Ohio State University has filled their training lab with Tormach CNC machine equipment to meet the challenges of educating future engineers.

I love STEM events. Students huddling around chemistry experiments, buzzing machines, and the buzzing of learning makes me giddy; all of these bright young minds are going to be our future, and, with our help, our legacy as STEM professionals.

Letting students take control of the CNC machine for the first time each semester can be terrifying enough if they were paying attention to your wise words of caution, but we all know some of them weren’t taking studious notes. An easy way to save your machine and nerves is to give your students forgiving workpieces, like machinist wax, wood, or plastic, but that’s not always the best solution.

Earlier this week, we visited a local technical school, Madison College, to see what they were up to with their PCNC 440. As part of the automation integration program, an array of students have had the opportunity to use Fanuc robots for different programming and automation challenges. Students did everything from packaging candy to unpacking a CD. But, we’re biased, and our favorite took blank aluminum cubes and turned them into dice with our PCNC 440. The students created a system to make a Fanuc controller, PathPilot, and a PLC system all talk to each other. With an array of pneumatic fixtures and workholdings, and even an automatic door closer, these students have managed to create a robust metalworking/machine tending system in just a semester. Though the whole system is just a prototype, we’re excited to see new ways to integrate our machines with other forms of automation – especially when it’s students in the classroom. Keep an eye out for the full customer story on the Madison College students in the future.

We love STEM, and not just because we’re a company full of engineers and machinists. Our marketing and logistics departments are just as geeky as the tech crew. That’s why we played host to a Family STEM Day that was put on by the local library, here in Waunakee, WI. Everything from community members showing off an FRC competition robot from Badger Bots and retro electronics to building spaghetti-marshmallow towers to creating miniature marble rollercoasters. Sector 67, a local makerspace, even had an array of projects showing off their wares. With a line winding through the building, Tormach had staff on-hand engraving customized dog tags using a PCNC 440 and PathPilot’s conversational function. After witnessing over 600 parents and kids wander through Family STEM Day, it can easily be said that STEM is a hit, and we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it.  

Here at Tormach, we love getting involved in education and giving students a chance to get hands-on experience with real tools. That’s why we spent last weekend at the FIRST Robotics Regional Competition, in Milwaukee, WI, cheering on kids who built robots to compete for a place at the national event. Also during the event, the State of Wisconsin signed a new law that commits $250k in general purpose revenue to grants to help high-school teams participate in robotics events, like FIRST. A number of team mentors (the adults in charge) visited our booth to discuss the PCNC 440 and how it could fit into their curriculum. Even more than the mentors, kids (the young engineers) surrounded the machine asking questions and inquiring how they could get a machine. Many FIRST teams already have access to a Tormach machine, but more schools than ever seem to be taking interest in getting their hands on a Personal CNC machine – and we couldn’t be more excited to help them mold the roboticists of the future!