Manufacturing Fun

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MFG DAY Logo

Last month Wenzel America participated in our first Manufacturing Day, an event designed to expose high school students to the world of manufacturing, and hopefully build their interest in a manufacturing-based career.

It was a great event for us, bringing 15 local students to our office for in-depth demonstrations on metrology principles, GD&T, CMM mechanics, and CT scanning technology. The students gained an appreciation for what the world of metrology has to offer, and how it fits into the ecosystem that is Manufacturing.

For us, it was a refreshing event. Often in our daily working lives, we interact with customers, vendors, and partners; all of whom are very well versed, if not experts in their respective fields. Because of this, it is easy to take for granted the amazing world of manufacturing that we get to be a part of.

Sharing our knowledge with a group of students is a great reminder that what we do can be an exciting and fascinating job. For example; showing them how a CT system can scan a medical implant used to treat degenerative diseases, highlights not only our technology but the amazing work being done in manufacturing to advance the quality of life in a patient.

Teaching the students about the language of GD&T provides not only an insight into how the Engineering and Manufacturing communities communicate, but also gives an opportunity to discuss how large-scale manufacturing can be done around the world with a level of quality, consistency, and speed that was unthinkable 30 years ago.

Demonstrating the principles of how a CMM works, and basic maintenance techniques is also an interesting experience for the students. Increasingly our lives are filled with disposable items, or “Black Box” items like the phones in our pockets.

We may have an understanding of how they work generally, but we never get our hands on the inner workings. Pulling back the covers on a machine gives insight into how elegantly these types of systems work; the balance of strength, accuracy, and fluidity that makes a CMM so good at what it does. This type of insight can be increasingly rare in our modern world.

What we found at the end of #MFGDAY16 was that sharing what we know with these kids, helped us remember that what we do can be very cool sometimes. We are fortunate to work with some very talented people on some very exciting projects, and taking a moment to appreciate that, can add a little fun to the day.

Hopefully, we’ve planted some seeds among the next generation so they can bring their talents to the table and help our Manufacturing community stay strong and resilient.

So what does this have to do with you, the reader? I’m guessing, each of you plays an interesting part in this Manufacturing world as well, or you wouldn’t be reading this. Whether you are making chips or checking parts, you each touch some part of this web that is our industrial base.

I would encourage you to reach out to the organizers of #MFGDAYand see how you can participate next year, to help build a stronger future for us all. We promise you won’t be disappointed. Find out more here.