Advanced Manufacturing & Fabrication
The student who enjoys teamwork, has an eye for detail, and has strengths in math, science, and art will find success in Advanced Manufacturing & Fabrication. This program provides students with a solid foundation in machining, metal fabrication, and welding disciplines. Through a combination of presentations, live customer projects, and advanced laboratory simulations, students learn to program and operate manual and computerized numerical control (CNC) equipment. By working closely with other programs to determine process variables and develop solutions, students acquire the collaborative skills necessary for success in modern manufacturing. With a shortage of skilled workers in the advanced manufacturing field, our graduates have many employment and post-secondary opportunities from which to choose.
- Mathematical and scientific principles of manufacturing
- Multiprocess welding (shielded metal, gas metal arc, gas tungsten arc, oxyacetylene, and plasma)
- CNC equipment operation (computer numerical control lathes, millers, and plasma cutters)
- CAD/CAM operations (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing)
- Turning and milling
- Welding and metal fabrication
Hands-on Projects
CNC Machine: With a nationwide push to bring American-made products back to store shelves, it’s important to give our students the skills and experience needed to work with the machinery used in manufacturing those very products. Students will complete projects from concept to product while honing their skills on the computer numerical control machines designed to cut materials like aluminum, plastics, steel, and more. Through hands-on projects, students will learn the elements of high value-added manufacturing concepts such as blueprint interpretation, CNC programming, precision measuring, and safe setup and operation of equipment.
Welding & Metal Fabrication: Looking at a piece of raw sheet metal and imagining the future tools and products that lie within is a specialty of our Manufacturing students. By practicing welding techniques, they can take raw sheet metal, measure and cut it, and weld the pieces together by laying a bead and using the welding gun. Students learn the fundamentals of blueprint and weld symbols, layout and fabrication, stick welding, MIG welding, flux core welding, and tig welding. As students practice and perfect their abilities, they can blend their functional skills with their creativity to create unique products, functional devices, or artistic sculptures and pursue careers in various industries, from underwater welding to infrastructure construction.