Page 28 - CNC West April May 2022 copy

A Redmond High Panther Tech student used Mastercam CAD/CAM software to create a coffee table with built in cribbage board and a laser cut image.
EXPERIENCE, Mastercam performance on the students’ computers improved. It was still slow, but it worked, Kernion said. He estimates that his classes completed 40 percent of the curriculum with online teaching. Though virtual learning presents its challenges, some students excelled in online learning.
“We did have go-getters in Mastercam making it work remotely,” said Kernion. “If they were motivated, they could do the projects virtually and simulate machining. There’s no sound; no tools breaking. But it at least got them started learning the interface, and about post processors and toolpaths. They saw the results of their work in front of them on the computer screen, but it was very slow.”
Once they were able to return to school, some students had to juggle manufacturing projects with year-end exams. Many arrived at 6 a.m. and met with Kernion to complete their projects.
“It was pretty neat to see how excited they were, that they would show up at that time of morning to get this done,” he said.
Despite the growth of its program, a major obstacle to Redmond High School Panther Tech’s success is student perception of manufacturing. According to Kernion, the word “manufacturing” may scare some students away.
“They’re not educated about what manufacturing is nowadays” he said. “When I was a kid, you knew it was a dirty job. Now these companies have labs that are like medical facilities, but students don’t have that initial impression. I try to educate my students and tell them that a manufacturing job is not a dirty job anymore. These machines are enclosed.”
Kernion hopes that changing the names of classes will help to debunk misconceptions about manufacturing careers. “I want to call them CAD/CAM classes,” he said. “I think changing the name is going to help. Manufacturing will still be in there, but it’ll be under computer-aided manufacturing, or CAM.”
He also hopes educating and training school counselors and administrators will help direct students to his department.
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CNC WEST April/May 2022