Training

I was saddened to hear about the passing of David A. Dornfeld, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, who died of a heart attack on March 27 at age 66. Although I never met him, I considered him to have a brilliant mind and be a great editorial source—someone who returned my phone calls and had something intelligent to say.

Lately, I haven’t been hearing much about machinist apprenticeship programs. I have been hearing about vo-tech schools, as well as job shops hiring people off the street to just push buttons. Do apprenticeship programs still exist in the U.S.? The answer is “yes!” 

Every parts manufacturer, regardless of size, has some sort of training program, and programs are nearly as varied as the companies themselves. Whether it’s something as simple as handing out a pamphlet about company policy or as involved as an apprenticeship program, it’s just a given: Where there are employees, there is training. However, while some companies regard it as a necessary evil, others have found that investing in this universal necessity yields substantial benefits—and, in the long run, actually saves money.

Youth skills training for machinists takes place in schools with metalworking programs and in connection with competitions, such as WorldSkills.

Shop Operations column for March 2010 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

END USER: Brinkman Machine Tools and Manufacturing Laboratory, Rochester Institute of Technology, (585) 475-6573, www.rit.edu/kgcoe/ise/brinkman. CHALLENGE: Teach engineering students to use new machining technology. SOLUTION: Integrated machining system, including tool management and tool presetting. SOLUTION PROVIDERS: Okuma America Corp., (704) 588-7000, www.okuma.com; Kennametal Inc., (800) 446-7738, www.kennametal.com; Zoller Inc., (734) 332-4851, www.zoller-usa.com

Shop Operations column for the August 2010 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering.

Cutting Tool Engineering Editorial Director Alan Rooks recalls an era when repairing things was still in fashion.