CNC West recently was invited to visit the new 3-D technology lab at Norwalk, CA’s Cerritos Community College. While there, we discovered much more than we expected—a huge training resource for CA manufacturers and machining job shops. The new 30-seat software lab is configured as a highly advanced "smart-classroom", allowing senior instructors to manage the entire space from one location, including lights, sound, overhead projection and software instruction. In addition, the facility is complemented by 3 ancillary labs: one for clay modeling, another for digitizing models and a third for subtractive machining.

During our visit, we interviewed Dr. Randy Peebles, Instructional Dean for Technology & Business and Jose Anaya, CACT director. The interview was quite an eye-opener, causing us to realize for the first time just how much “big bang for the buck” training the Community Colleges offer to local manufacturers and metalworking job shops.

We believe that not enough small businesses realize the scope of those services. For that reason we present our interview here for the benefit of our readers.

                                                                                                C.H. Bush, editor

CNC West: Thanks for the invitation. I know we have a lot to cover, so, with your permission, I’ll get right to it. This is a beautiful new laboratory, no question about it, but I don’t quite understand it’s purpose.

Lab Goals

Peebles: You’re welcome, Chuck. Thanks for coming. Actually, this new facility was put together in response to meet three different goals. First, our own internal technology and business programs felt the need for a central facility they could use to introduce their students to CAD/CAM, molding, digitizing, CMM, reverse engineering and CNC machining. So this lab is there for their use.

Anaya: At the same time, we have a high-school outreach program designed to interest 16 year-olds in design and manufacturing. We felt that they would be more responsive to a program that is fun and lets them create things hands on. They get to spend five hours for five Saturdays in a row, learning simple design, solid clay modeling, digitizing, CAD/CAM and subtractive milling. We use CMM Microscribes for reverse engineering and Roland mini-milling machine to teach the basics.

CNC West: You mean the high-schoolers learn all that?

Anaya: Yes. We also have a 3-D printer they can use to watch their ideas grow in 3 dimensions. The whole idea is to show them that design and manufacturing is fun, not just a dull idea for business people. So far, they love it.

Peebles: There’s another reason for the outreach program. We have five programs here at Cerritos, including machine tool technology, which teaches CNC machining, a manufacuturing technology program that includes a comprehensive plastics program and a lot of aerospace technology. We also have a welding program that does certified welding inspection, and then we offer engineering design and a woodworking program. But back to why the outreach. Frankly, the five programs I just mentioned have been experiencing declining enrollment. We’re hoping this lab can make manufacturing and design exciting enough to bring in more students.

Training Gold Mine

CNC West: You mentioned three goals. That’s only two.

Anaya: Right, our third outreach is to industry. And that’s where I come in. If you look at my card, you’ll see I’m CACT Director here at the college.

CNC West: Yes, I wondered what that meant.

Anaya: It’s an acronym for Center for Applied Competitive Technologies. Basically, we do three things. We do training, we offer technical assistance and consulting, and we do technology transfer for large and small businesses. If a business is large enough, and has enough employees to justify the cost, our instructors go out to the business and train on their equipment at their facility. If the business is small and only has one or two people who need training, we arrange for them to come here or to one of the other community colleges. The CACT program is state funded and is available through more than 15 centers strategically located throughout California.

CNC West: Wait, I’m still a little fuzzy about this. What kinds of things do you teach?
Peebles: Well, let’s just say a company wants to get up to speed on new technology, or reduce their costs, so they can be more competitive. Jose’s team or one like it will go in there and put together a customized package to help them.

Anaya: The CACT program is really here to encourage employers and employees to adopt new technologies and processes. The State believes we no longer have the leisure to acquire the tools, establish new routines and train their workforces sequentially. Technology is moving too fast for that. We’re here to help companies get ahead of the curve.

Peebles: The idea is to help California companies be more competitive globally. So our instructors, engineers and technical staff provide an extensive range of services to businesses of all sizes. Companies and manufacturing professionals can call on the CACT Centers for customized technical training in over 100 areas.

CNC West: Like what? I must be slow. What kinds of courses are we talking about?

Anaya: (laughing) Well, it’s not complicated Chuck. If a company wants its employees to learn CAD/CAM, we have programs to teach GibbsCam or Virtual Gibbs, Mastercam, Catia, SolidWorks, the whole suite of AutoCAD products, like AutoDesk, AutoDesk mechanical desktop, VIS, rendering and modeling, and inventor. About six months ago Delcam donated enough seats of its PowerInspect software for each of our computers in the lab. Our instructors have completed their training in the software and at the moment, we’re waiting for our course approval to teach that package as well. At present it is being used only as a demonstration of inspection software. In any case, all our courses go from elementary through advanced levels.

Peebles: We also have a whole series of comprehensive courses from beginning through advanced for set up, programming and operation of 2-axis lathes and 3-axis mill. Our people can help resolve specific manufacturing problems. We can teach lean manufacturing, continuous quality improvement, E-commerce, even workforce assessment.

Reasonable Training Cost

CNC West: That all sounds good, but it also sounds expensive. Maybe big aerospace and other large manufacturers can afford it, but what about small shops with only a few employees?

Anaya: That’s covered very well, too, Chuck. For smaller companies we have different avenues they can follow. We can connect them to Cerritos or one of the other colleges. They can take almost any class they require and it’s very inexpensive. It’s only $20 a unit. So a three unit class is only $60. Our classes typically last 9 to 18 weeks.

Peebles: One thing we’ve done is restructured our class times, so most subjects, whether programming, machining or CAD/CAM can be taken in only one night a week. We know that people in industry work long hours and need free time for their families and to relax. We figured one night a week would be possible for almost anyone who wants to improve their education and skills.

CNC West: Okay, that sounds great. But what if an employer or an employee wants to take a class, but you don’t have enough students to pull the class together.

Anaya: That’s not really a problem. If we can get several employers interested, we can cobble together a course and then we can tap into state funds to help pay for it. Our goal here is to help businesses, not break their budgets.

CNC West: Well, I think our readers will be really interested in your programs, and I hope some of them will take advantage of them. But, let’s get back to this beautiful lab, which is why I came in the first place. Tell me about it.\

Advanced Technology Lab

Peebles: Well, it’s like a modern studio. There’s a huge screen on the wall, easily visible for all the students. There are 30 workstations, each connected to a central server controlled remotely by the instructor.

Anaya: All students, college, high-school or industry, are able to use this facility. It’s a perfect place to learn virtual design. They have access to Microsoft tools so they can use CAD pictures in Power Point presentations. They really have exposure to all the productivity tools found in industry.

Peebles: We have the clay molding lab, the welding lab, a well-equipped machine shop with Haas and Fadal machining Centers. We have the Z Corp 3-D printer, the Roland mini mill, and a Microscribe CMM used to teach reverse engineering and quality assurance principles. We’re constantly scanning the horizon and consulting with industry to discover new and better technologies that we can use to improve the lab.

CNC West: I’m impressed. So how do interested readers contact you.

Anaya: That’s easy, Chuck. They just go to our website or call us or any of the community colleges in their area. They’ll be amazed at what’s available for them.

CNC West: A real training gold mine.

Peebles: Right. And its easy to mine, too.

—30—