it is simply amazing.  We decided to participate this year by getting our own table at the show and it ended up being a successful decision.

Mr. Surra doing some recruiting.

  This is the second year that the students have been building Stirling engines at school so attending the model engine show made sense.  We were well received and we felt at the end of the day that we had succeeded in promoting the program.  Many people were amazed at the quality of work our students are able to do in two years and we were able to hand out quite a bit of literature about our program and the college.  Of course we told everyone that not only is Machine Tool the coolest but is hands down the best major at Stevens College.  There were not many doubters on this point.

  At least a dozen students came to the show on their own and we were visited by just as many alumni.  The vast majority of people in attendance have at least some knowledge of machining and many of the exhibitors are master machinists and tool & die makers.  Needless to say, there was plenty of conversation about machining and many people were encouraged by our efforts.  It was a good day all around for the Machine Tool program and Thaddeus Stevens College.

LINK TO CABIN FEVER EXPO WEBSITE

The Countdown Begins

With only four weeks left, the annual countdown to graduation has officially begun.  In the 17 years that I have been teaching at Stevens, one thing has remained unchanged and that's the nervous energy found in the machine shop during the last few weeks of class.  Some of the students are focused on completing projects, some are worried about where they're going to work, and there is always a few that are wondering if they're going to graduate.   It is, to say the least, a challenging time for all of us.

At this point, most of the students know where they are going to work after graduation.  A handful are trying to make the decision between one or more options.  For the undecided, it's about the location of the job, how much does this company pay vs. that company, and what type of work does each company do.  Everyone who has gone through this knows the stress connected to making all the decisions that the next few weeks demand.  As I like to remind everyone, "the real world is waiting for you out there" and the reality of that statement is a little intimidating.  I don't care how tough my students want to pretend they are, it's scary when this chapter comes to an end. 

I like to think that I have helped prepare them for at least one part of their adult lives.  Of all the challenges life will throw at this years graduates, employment now and in the future will not be one of them.   They may not have a perfect job or the highest paying job but they'll have a good job.  They may get married and have kids of their own and they will never have worry about taking care of the ones they love.  Having a good job does not guarantee a happy life but it sure does help.  As grumpy and mean as I get during this time of year, I always remember these facts and it helps to keep things in perspective.
 

The Winds They Are A Changing

Today's open house, by most measures, was a big success.  The weather was great and the campus was crowded with potential students and their families.  Mr. Surra, two machine tool students, and myself continuously spoke with interested students for over three hours.  In previous years, these things alone would have made me consider this a successful day of recruiting but today there was something different.

Mr. Surra "talking shop" at today's open house

Many times in the past I found myself trying to sell and convince people that the machining trade was a good career path.  Skepticism was something I had to overcome with almost every other person I spoke to.  Today the air was different: I can't recall trying to convince a single person that getting into machining was a worthy choice.  Instead, a majority of today's questions revolved around class size, equipment in the lab, financial aid, and whether or not they were too late to enroll.  Needless to say it was encouraging and I am hopeful that it's a sign that things are shifting.

With all the publicity about student loan debt and the unemployment rates of college graduates, it is only a matter of time until parents and students start to reconsider college choices.  If eventual employment is the goal of acquiring a college degree then employment should be used as the primary measure for assessing a degree.  If that logic becomes the norm then programs such as Machine Tool Tech. will be in greater demand.
 
 

What is G-code Chitchat?

For over a century, Thaddeus Stevens College has prepared young people to enter the machining trade and in the process has developed a respectable reputation.  Graduates of every generation have maintained this reputation and in turn a true tradition has been created.  In every sense of the term, the machine tool program has stood the test of time.  America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers but Thaddeus Stevens College has marked the time.  American industry has flourished and faltered, technology has grown exponentially, but throughout the years, Thaddeus Stevens College has persevered and has continually  improved the lives of our students and prepared them to be full effective citizens.

The purpose of this blog is to keep Alumni, students, and other supporters informed of changes and accomplishments of the Machine Tool Program while promoting the program and the machining trades.  The tradition and reputation exist and we're proud of it.  It is my intention to increase the momentum and to insure that the Machine Tool Program at Thaddeus Stevens College overcomes the challenges of the next 100 years.

#ThaddeusStevensCollegeofTechnology