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CAM system has refined the whole machining process down to just the essentials. If we really understand what the CAM system is asking (Depth of Cut? Threads per inch?),
we are machinists. And if we come across an input field in our CAM system that we don’t understand, it’s an opportunity to explore
and learn.” I’ve mentored and taught a lot
of machinists throughout my 20+ years in
the industry, most of that time I’ve been saying the same thing as Mark in a much less eloquent and organized way. Mark’s point aligns to my belief that we need to be teaching students how to be resourceful learners and problem solvers over process followers with deep specific knowledge of what we try to anticipate they will face in an ever-advancing iIndustry.
t’s time to rethink what general or
basic knowledge of our trade is. We have limited insight into what challenges the future generations of manufacturing professionals will face in the future, so why are we still following teaching practices
of the past 80 years?
UClosing thoughts
ntil recently, I was
incredibly insecure
and hesitant to share my
struggles through primary
and secondary school. If it
wasn’t shop class or a very select
few other classes like art class, I had
a terrible time focusing and completing
my work. Basically, if I wasn’t interested in
it, or didn’t see a direct reason for learning something, I didn’t have the attention span to learn it. Until I got into my working life and post-secondary school, I often felt completely hopeless in a traditional classroom. Working as a clock repair apprentice while in high school, I remember feeling for the first time that maybe my future wasn’t so bleak. I
still remember the day my boss Gary said to me, “You’re pretty smart,” and wondering
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if he was serious. It was at his shop, The Clock Doctor, where I realized I could be a productive learner when I learned what I needed to know, when I needed to know it. I also did well in my post-secondary education because I was able to take classes that I was interested in with direct links to important pIarts of the industry.
left the most fulfilling job I’ve ever had
– being a machinist making awesome space hardware – to come work at Autodesk because I wanted to be a part of changing our industry for the better. I’ve taken several positions at Autodesk, each time because I thought I could make a bigger positive impact on our industry. I joined the education team because I believe this is
where I can have the biggest long- term impact on the future
of ouIr industry.
share my story
because I’ve heard similar
anecdotes from countless other
talented and productive people in the manufacturing
industry. The pool of potential machinists can be wide and deep if we
are willing to adjust what we teach and how
we teach it. The world has changed drastically since the days of WW2 when the machining education curriculum
was developed to train the masses. It’s time for our industry to change to match a diverse Iand agile manufacturing future.
n my next article I will explore what we
can do as an industry to attract more people into the manufacturing trades, while discussing what we can do to respect, preserve, and share experience and tribal knowledge throughout the industry.
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