TPT January 2017

I NDUS T RY

Manufacturing Day at Formtek 2016 FORMTEK Group Inc recently hosted over 200 students and 19 exhibitors for its annual Manufacturing Day. Across the USA, the day is celebrated to bring light to the exciting diversity of the manufacturing industry and the many careers that can be found within it. It is meant to encourage young people to explore jobs in manufacturing and inspire a passion for the field in the next generation. Held annually, this was the company’s fifth year participating in the celebration. Formtek team for a tour of the shop and explanation of the jobs of the machines and workers. After the tour was over, the students were allowed to explore the exhibitors’ booths. One of the most exciting of the exhibitors was Lakeland Community College and their robots with the ability to throw a ball to students and receive it through sweeping it up off the ground.

via the booth put on by Excel Tecc’s Computer Aided Design and Drafting Engineering Technologies program. On display was a prosthetic hand, made by the program with 3D printers. Students were able to try out copies of one that was donated to a local boy who now uses it functionally. This gave students a first-hand opportunity to see how manufacturing technology is changing lives. The event was a success due to the many exhibitors and participants. A spokesman for the Formtek Group said: “We committed to the future of manufacturing. We believe that by investing in the education of the youth today we will be able to secure a capable workforce for tomorrow. We look forward to hosting annual events for the many Manufacturing Days to come.”

Sawyer, a product of the Proud Company of Pittsburgh, was among the exhibits that offered a hands-on experience in how manufacturing and technology are becoming one and the same through industrial automation and robotics. Mark Proud, president of the Proud Company, was at the event, demonstrating how Sawyer can be programmed by anyone, even without previous knowledge of computer or machine programming. 3D printing was also on display

This year Formtek hosted nine schools from surrounding counties. For the day it also had an on-site Formtek Snapchat filter available to students and participants who were documenting their time at Manufacturing Day through the app. The event began at 10am with an introductory speech given by Judy Muehlbauer, HR manager of the Formtek Group. Then the students were assigned to a member of the

Formtek – USA Website: www.formtekgroup.com

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J ANUARY 2017