DCCC Open House to Introduce New Advanced Manufacturing Lab

By Kathy Kepley
Davidson County Community College

October 14, 2011

Davidson County Community College will introduce its new Advanced Manufacturing Lab to the public during an open house on Monday, October 17.

The 4-6 p.m. open house will follow a luncheon and tour of the Advanced Manufacturing Lab, as well as other industry-related learning labs at the college, attended by industry leaders in the Piedmont Triad earlier in the day. The  lab is located in the William T. Sinclair Building on the Davidson Campus.

The Advanced Manufacturing Lab, which opened during the current fall semester, features the latest Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machining and Rapid Prototyping equipment used in the new Machining Technology and Industrial Drafting and Design curriculums which admitted students for the first time this fall.

Day and evening instruction and the opportunity to learn by operating the same sophisticated equipment used in a real manufacuring work environment, is teaching students critical thinking skills required for success in the advanced manufacturing workforce, according to Randy Ledford, Dean, School of Business, Engineering and Technical Studies. Students will use the skills they learn to design and create precision parts and practice proficiency in three-, four- and five-dimensional computerized technology used by a wide range of regional companies. Exposure to research and design concepts, with a strong emphasis on quality assurance, prepares machining graduates for machining certification exams and jobs in high-wage modern manufacturing operations.

The new advanced manufacturing facility and programs complement DCCC’s Automation Lab, where Electronics Engineering Technology students program computers and robots in a simulated modern manufacturing environment, and the new Welding Lab, where students learn the latest fabrication techniques.