Page 6 - 3DMP Spring 2022

3D INDUSTRY NEWS
Pilot Apprenticeship Program the Focus of Meeting on AM Workforce Development
America Makes and 3Degrees, LLC, a 3D printing consulting firm, recently welcomed U.S. Sec- retary of Commerce Gina M. Rai- mondo to hard-technology accel- erator mHub for a roundtable discussion with local and national government representatives, and industry partners on workforce development in additive manu- facturing (AM).
The meeting highlighted the
recent completion of the pilot Advanced Manufacturing Experi-
ence (AMx) course on the West
Side of Chicago. Led by
3Degrees in collaboration with
the nonprofit West Side Forward, the AMx program reportedly is a first-of-its- kind immersive 3D printing apprentice- ship program designed to provide the opportunity for jobs in the advanced- manufacturing sector to underserved communities.
‘New-collar positions,’ such as the ones created by industrial 3D printing, value technical skills over college degrees—difficult to find in today’s work- force, according to 3Degrees officials, who seek to solve this problem.
“I've seen this first-hand as an entre- preneur running two companies that help large manufacturing organizations (e.g., government, aerospace, automo-
tive) implement 3D printing technology,” says Mike Vasquez, 3Degrees chief exec- utive officer. “My clients tell me time and again that they have well-paying, bene- fit-eligible jobs that they cannot fill. It seems that the United States has forgot- ten how to train its workforce for today's jobs that do not require a college degree. On the flip side, access to find- ing jobs in this industry is not straight- forward. Most of these companies are small (less than 100 employees), and unless you have some network or under- standing of the industry, you may not know what’s happening in the white, non-descript, windowless buildings on the side of the highway.”
The pilot course combined in-person instruction, tours of AM facilities such as Renishaw, Impossible Objects and mHub, and input from mentorships from companies such Siemens Energy, EOS, Desktop Metal, Met-l-Flo, Dyndrite and Fore- cast3D.
Upon completing the course, students had the opportunity to receive the Certified Manufac- turing Technologist (CMfgT) cer- tification from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. The curriculum was provided direct- ly by America Makes.
“The mission of the America Makes Education and Workforce Development program is to empower our members to engage at the local level through access to our national network of cre- dentialed materials and expertise,” says Josh Cramer, America Makes edu- cation and workforce director. “The program implemented by 3Degrees and its partners epitomizes exactly what we hope to achieve with our Edu- cation and Workforce Development program.”
Several iterations of the course will be deployed this spring with the aim to expand the program to areas across the United States later in the year.
Solar Atmospheres Adds Furnace to Reclaim Titanium and Tantalum
The Solar Atmospheres facility in Souderton, PA, has com- missioned a new high-production vacuum furnace, doubling its capacity for hydriding and dehydriding used during the reclamation process of high-value titanium and tantalum materials.
The installation incorporates Solar Manufacturing’s latest and most advanced vacuum-furnace technology, aimed at safety and efficiency. The qualified working zone is 48 by 48 by 72 in., with a weight capacity of 7500 lb./batch.
LISTEN: EOS Additive Snack Podcast Kicks Off Season Three
EOS has dropped the third-season first episode of its Addi- tive Snack podcast, focusing on AM real-world stories, expert insights and industry-focused discussions. In the season-three premiere, host Fabian Alefeld speaks with Matthew Parker, director of AM engineering at Senior Aerospace SSP, about navigating the AM journey successfully.
“If you don’t invent ahead of the need,” offers Parker, “then you will not be ready for when the customers come in asking.”
Find the podcast at www.eos.info or search for Additive Snack on your podcast platform.
4 | 3D METAL PRINTING • SPRING 2022
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