Readying Students for High-Tech Careers
FANUC America is promoting a new CNC certification at this year's IMTS. Stop by the Student Summit to check it out.
A participant in FANUC’s new Certified Education CNC Training Program learns the ropes on the company’s NCGuide CNC simulation software.
This year’s Smartforce Student Summit is not only exposing a new generation to the wonders of manufacturing technology, but also unveiling a pathway to learning the skills of the trade. Among the highlights is a new education program from FANUC America that aims to have young professionals certified and ready to program CNC mills and lathes just as soon as they graduate.
Designed to impart the fundamentals of CNC machine setup, operation and programming, this training adds to the robotics education already available through the company’s Certified Education Training Program (CERT). The result is a more comprehensive, advanced automation educational offering for high schools, trade schools, colleges and universities with manufacturing diploma programs or STEM curriculum.
As is the case with robotics training, students participating in the FANUC Certified Education CNC Training Program learn the ropes from FANUC-certified instructors on the company’s own equipment. This involves writing, editing and proofing programs in NCGuide CNC simulation software, transferring the program to the CNC via USB stick, then performing setup and testing. Students also must pass an academic skills test to demonstrate competence.
The company says its own Robodrill VMCs are ideal for providing this hands-on education, but it also offers commodity equipment at what it says are “education-friendly” prices. For example, the CNC certification cart from Levil Technology is a portable, industrial-quality CNC milling machine equipped with a FANUC Series 0i Mate-MODEL D CNC. The cart can be rolled into any classroom and kept in storage when not needed, thereby eliminating the need for a dedicated workshop.
If you're at the show and you want to see this equipment in action, or gather more comprehensive information about the program, stop by the Student Summit in Hall C (North Building). At booths C-900 and 901, FANUC education resellers Lab Midwest, Aidex Williams Crow, and Integrated Systems Technology are demonstrating CNCs and robots. Representatives from Madison Area Technical College, Lakeshore Technical College and BIR Training Center are also available to discuss the FANUC Certified Education Robot Training Program at their schools.
