Student Tribune
Finger Lakes Manufacturing Employers Train Their Workers to Use Ultra High-tech Equipment in MCC's New Lab
Optics technicians and a college sophomore gain specialized skills
most in demand in the industry
Behind the floor-to-ceiling glass entrance to Monroe Community
College’s new, high-tech optical fabrication laboratory, four advanced
manufacturing workers and an MCC student are spending this summer gaining
specialized skills most in demand by U.S. employers in the industry. The group
is completing five weeks of intensive, hands-on training on a state-of-the-art
diamond-turning lathe — a $300,000 machine that is increasingly used to
manufacture parts with nanoscale precision for autonomous vehicles, missile
guidance systems, telescopes, TV projectors, and numerous other
applications.
The challenge Finger Lakes region employers face is finding optics
technicians skilled in setting up and operating the machine. Through
MCC’s inaugural workshop in July and August, area employers
like IDEX Health and Science, Optimax
Systems and Richardson Gratings are
training their employees to use this highly advanced technology.
“Diamond turning is an important and significant area within the
optics field. Where we’re seeing diamond-turned parts is growing.
Manufacturing companies are trying to buy more of these machines and,
ultimately, they need technicians who know how to properly use them,”
said Alexis Vogt, Ph.D., program chair and professor of
optical systems technology whose team developed the five-week workshop.
“Optics technicians with diamond-turning experience are in incredibly
high demand across the United States,” she said. “Our goal is to
train people so they can go back to their companies and use the skills
we’ve taught them to benefit their employer and customers.”
Every Tuesday and Thursday through Aug. 12, workshop participants spend four
hours learning to properly program and set up the lathe to perform operations
that require a high level of accuracy. Because the equipment uses a diamond tip
to cut various materials, it is capable of producing extremely fine cuts with
nanoscale precision. Participants also learn the fundamentals of metrology,
using different tools to verify that a part was manufactured properly.
Come this fall semester, students in MCC’s optical systems technology
program will have their first opportunity to use the lathe and other high-tech
advanced manufacturing equipment worth over $1.5 million in the
1,400-square-foot lab. Funded through grants from Corning Incorporated
Foundation and the federal Office of Naval Research, MCC’s optics lab
renovation project began in summer 2020 and was completed in spring 2021,
doubling the capacity of machines to better meet employers’ and
students’ training needs.
A second workshop is planned for January 2022. For information, email Ross
Micali at rmicali@monroecc.edu.
Yuen-Eng, Hency
Government and Community Relations
08/05/2021