NASHUA – Turning a chunk of metal into a gear or a bolt or some other usable part requires knowing how to use big, complicated tools – like a 2-ounce USB stick.
“Offline programming is a big part of the job,” said Jeff Heath, a retired Sanders Associates engineer who works as a lab assistant in Nashua Community College’s new Advanced Machine Tool facility.
Sit at a computer, program software to create a part, load the software onto a “geek stick” and transfer it into a computer-controlled milling machine or lathe, then oversee the resulting operation: That’s how today’s machine shops work.
People who want jobs as machinists have to be as comfortable with the idea of digital controls and software as they are with measuring tolerances and understanding alloys.
“It’s not that hard, but you need a good math background,” said Chris Byron of Epsom, who drives down to Nashua to take machining classes in the school’s revamped Advanced Machine Tool laboratory, which was upgraded with help from a $1.6 million federal grant.
Byron, 28, trained as a General Motors technician but switched to machining because it offers a better future.
Also in the machining class Thursday was David Marois, who was introduced to machine tools at the Applied Technology Center when he attended Milford High School in the class of 2011.![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
↧