June 1, 2022 • 24 mins
In this episode, we’ll be looking at the Computerized Manufacturing Program. We’ll find out what you can expect to learn and what kind of jobs are out there.
Lincoln's mission is to provide superior education and training to our students for in-demand careers in a supportive, accessible learning environment, transforming students' lives and adding value to their communities.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:02):
You've got this piece of raw material and then you
have just the right imagination and the skills of programming
you to turn it into anything.
S2 (00:12):
Technology has has changed the face of manufacturing.
S3 (00:17):
When we talk about manufacturing, that's a really, really big window, right?
So now 27% of our gross domestic product is considered manufactured.
S2 (00:26):
So the the typical factory of today looks more like
a laboratory than a factory.
S4 (00:33):
The skill sets that they're learning at Lincoln Tech, gaining
the hands on experience of the machines is definitely a
step up from some of the other local programs that
are just getting up and running.
S5 (00:43):
Welcome to the official podcast of Lincoln Tech. In this episode,
we'll be looking at the computerized manufacturing program. We'll find
out what you can expect to learn and what kind
of jobs are out there. We'll also find out just
what the heck CNC machining actually means. But first, Lincoln
Tech's mission is to provide superior education and training to
our students for in-demand careers in a supportive, accessible learning environment,
(01:04):
transforming students lives and adding value to their communities. And
Lincoln's promise to our students is simple. We will work
tirelessly to help you succeed on the road to new
career opportunities. Now let's dive into some details about the program.
S3 (01:20):
Yeah. So my name's Rick Carver. I'm the director of
education at the Grand Prairie, Texas campus. I've been here
about nine years and I'm also Recente Manufacturing Special.
S2 (01:33):
My name is Jeff Hager. I'm a career machinist and
prototype here. My current employer is the Lincoln Tech School
as the instructor for the AM&R program, which is our
advanced manufacturing and robotics program.
S5 (01:51):
Rick and Jeff are the guys who can fill us
in on all we need to know about this industry.
S3 (01:55):
You know, I think what we think of, you know,
factory work, we think of stuff, you know, that's probably
from the Industrial Revolution, right? It's dark & old, with people working really hard and long hours. The industry has changed
so much, especially with the, you know, inclusion of all
(02:19):
the technology we have now on computers. But today's manufacturing
is just completely different. So now we're running all computer
controlled machines. The shop floors are, you know, normally painted
or polyurethane, and the machines are neat and clean. Shops
are air conditioned.
S2 (02:37):
Technology has changed the face of manufacturing. All right. So
when we think of factory work and we see people
at work doing repetitious tasks, moving items back and forth
and kind of a mundane existence, there's very little of
(02:58):
that left in manufacturing today or that has been replaced
by automation and sophisticated equipment to to do those repetitive
tasks and to to provide a a steady flow for
manufactured product. So what that has has changed in the
(03:20):
in the sense of of the manufacturing careers is we
see a lot more that are technical related. Right. We
see a lot more where we used to have mechanics
and and welders and things of that sort. Machinists. Now
(03:40):
we're seeing automation technicians and engineering technicians fill in a
lot of those positions. So there's still line mechanics and
there's still machinists and mill rights and whatnot involved in manufacturing.
But even those occupations have become a lot more technical.
(04:02):
So the the typical factory of today looks more like
a laboratory than a factory.
S5 (04:10):
CNC stands for a computerized numerical control, but what exactly
does that mean?
S3 (04:16):
Or you start talking about see and see manufacturing. We're
talking about something that's a little more specialized, a little
more high tech. CC includes everything from from laser engravers,
CC routers, TLC, plasma cutters. The ones that we probably
see and think of most are fancy milling machines. In CNC,
(04:40):
at least in Texas alone, they estimate that about 11,000 jobs
will be created over the next five years just in
Texas for CNC manufacturing. And nationally they're projecting about 165,000 jobs.
So the job market is very strong. In 2007, in
(05:00):
the industry, we saw we saw a real move to
kind of offshore a lot of this work to Asia
and that really failed and all that workers came back.
And reports say in the meantime that a lot of
the employees, a lot of the technicians in the field
have left the field. So there's a real gap right
now for for skilled labor in the field. And and
(05:24):
I think that's all we can do continuing. We're trying
to train that next generation and and fill that gap
that employers have to create their products.
S5 (05:32):
Okay. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. What kind
of things will students learn in the computerized manufacturing program
at Lincoln Tech?
S3 (05:40):
So our students in the beginning, they're going to learn
some of the basic math, which is all pretty simple,
well off computers and calculators and in phones. Now, we
make the math part of it very easy. They're going
to also learn how to measure parts, all the different
tools that we use to accurately and precision measure. Pretty
common in our field that we're measuring parts less than
(06:03):
1007 inch. So so we have to be very accurate
sort of learn how to measure how to read blueprints.
S2 (06:10):
Since manufacturing or advanced manufacturing is a it's a broad
ranging subject. Right. And there's so many different items to manufacture.
The processes used in each are going to vary. So
you could be manufacturing anything from from an automobile to a,
(06:30):
you know, a tiny little medical device of some sort.
Electronics and pharmaceuticals, you know, they all have a different
set of requirements. So the program at Lincoln Tech is
designed to build foundational skills like skills that can be
(06:50):
utilized in any of those industries.
S5 (06:52):
Okay, Jeff, what do you mean by foundational skills?
S2 (06:56):
I mean, so we're we're concentrating on the blueprint reading.
All right. Understand the technical drawings and the requirements. We're
concentrating on precision measurement to be able to to work
to these tolerances. We're doing machining, all right. Which is
used in virtually every industry. We are looking at, you know,
(07:21):
manual machining. We touch on that. But ah, the biggest
focus is on computerized numerical control or CNC machining.
S3 (07:32):
So we start to teach our students how to write programs,
how to set up all the tools that would be
required to machine that part, how to set up the
machine accurately, and how to just do that on a
consistent basis.
S2 (07:45):
That's where we focus a lot of time and energy
because that's the technology that's utilized for most manufacturing processes.
That's what that's what's cutting the metal and that's what's
used in metals and plastics and ceramics for for cutting,
for bending and stamping. All sorts of different technologies are
(08:09):
using CNC programming. So we spend a lot of our
course time learning the what the computer codes are writing
that coding and also using computer software to develop CMC machining.
S5 (08:28):
The program ensures that you know the basics, but that's
not all. Tell us about it, Rick.
S3 (08:33):
And one of the things that Lincoln does that most
other schools won't try to do is we get into
what we call multiyear access programming. And that's some of
the real high end, very complicated machining, which is really
where the entire industry is going. So I think it's
a really comprehensive program. We cover all of the topics
to a student will be required to do right when
(08:55):
they get on the job on the first day. So
they're all real, real skills that are required to go
right to work today on those fields.
S5 (09:06):
How can studying at Lincoln Tech prepare you to go
right to work today? The hands on training is done
on the very same machines that are used in the industry.
S2 (09:13):
We're a an age tech partner school, so we get
a lot of support from the Haas Corporation. All right.
And Haas is the largest manufacturer of CMC machine tools
in the United States. So we have a fully equipped shop,
we have CMC milling machines, we have CNC lathes, we
(09:35):
have a five axis CMC milling machine which is among
the most capable you will find. We have a multi
axis lathe that combines turning and milling capabilities in one
machine and these are all HAAS machines that you would
find in a in a typical manufacturing environment. These are
(09:58):
not educational model machines. These are industrial machines. And that's
what the students are spending their time on. That's what
they're they're doing their hands -on practicals on those machines.
And we have a lot of it. You know, there's
a lot of there's a lot of equipment and we
spend a lot of time in the shop on those machines.
S3 (10:19):
Well, I didn't mention this before, but but our classes
are basically set up to be about 66% in the shop,
actually on the machines. So they're very well versed on
how the machines work and they're really skilled to go
right into a machine shop on day one and start
running the machines.
S5 (10:38):
Training at Lincoln Tech will give you the ability to
go right to work. Let's talk to someone who did
that very thing.
S1 (10:45):
Well, my name is Amanda Swift. 29 year old girl
that lives in Prospect, Connecticut, and I enrolled at Lincoln
Tech for the manufacturing course back in February of 2021. And I
just graduated February 2022. So the reason why I chose
Lincoln Tech is because I know it's very hands on
(11:07):
your throat in the field there. You're told, hey, work
on this machine. You know, I'll make these offsets here.
We're going to write a program today, you know, work
on Master Cam. You know, you really get the work experience.
They're just everything's hands on. That's what I really like
about Lincoln Tech. You know, you're not always, you know,
reading a book, you know, you know, you can read
(11:28):
a book, but it's easier when you actually do do
what you're being taught. You know, you feel like you're
in the work environment there.
S5 (11:37):
Okay, Amanda, what's your job now that you've graduated from
Lincoln Tech?
S1 (11:40):
Now that I've graduated from Lincoln Tech, I actually I
moved into a micro machining department. I get to work
with a seven axis Willman machine, and I'm working on
small medical devices with such tight tolerances. And not everyone
gets the opportunity to do that. Micro machining is very tough.
I don't see it around really anywhere much. Most places
(12:02):
they work in small tolerances like plus or -£5,000. I'm
working with plus or minus five tenths. You know, just
the smallest little movement can affect this piece, good or bad.
And it's you know, it's been a really great opportunity
as I've grown so much there everyone is taking more me,
taking me more seriously since I've been there. And I've
(12:23):
just grown a lot since Lincoln Tech.
S5 (12:26):
She makes small medical devices and that's really cool. You
know what else is really cool working with NASA?
S2 (12:32):
Yeah, we have a we have a partnership with NASA
to produce a product for NASA's use on the space station.
So at Lincoln Tech we're using that partnership and that
that program to provide a customer base for our automation classes.
(12:55):
So we actually have a fully functional machining cell. All right.
To produce handrail components for the International Space Station. So
we're working with nascent national supplies, our materials. We're working
to their specifications and producing handrail components to be used
(13:19):
in the in the space station. And we're doing it
with a fully automated work cell, which means there's a
robot to tender it and it's using automated in process
inspection and automated work holding. And we can actually run
batches of parts with no operator intervention.
S5 (13:45):
All of this information is great and the computerized manufacturing
program sounds intriguing, but the reality is that you need
a job and a career. Can this program really provide that?
S4 (13:55):
So my name is Amanda Cortez. I'm the h.r. Generalist
over here at whitney actuation systems. I am in charge
of the strategic sourcing and recruiting efforts that we have
here with the new actuation systems to fill our manufacturing positions,
especially those in the CMC machine operator type roles. So
there's a there's been a constant shortage of labor when
(14:18):
it comes to the CMC manufacturing area. So in the
machine shop manufacturing period, a lot of the companies that
used to be in state of New Jersey, you know,
even just 20 years ago, there were there were maybe
fracturing sites on every corner in the state of New Jersey. Right.
And over the course of time, companies have been moving
(14:39):
offsite to lower cost areas within not only the United States,
but internationally as well. So having the individuals who have
a hands on experience within this industry or within manufacturing
as a whole is been difficult to maintain.
S5 (14:58):
Keep in mind that she's speaking as a real life
hiring manager. So that begs the question, do Lincoln Tech
graduates have a leg up on the competition?
S4 (15:06):
Absolutely. So I would I would say that the skill
sets that they're learning at Lincoln Tech, gaining their hands
on experience with the machines, again, the fundamentals that they're
learning with the programming and just the entry level stuff
is definitely a step up from some of the other
local programs that are just getting up and running. You know,
(15:26):
Lincoln Tech's been providing this teaching programming platform for years now,
so they're a little bit ahead of the game in
terms of and competition for the other schools that are
offering similar coursework in training opportunities in our machine shop alone.
We have machine operators that are a little generic. They
(15:47):
do a lot of metal cutting and they do a
lot of deep burning and things of that nature. But
we have seen see turning specialists, CMC milling specialists. We
have grinders, we have gear cutters. So I mean, there's
so many different facets of just machine operators out there
that it's, it's incredible how many different avenues people have
(16:11):
available to them. The growth opportunity for somebody with machine
in manufacturing background is never ending. If you really want
to break it down, somebody who starts off as an
entry level machine operator could eventually one day grow to
become a manufacturing engineer if they have the ambition to
do so. You know, we constantly talk about the fact
(16:32):
that we would love to have someone promoted into a
manufacturing engineering role who has that machine shop background, because
it just helps you be more successful in that kind
of a position because you already understand how those machines
work and you're able to to take some of the
skill sets that you learned in your mechanical engineering courses
(16:53):
and apply them to your fundamental knowledge of how CNC
machining is working and how you can apply that to
the actual manufacturing of the parts that we're building here
in the building.
S5 (17:06):
We know that training at Lincoln Tech will provide you
with the skills you need to go and hit the
ground running. And we know that there are a lot
of jobs and careers out there for you. But are
you going to be on your own and hunting down
one of those jobs? Not at all. Lincoln Tech's career
services team is here to help.
S3 (17:21):
Yes, that was one of the things that really attracted
me to Lincoln when I was working in a machine
shop making parts for the aerospace field. And when Lincoln
called me, I did a little research on him. I
was so impressed with the way they did their crew services.
It is really the main focus. In fact, I always
say here, you know, our job is not really to
(17:41):
graduate students, but it's to put students in the career
field of their choice. I went to a tech school
when I was younger. I know when I graduated, they
just hand me a piece of paper with a list
of phone numbers and said, you know, good luck. Our
career services team is there interacting with our students and
their very first class. The very first month they're here,
(18:04):
they're going in and they're talking about their their online profiles.
How are they how are they represented, you know, in
the digital world there? They talk to them about doing resumes.
They talk to them about doing job interviews. We do
mock interviews with our students. We help them build a resume.
(18:24):
They are actively searching jobs.
S2 (18:27):
All right. So some large corporations, it's very difficult to
to get a face to face meeting with anyone. All right.
You're going to, you know, come up against email or
resume here and hope somebody sees it or, you know,
we'll be put into a pool of applicants. But what
(18:49):
career services that Lincoln Tech offers is they have a
direct connection to these hiring managers so they can put
your resume right on that manager's desk. Right. And in
most cases, set up an interview. So it it really
expedites the process of of landing a job.
S1 (19:10):
You know, they they ask you a first. So do
you plan on getting a job before you're done with school?
Where do you see yourself? Like, you know, jobs, you're
looking at companies and they'll really try to help you
get in there. We had a classmate who really want
to be a hard worker and, you know, it's a
little pushing and nudging. But before him, the course, he
definitely got in there. You know, they're willing to help
(19:31):
you even to this day. I get phone calls from
career services. Hey, are you happy where you're at? Do
you want to grow? Or we see this, you know,
a place might suit you. You know, if you're really, like,
dedicated to wanting to get a good job and really pushing,
they're going to represent you as long as you have
good attendance. And your grades were good and you really
care about your trade.
S5 (19:52):
Are you still on the fence?
S2 (19:53):
The work itself is nice. I've got friends that worked
into their seventies as machinists, you know, because it's not
it's not strenuous or backbreaking work. It's along the lines of,
you know, laboratory work or, you know, kitchen work. You know,
it's it's shop work, but it's it's usually in a
(20:14):
nice environment. A lot of times it's very precise, very
precision work. So everything's clean and orderly. That's what makes
it efficient. So it's not a bad way to make
a living. And there is a lot of opportunity. And
the opportunity is is varied. Everything from jewelry to electronics
(20:34):
to sporting goods and aircraft, spacecraft, high performance cars, everything has.
A component that's machined involved with that.
S3 (20:49):
You see is a it's a different industry than any
other industry because if you think about it, you can
have an idea. Right. I want to make a part
for my car. I want to make something to make
my life easier. It could be it can be anything.
And I can take that idea and I can actually
draw it and see a three dimensional model of it.
(21:11):
And then I can actually go get a piece of material.
I can make that. And within, you know, maybe an
hour or a couple of hours, I can have that
piece right in my hand. So it's one of those
really strange fields that it's not just about the idea
or the process, but it's you get to see this
all the way through to through actually having something in
(21:31):
your hand that you thought about. So it really is a,
a different field. We're probably the only field that if
we have an idea to make a machine, guess what? We,
we build our own machines if we need to. So
if you really like being challenged, you really like step
two to be diversified. If you like to be creative
in the way you do things, you instantly see results
(21:52):
with the work that you do and the thoughts that
you have. So those are the kind of people I
think that then when I talk to them, they really
get excited about see and see and and all the
opportunities that they have in the field.
S1 (22:04):
This is really cool stuff to me. And if you
were saying, Hey, I just took this random block of
aluminum that I made into this awesome thing that would
persuade me like, Oh, how, how do I get involved?
You know, we had a student who's an artist, you know,
and he wasn't sure about the manufacturing field as well. Well,
one day he drew my teacher right on the whiteboard,
(22:26):
and my teacher the next day had a student in
the morning class take a photo of it, converted to
a master file, and he made a whole plaque with
his face all over. And he's showing all the classmates like,
look at this. If you just draw a photo on
a piece of paper and all of a sudden, boom,
you got this awesome aluminum portrait of yourself, you know,
(22:46):
you show them all the cool possibilities you could do
is not just pushing a button and go and, you know,
they're really interested in that. Then they'll do it, you know? But,
you know, it's up to them. You know, I never
thought I'd see myself in manufacturing and I love it.
S3 (23:03):
The CNC manufacturing is a well-paid field. I can say this,
I have a wife and five kids and my wife
has been able to stay home and raise our kids
the entire time I was in the CNC field. It's
been a lucrative business for us. I also I've lived
in five different states myself and every state I've been
(23:24):
able to go to and find a job right away.
There's tons of jobs all over the country. It really
is a kind of a next level job. So I
don't think students that come out of here are going
to have any problems being able to support themselves.
S5 (23:37):
So what does the computerized manufacturing program and Lincoln Tech
sound like a fit for you? Find out more information
schedule on campus, visit and talk to instructors or the
career services team online in Lincoln Tech.
S6 (23:49):
Edu This podcast is a production of BG Ed Group.
Darren Sutherland Executive Producer. Jeremy Powell, Creative Director. Jacob Sutherland,
Director Producers. Jason Genter, Ola and Matt Golden and Ketchum Copywriter.
All rights reserved.
You've got this piece of raw material and then you
have just the right imagination and the skills of programming
you to turn it into anything.
S2 (00:12):
Technology has has changed the face of manufacturing.
S3 (00:17):
When we talk about manufacturing, that's a really, really big window, right?
So now 27% of our gross domestic product is considered manufactured.
S2 (00:26):
So the the typical factory of today looks more like
a laboratory than a factory.
S4 (00:33):
The skill sets that they're learning at Lincoln Tech, gaining
the hands on experience of the machines is definitely a
step up from some of the other local programs that
are just getting up and running.
S5 (00:43):
Welcome to the official podcast of Lincoln Tech. In this episode,
we'll be looking at the computerized manufacturing program. We'll find
out what you can expect to learn and what kind
of jobs are out there. We'll also find out just
what the heck CNC machining actually means. But first, Lincoln
Tech's mission is to provide superior education and training to
our students for in-demand careers in a supportive, accessible learning environment,
(01:04):
transforming students lives and adding value to their communities. And
Lincoln's promise to our students is simple. We will work
tirelessly to help you succeed on the road to new
career opportunities. Now let's dive into some details about the program.
S3 (01:20):
Yeah. So my name's Rick Carver. I'm the director of
education at the Grand Prairie, Texas campus. I've been here
about nine years and I'm also Recente Manufacturing Special.
S2 (01:33):
My name is Jeff Hager. I'm a career machinist and
prototype here. My current employer is the Lincoln Tech School
as the instructor for the AM&R program, which is our
advanced manufacturing and robotics program.
S5 (01:51):
Rick and Jeff are the guys who can fill us
in on all we need to know about this industry.
S3 (01:55):
You know, I think what we think of, you know,
factory work, we think of stuff, you know, that's probably
from the Industrial Revolution, right? It's dark & old, with people working really hard and long hours. The industry has changed
so much, especially with the, you know, inclusion of all
(02:19):
the technology we have now on computers. But today's manufacturing
is just completely different. So now we're running all computer
controlled machines. The shop floors are, you know, normally painted
or polyurethane, and the machines are neat and clean. Shops
are air conditioned.
S2 (02:37):
Technology has changed the face of manufacturing. All right. So
when we think of factory work and we see people
at work doing repetitious tasks, moving items back and forth
and kind of a mundane existence, there's very little of
(02:58):
that left in manufacturing today or that has been replaced
by automation and sophisticated equipment to to do those repetitive
tasks and to to provide a a steady flow for
manufactured product. So what that has has changed in the
(03:20):
in the sense of of the manufacturing careers is we
see a lot more that are technical related. Right. We
see a lot more where we used to have mechanics
and and welders and things of that sort. Machinists. Now
(03:40):
we're seeing automation technicians and engineering technicians fill in a
lot of those positions. So there's still line mechanics and
there's still machinists and mill rights and whatnot involved in manufacturing.
But even those occupations have become a lot more technical.
(04:02):
So the the typical factory of today looks more like
a laboratory than a factory.
S5 (04:10):
CNC stands for a computerized numerical control, but what exactly
does that mean?
S3 (04:16):
Or you start talking about see and see manufacturing. We're
talking about something that's a little more specialized, a little
more high tech. CC includes everything from from laser engravers,
CC routers, TLC, plasma cutters. The ones that we probably
see and think of most are fancy milling machines. In CNC,
(04:40):
at least in Texas alone, they estimate that about 11,000 jobs
will be created over the next five years just in
Texas for CNC manufacturing. And nationally they're projecting about 165,000 jobs.
So the job market is very strong. In 2007, in
(05:00):
the industry, we saw we saw a real move to
kind of offshore a lot of this work to Asia
and that really failed and all that workers came back.
And reports say in the meantime that a lot of
the employees, a lot of the technicians in the field
have left the field. So there's a real gap right
now for for skilled labor in the field. And and
(05:24):
I think that's all we can do continuing. We're trying
to train that next generation and and fill that gap
that employers have to create their products.
S5 (05:32):
Okay. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. What kind
of things will students learn in the computerized manufacturing program
at Lincoln Tech?
S3 (05:40):
So our students in the beginning, they're going to learn
some of the basic math, which is all pretty simple,
well off computers and calculators and in phones. Now, we
make the math part of it very easy. They're going
to also learn how to measure parts, all the different
tools that we use to accurately and precision measure. Pretty
common in our field that we're measuring parts less than
(06:03):
1007 inch. So so we have to be very accurate
sort of learn how to measure how to read blueprints.
S2 (06:10):
Since manufacturing or advanced manufacturing is a it's a broad
ranging subject. Right. And there's so many different items to manufacture.
The processes used in each are going to vary. So
you could be manufacturing anything from from an automobile to a,
(06:30):
you know, a tiny little medical device of some sort.
Electronics and pharmaceuticals, you know, they all have a different
set of requirements. So the program at Lincoln Tech is
designed to build foundational skills like skills that can be
(06:50):
utilized in any of those industries.
S5 (06:52):
Okay, Jeff, what do you mean by foundational skills?
S2 (06:56):
I mean, so we're we're concentrating on the blueprint reading.
All right. Understand the technical drawings and the requirements. We're
concentrating on precision measurement to be able to to work
to these tolerances. We're doing machining, all right. Which is
used in virtually every industry. We are looking at, you know,
(07:21):
manual machining. We touch on that. But ah, the biggest
focus is on computerized numerical control or CNC machining.
S3 (07:32):
So we start to teach our students how to write programs,
how to set up all the tools that would be
required to machine that part, how to set up the
machine accurately, and how to just do that on a
consistent basis.
S2 (07:45):
That's where we focus a lot of time and energy
because that's the technology that's utilized for most manufacturing processes.
That's what that's what's cutting the metal and that's what's
used in metals and plastics and ceramics for for cutting,
for bending and stamping. All sorts of different technologies are
(08:09):
using CNC programming. So we spend a lot of our
course time learning the what the computer codes are writing
that coding and also using computer software to develop CMC machining.
S5 (08:28):
The program ensures that you know the basics, but that's
not all. Tell us about it, Rick.
S3 (08:33):
And one of the things that Lincoln does that most
other schools won't try to do is we get into
what we call multiyear access programming. And that's some of
the real high end, very complicated machining, which is really
where the entire industry is going. So I think it's
a really comprehensive program. We cover all of the topics
to a student will be required to do right when
(08:55):
they get on the job on the first day. So
they're all real, real skills that are required to go
right to work today on those fields.
S5 (09:06):
How can studying at Lincoln Tech prepare you to go
right to work today? The hands on training is done
on the very same machines that are used in the industry.
S2 (09:13):
We're a an age tech partner school, so we get
a lot of support from the Haas Corporation. All right.
And Haas is the largest manufacturer of CMC machine tools
in the United States. So we have a fully equipped shop,
we have CMC milling machines, we have CNC lathes, we
(09:35):
have a five axis CMC milling machine which is among
the most capable you will find. We have a multi
axis lathe that combines turning and milling capabilities in one
machine and these are all HAAS machines that you would
find in a in a typical manufacturing environment. These are
(09:58):
not educational model machines. These are industrial machines. And that's
what the students are spending their time on. That's what
they're they're doing their hands -on practicals on those machines.
And we have a lot of it. You know, there's
a lot of there's a lot of equipment and we
spend a lot of time in the shop on those machines.
S3 (10:19):
Well, I didn't mention this before, but but our classes
are basically set up to be about 66% in the shop,
actually on the machines. So they're very well versed on
how the machines work and they're really skilled to go
right into a machine shop on day one and start
running the machines.
S5 (10:38):
Training at Lincoln Tech will give you the ability to
go right to work. Let's talk to someone who did
that very thing.
S1 (10:45):
Well, my name is Amanda Swift. 29 year old girl
that lives in Prospect, Connecticut, and I enrolled at Lincoln
Tech for the manufacturing course back in February of 2021. And I
just graduated February 2022. So the reason why I chose
Lincoln Tech is because I know it's very hands on
(11:07):
your throat in the field there. You're told, hey, work
on this machine. You know, I'll make these offsets here.
We're going to write a program today, you know, work
on Master Cam. You know, you really get the work experience.
They're just everything's hands on. That's what I really like
about Lincoln Tech. You know, you're not always, you know,
reading a book, you know, you know, you can read
(11:28):
a book, but it's easier when you actually do do
what you're being taught. You know, you feel like you're
in the work environment there.
S5 (11:37):
Okay, Amanda, what's your job now that you've graduated from
Lincoln Tech?
S1 (11:40):
Now that I've graduated from Lincoln Tech, I actually I
moved into a micro machining department. I get to work
with a seven axis Willman machine, and I'm working on
small medical devices with such tight tolerances. And not everyone
gets the opportunity to do that. Micro machining is very tough.
I don't see it around really anywhere much. Most places
(12:02):
they work in small tolerances like plus or -£5,000. I'm
working with plus or minus five tenths. You know, just
the smallest little movement can affect this piece, good or bad.
And it's you know, it's been a really great opportunity
as I've grown so much there everyone is taking more me,
taking me more seriously since I've been there. And I've
(12:23):
just grown a lot since Lincoln Tech.
S5 (12:26):
She makes small medical devices and that's really cool. You
know what else is really cool working with NASA?
S2 (12:32):
Yeah, we have a we have a partnership with NASA
to produce a product for NASA's use on the space station.
So at Lincoln Tech we're using that partnership and that
that program to provide a customer base for our automation classes.
(12:55):
So we actually have a fully functional machining cell. All right.
To produce handrail components for the International Space Station. So
we're working with nascent national supplies, our materials. We're working
to their specifications and producing handrail components to be used
(13:19):
in the in the space station. And we're doing it
with a fully automated work cell, which means there's a
robot to tender it and it's using automated in process
inspection and automated work holding. And we can actually run
batches of parts with no operator intervention.
S5 (13:45):
All of this information is great and the computerized manufacturing
program sounds intriguing, but the reality is that you need
a job and a career. Can this program really provide that?
S4 (13:55):
So my name is Amanda Cortez. I'm the h.r. Generalist
over here at whitney actuation systems. I am in charge
of the strategic sourcing and recruiting efforts that we have
here with the new actuation systems to fill our manufacturing positions,
especially those in the CMC machine operator type roles. So
there's a there's been a constant shortage of labor when
(14:18):
it comes to the CMC manufacturing area. So in the
machine shop manufacturing period, a lot of the companies that
used to be in state of New Jersey, you know,
even just 20 years ago, there were there were maybe
fracturing sites on every corner in the state of New Jersey. Right.
And over the course of time, companies have been moving
(14:39):
offsite to lower cost areas within not only the United States,
but internationally as well. So having the individuals who have
a hands on experience within this industry or within manufacturing
as a whole is been difficult to maintain.
S5 (14:58):
Keep in mind that she's speaking as a real life
hiring manager. So that begs the question, do Lincoln Tech
graduates have a leg up on the competition?
S4 (15:06):
Absolutely. So I would I would say that the skill
sets that they're learning at Lincoln Tech, gaining their hands
on experience with the machines, again, the fundamentals that they're
learning with the programming and just the entry level stuff
is definitely a step up from some of the other
local programs that are just getting up and running. You know,
(15:26):
Lincoln Tech's been providing this teaching programming platform for years now,
so they're a little bit ahead of the game in
terms of and competition for the other schools that are
offering similar coursework in training opportunities in our machine shop alone.
We have machine operators that are a little generic. They
(15:47):
do a lot of metal cutting and they do a
lot of deep burning and things of that nature. But
we have seen see turning specialists, CMC milling specialists. We
have grinders, we have gear cutters. So I mean, there's
so many different facets of just machine operators out there
that it's, it's incredible how many different avenues people have
(16:11):
available to them. The growth opportunity for somebody with machine
in manufacturing background is never ending. If you really want
to break it down, somebody who starts off as an
entry level machine operator could eventually one day grow to
become a manufacturing engineer if they have the ambition to
do so. You know, we constantly talk about the fact
(16:32):
that we would love to have someone promoted into a
manufacturing engineering role who has that machine shop background, because
it just helps you be more successful in that kind
of a position because you already understand how those machines
work and you're able to to take some of the
skill sets that you learned in your mechanical engineering courses
(16:53):
and apply them to your fundamental knowledge of how CNC
machining is working and how you can apply that to
the actual manufacturing of the parts that we're building here
in the building.
S5 (17:06):
We know that training at Lincoln Tech will provide you
with the skills you need to go and hit the
ground running. And we know that there are a lot
of jobs and careers out there for you. But are
you going to be on your own and hunting down
one of those jobs? Not at all. Lincoln Tech's career
services team is here to help.
S3 (17:21):
Yes, that was one of the things that really attracted
me to Lincoln when I was working in a machine
shop making parts for the aerospace field. And when Lincoln
called me, I did a little research on him. I
was so impressed with the way they did their crew services.
It is really the main focus. In fact, I always
say here, you know, our job is not really to
(17:41):
graduate students, but it's to put students in the career
field of their choice. I went to a tech school
when I was younger. I know when I graduated, they
just hand me a piece of paper with a list
of phone numbers and said, you know, good luck. Our
career services team is there interacting with our students and
their very first class. The very first month they're here,
(18:04):
they're going in and they're talking about their their online profiles.
How are they how are they represented, you know, in
the digital world there? They talk to them about doing resumes.
They talk to them about doing job interviews. We do
mock interviews with our students. We help them build a resume.
(18:24):
They are actively searching jobs.
S2 (18:27):
All right. So some large corporations, it's very difficult to
to get a face to face meeting with anyone. All right.
You're going to, you know, come up against email or
resume here and hope somebody sees it or, you know,
we'll be put into a pool of applicants. But what
(18:49):
career services that Lincoln Tech offers is they have a
direct connection to these hiring managers so they can put
your resume right on that manager's desk. Right. And in
most cases, set up an interview. So it it really
expedites the process of of landing a job.
S1 (19:10):
You know, they they ask you a first. So do
you plan on getting a job before you're done with school?
Where do you see yourself? Like, you know, jobs, you're
looking at companies and they'll really try to help you
get in there. We had a classmate who really want
to be a hard worker and, you know, it's a
little pushing and nudging. But before him, the course, he
definitely got in there. You know, they're willing to help
(19:31):
you even to this day. I get phone calls from
career services. Hey, are you happy where you're at? Do
you want to grow? Or we see this, you know,
a place might suit you. You know, if you're really, like,
dedicated to wanting to get a good job and really pushing,
they're going to represent you as long as you have
good attendance. And your grades were good and you really
care about your trade.
S5 (19:52):
Are you still on the fence?
S2 (19:53):
The work itself is nice. I've got friends that worked
into their seventies as machinists, you know, because it's not
it's not strenuous or backbreaking work. It's along the lines of,
you know, laboratory work or, you know, kitchen work. You know,
it's it's shop work, but it's it's usually in a
(20:14):
nice environment. A lot of times it's very precise, very
precision work. So everything's clean and orderly. That's what makes
it efficient. So it's not a bad way to make
a living. And there is a lot of opportunity. And
the opportunity is is varied. Everything from jewelry to electronics
(20:34):
to sporting goods and aircraft, spacecraft, high performance cars, everything has.
A component that's machined involved with that.
S3 (20:49):
You see is a it's a different industry than any
other industry because if you think about it, you can
have an idea. Right. I want to make a part
for my car. I want to make something to make
my life easier. It could be it can be anything.
And I can take that idea and I can actually
draw it and see a three dimensional model of it.
(21:11):
And then I can actually go get a piece of material.
I can make that. And within, you know, maybe an
hour or a couple of hours, I can have that
piece right in my hand. So it's one of those
really strange fields that it's not just about the idea
or the process, but it's you get to see this
all the way through to through actually having something in
(21:31):
your hand that you thought about. So it really is a,
a different field. We're probably the only field that if
we have an idea to make a machine, guess what? We,
we build our own machines if we need to. So
if you really like being challenged, you really like step
two to be diversified. If you like to be creative
in the way you do things, you instantly see results
(21:52):
with the work that you do and the thoughts that
you have. So those are the kind of people I
think that then when I talk to them, they really
get excited about see and see and and all the
opportunities that they have in the field.
S1 (22:04):
This is really cool stuff to me. And if you
were saying, Hey, I just took this random block of
aluminum that I made into this awesome thing that would
persuade me like, Oh, how, how do I get involved?
You know, we had a student who's an artist, you know,
and he wasn't sure about the manufacturing field as well. Well,
one day he drew my teacher right on the whiteboard,
(22:26):
and my teacher the next day had a student in
the morning class take a photo of it, converted to
a master file, and he made a whole plaque with
his face all over. And he's showing all the classmates like,
look at this. If you just draw a photo on
a piece of paper and all of a sudden, boom,
you got this awesome aluminum portrait of yourself, you know,
(22:46):
you show them all the cool possibilities you could do
is not just pushing a button and go and, you know,
they're really interested in that. Then they'll do it, you know? But,
you know, it's up to them. You know, I never
thought I'd see myself in manufacturing and I love it.
S3 (23:03):
The CNC manufacturing is a well-paid field. I can say this,
I have a wife and five kids and my wife
has been able to stay home and raise our kids
the entire time I was in the CNC field. It's
been a lucrative business for us. I also I've lived
in five different states myself and every state I've been
(23:24):
able to go to and find a job right away.
There's tons of jobs all over the country. It really
is a kind of a next level job. So I
don't think students that come out of here are going
to have any problems being able to support themselves.
S5 (23:37):
So what does the computerized manufacturing program and Lincoln Tech
sound like a fit for you? Find out more information
schedule on campus, visit and talk to instructors or the
career services team online in Lincoln Tech.
S6 (23:49):
Edu This podcast is a production of BG Ed Group.
Darren Sutherland Executive Producer. Jeremy Powell, Creative Director. Jacob Sutherland,
Director Producers. Jason Genter, Ola and Matt Golden and Ketchum Copywriter.
All rights reserved.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.