Training

Machine tool builder Okuma America Corp. hosted "A Day at Okuma America Corporation" for area high school students at its Partners in THINC technology center in Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 16. The event gave students the opportunity to learn more about CNC machining and technology and to speak with professionals in the CNC manufacturing industry.  

Okuma America Corp. has opened an Aerospace Center of Excellence at its facility in Charlotte, N.C. The center is for aerospace manufacturers to use as a testing and proving ground for advanced CNC machining technology to enhance productivity while solving industry-specific challenges, according to the company.

The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), a governing body for education and training in manufacturing, launched a new website designed for employers seeking to fill open jobs and build a network of competitive talent. Nimsready.org provides information, tools and how-to guides to help employers learn about and implement industry-recognized credentials at their companies, according to NIMS.

On Oct. 16, Sandvik Coromant Co. celebrated the opening of a Productivity Center in its new U.S. headquarters in Fair Lawn, N.J. The company held a grand opening ceremony for the headquarters on July 1. The combined $26 million, 100,000-sq.-ft. facility includes office space, meeting facilities, the Productivity Center and an aerospace-focused Engineering Competence Center for customer training, engineering and process development.  

Philip Paull, owner of Noblesville, Ind.-based Excavating Solutions, won the Hurco Chipmaker Challenge Championship at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago. The prize package includes a new Hurco CNC mill worth over $100,000, a tooling package from Sandvik Coromant Co., and $10,000 of Hurco credit that can be used for training or machine options.

Polygon Solutions is one of a group of Florida manufacturers that has volunteered to host events during National Manufacturing Day Oct. 3. About 1,300 events are scheduled throughout the U.S. This is the third year of the event, and the third year the Fort Myers-based company is participating. The rotary broach manufacturer was also named a winner of the event's first-ever Manufacturing Day Video Contest.

On Aug. 11, Hutchinson, Minn.-area businesses partnered with the local Economic Development Authority (EDA), the Southwest Initiative Foundation, and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development as part of a statewide initiative to promote Minnesota as a viable manufacturing area for businesses that are considering locations in the U.S. Dividing the state into eight regions, The Site Selector Familiarization Tour brought in site-selecting consultants to familiarize them with the assets and infrastructure that Minnesota has to offer international and domestic businesses.

Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Cos. donated a Zeiss DuraMax coordinate measuring machine to the Precision Tool Manufacturing Training Program for students who attend Plymouth High School. The donation was announced at the 2014 International Technology Manufacturing show in Chicago. The new machine shows ITAMCO's continuing support for the program that Mark Neidig, purchasing manager at ITAMCO, proposed to the Plymouth School Corporation superintendent in 2013.

Sandvik Coromant, Fair Lawn, N.J., is dedicating the months of July, August and September to raise money for "Workshops for Warriors." For every pound of carbide received for recycling during those months, Sandvik Coromant will donate $1 to the non-profit organization that is dedicated to training, certifying and placing veterans into manufacturing careers.  

CNC Software, Inc., Tolland, Conn.-based developers of Mastercam CAD/CAM software, is one of the two initial underwriters of Purdue University's MSTEM3 Grant Initiative, aimed at changing young peoples' perception of manufacturing through the eduFACTOR multimedia resource from Edge Factor. CNC Software has underwritten $50,000 to help increase the number of schools that can take advantage of the grant, while The Gene Haas Foundation has contributed $250,000. Because of the grant, upper elementary and high schools can qualify for eduFACTOR's suite of products for as little as $99 per year.