This course is designed to give practical experience on lathes, grinders, vertical and horizontal mills, as well as hand tools and bench work. Students in the advancement phases of the program will receive instruction and perform practical experiences on computer numerically controlled equipment. A variety of work projects gives the student actual experience in the fabrication of usable tools  and parts from metal and machinable plastics.

Mission

The mission of the program is to provide the technical instruction and skill development for the student to become gainfully employed in the machine tool technology field.

Nature of the Work

Almost every product made by American industry contains metal parts or is manufactured by machines made of metal parts. Many of these parts are cut to precise dimensions by machining workers who use a wide variety of machine tools. Over one million persons are employed as machinists, tool and die makers, instrument makers, machine tools operators and set-up and layout people.
The principle job of most machine workers is to operate machine tools. The most common types of machine tools are lathes, grinding machines, milling machines, broachers, saws, EDM (Electronic Discharge Machining) and either conventional or CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines.

Accuracy is of prime importance for most precision machining work. Machining workers follow directions generally given in the form of a blueprint. Precision measuring instruments are used to check the accuracy of work against the blueprint specifications.
There are many advancement opportunities for experienced machinists. Many become foreman; others may, with specialized training, become tool and die makers. Machine Tool Technology is the basic background for quality control, metallurgy, programming CNC equipment and many other machine related fields.

Broad Units of Study

• Technology Foundations
• Worker Ethics
• Safety
• Related Print Reading
• Benchwork
• Metrology
• Drilling/Tapping/Reaming
• Conventional Lathe
• Conventional Mill
• Horizontal Milling
• Precision Grinding/Metal Finishing
• Metallurgy
• TIG/MIG/Oxy-Acetylene Welding
• EDM Machining
• Wire EDM
• CNC Lathe and Mill
• CNC Programming
• CMM Programming and Setup
• Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM)
• Maintenance and Repair
• Shop Management
• Stamping and Injection Mold Dies
• Die Management
• Die Problem Solving

Machine Tool Technology Estimated Student Expenses

Part-Time Machine Tool Technology Estimated Student Expenses

Programs Awards and Length

A diploma or certificate is awarded to a regular student depending upon the successful completion of specified units of study.

NIMS Accredited Program
Haas Technical Education Center HTEC

 

Tool and Die

Mission

The mission of the program is to provide the technical instruction and skill development for the student to become gainfully employed in the Tool and Die field.

Nature of the Work

All manufactured products at point in their manufacturing cycle use a die, mold or fixture. Although CAD design and CNC machining have greatly decreased the hours needed to manufacture this tooling for production.  Manufacturing plants need people to maintian, repair and improve all types of tooling.

Personnel involved in tooling work with a high degree of accuracy utilizing precision tools such as calipers, micrometers, and indicators. They must be able to read blueprints and understand CAD drawings. Tooling people must work with limited supervision and are expected to be problem solvers in the manufacturing plant.

Tooling is expensive to manufacture. The average tooling cost for a new automobile model approaches one billion dollars. The toolmaker understands these costs and the responsibility to build or maintain tooling. Due to the decline of apprenticeships in the U.S. there is a critical shortage of toolmakers. To compound the problem of hands on toolmakers, companies quickly promote good toolmakers into engineering or supervision. Many opportunities exist.

Prerequisite

Students in this program must have a Machinist I diploma or the equivalent as determined by the instructor.

Program Description

The student will gain hands on experience in the repair and construction of molds, dies and fixtures. Obsolete mold and die steels will be used to instruct proper techniques to weld and repair or construct replacement parts. New molds and stamping dies will be constructed and tried out in injection machine or stamping press. Safety, quality and continuous improvement will be stressed.

Broad Units of Study

• Safety, housekeeping and organization
• Welding
• Types of metal stamping dies
• Bench work
• Stamping die components
• Mold repair
• Types of molds
• Die repair
• Mold components
• New construction
• Heat treat and types of steel and materials
• Blueprint reading and sketching
• Types of molding equipment
• Types of stamping presses and equipment
• Problem solving

Program Awards and Length

Ken Potts - Instructor

Machinist I Diploma NIMS Certified Instructor Certified FeatureCAM Instructor 54 credit hours toward BS in Industrial Engineering 25+ years experience Ken.Potts@ttcshelbyville.edu

David Simpson - Night Shift Instructor

mt.pdf