Education for the Rapid Prototyping Technician

This letter is in response to Todd Grimm's January/February 2004 article "The RP Education Problem," about the failure of higher education to train competent technicians for the RP industry.
Most manufacturing operations require trained technicians to keep the wheels turning. Industry continuously needs better-trained technicians as the processes that they operate become more complex. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the manufacturing machine trades project a small gain in employment opportunities through 2012 and the new additive processing trades are not listed. The population will still require merchandise and the population is continuing to grow. This means more opportunities in automation technologies and new manufacturing technologies.

Need for RP Training

RP technologies only began in 1984 with the invention of the stereolithography apparatus. In the 20 years since that time, dozens of processes have been created, working in liquids and solids in polymers, papers and metals. The industries working with RP run the range of all traditional methods of manufacturing including automotive, aerospace, biomedical, consumer goods and government including military applications. With this rapid rise in the RP technologies, there is a need for trained RP technicians to operate the machines used in today's manufacturing environment. A two-year technical school such as Texas State Technical College (TSTC) Marshall is the place for that training.

Our institution is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It is this agency, along with our state Coordinating Board of Higher Education, which sets the standards for awarding degrees. A transferable degree (a degree that is primarily a stepping stone toward a higher degree) is different from an applied technical degree that is designed to prepare graduates to enter the workforce. All of the extra academic course work required for transfer into a baccalaureate degree is not necessarily needed for preparation for the workforce. A technical degree is looked upon by SACS as a terminal degree and its recipient is ready for a paying job. It is not presumed that the graduate will necessarily proceed to an upper level field of study. This is one among many things to consider when developing a technical program.

Developing the Program

At TSTC Marshall, this was indeed among the many things considered when developing our Advanced Digital Manufacturing Technology (ADMT) program. Prior to building the laboratory, it was necessary to build a curriculum. Our curriculum requires 42 semester hours of technical courses, 12 hours of enterprise systems courses and 15 hours of general academic courses. This is developed under the assumption that students entering the program have no prior knowledge of any form of manufacturing.

While this is a relatively new program for TSTC Marshall (it currently has 10 students in the program in its first year) it has gained some recognition. Many requests have been received from engineers for courses in the new manufacturing technology. In the near future, TSTC Marshall will continue addressing this need for an advanced certificate for working engineers and technicians to learn RP technologies. Also, a local community college has requested a partnership with TSTC Marshall to develop a similar program for its community.

The Future

Developing a program for the RP industry is necessary, but several factors must be considered. What is the industry doing? What is the local industry need? What are the needs of graduates of the program? What can the institution afford? By answering these questions and more that spawn from them, you can begin to build a curriculum and laboratory that can meet the changing needs for an industry that is so new that it has yet to appear in the most recent government statistical database.

For more information contact Larry Liles, Ed.D. of TSTC Marshall (Marshall, TX) at (903) 923-3316 or visit the Web site at www.marshall.tstc.edu.

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics Report. (2001 - 2002). Education and Training Statistics (pp.186-203). Retrieved from www.stats.bls.gov

Jacobs, Paul F. (1992). Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing: Fundamentals of Stereolithography (1st ed.). SME. Dearborn, MI.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. www.sacs.org

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Community and Technical Colleges Division. (2001). Guidelines for Instructional Programs in Workforce Education (Part 1). Austin, TX: THECB.

Manufacturing Education for the 21st Century. (1997). Manufacturing Education Plan: Phase I Report (Vol. 4). Dearborn, MI: Society of Manufacturing Engineers.

RP technologies only began in 1984 with the invention of the stereolithography apparatus. In the 20 years since that time, dozens of processes have been created, working in liquids and solids in polymers, papers and metals. The industries working with RP run the range of all traditional methods of manufacturing including automotive, aerospace, biomedical, consumer goods and government including military applications. With this rapid rise in the RP technologies, there is a need for trained RP technicians to operate the machines used in today's manufacturing environment. A two-year technical school such as Texas State Technical College (TSTC) Marshall is the place for that training.Our institution is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It is this agency, along with our state Coordinating Board of Higher Education, which sets the standards for awarding degrees. A transferable degree (a degree that is primarily a stepping stone toward a higher degree) is different from an applied technical degree that is designed to prepare graduates to enter the workforce. All of the extra academic course work required for transfer into a baccalaureate degree is not necessarily needed for preparation for the workforce. A technical degree is looked upon by SACS as a terminal degree and its recipient is ready for a paying job. It is not presumed that the graduate will necessarily proceed to an upper level field of study. This is one among many things to consider when developing a technical program.At TSTC Marshall, this was indeed among the many things considered when developing our Advanced Digital Manufacturing Technology (ADMT) program. Prior to building the laboratory, it was necessary to build a curriculum. Our curriculum requires 42 semester hours of technical courses, 12 hours of enterprise systems courses and 15 hours of general academic courses. This is developed under the assumption that students entering the program have no prior knowledge of any form of manufacturing.While this is a relatively new program for TSTC Marshall (it currently has 10 students in the program in its first year) it has gained some recognition. Many requests have been received from engineers for courses in the new manufacturing technology. In the near future, TSTC Marshall will continue addressing this need for an advanced certificate for working engineers and technicians to learn RP technologies. Also, a local community college has requested a partnership with TSTC Marshall to develop a similar program for its community.Developing a program for the RP industry is necessary, but several factors must be considered. What is the industry doing? What is the local industry need? What are the needs of graduates of the program? What can the institution afford? By answering these questions and more that spawn from them, you can begin to build a curriculum and laboratory that can meet the changing needs for an industry that is so new that it has yet to appear in the most recent government statistical database.Bureau of Labor Statistics Report. (2001 - 2002). Education and Training Statistics (pp.186-203). Retrieved from Jacobs, Paul F. (1992). Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing: Fundamentals of Stereolithography (1st ed.). SME. Dearborn, MI.Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Community and Technical Colleges Division. (2001). Guidelines for Instructional Programs in Workforce Education (Part 1). Austin, TX: THECB.Manufacturing Education for the 21st Century. (1997). Manufacturing Education Plan: Phase I Report (Vol. 4). Dearborn, MI: Society of Manufacturing Engineers.

 

RP technologies only began in 1984 with the invention of the stereolithography apparatus. In the 20 years since that time, dozens of processes have been created, working in liquids and solids in polymers, papers and metals. The industries working with RP run the range of all traditional methods of manufacturing including automotive, aerospace, biomedical, consumer goods and government including military applications. With this rapid rise in the RP technologies, there is a need for trained RP technicians to operate the machines used in today's manufacturing environment. A two-year technical school such as Texas State Technical College (TSTC) Marshall is the place for that training.Our institution is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It is this agency, along with our state Coordinating Board of Higher Education, which sets the standards for awarding degrees. A transferable degree (a degree that is primarily a stepping stone toward a higher degree) is different from an applied technical degree that is designed to prepare graduates to enter the workforce. All of the extra academic course work required for transfer into a baccalaureate degree is not necessarily needed for preparation for the workforce. A technical degree is looked upon by SACS as a terminal degree and its recipient is ready for a paying job. It is not presumed that the graduate will necessarily proceed to an upper level field of study. This is one among many things to consider when developing a technical program.At TSTC Marshall, this was indeed among the many things considered when developing our Advanced Digital Manufacturing Technology (ADMT) program. Prior to building the laboratory, it was necessary to build a curriculum. Our curriculum requires 42 semester hours of technical courses, 12 hours of enterprise systems courses and 15 hours of general academic courses. This is developed under the assumption that students entering the program have no prior knowledge of any form of manufacturing.While this is a relatively new program for TSTC Marshall (it currently has 10 students in the program in its first year) it has gained some recognition. Many requests have been received from engineers for courses in the new manufacturing technology. In the near future, TSTC Marshall will continue addressing this need for an advanced certificate for working engineers and technicians to learn RP technologies. Also, a local community college has requested a partnership with TSTC Marshall to develop a similar program for its community.Developing a program for the RP industry is necessary, but several factors must be considered. What is the industry doing? What is the local industry need? What are the needs of graduates of the program? What can the institution afford? By answering these questions and more that spawn from them, you can begin to build a curriculum and laboratory that can meet the changing needs for an industry that is so new that it has yet to appear in the most recent government statistical database.Bureau of Labor Statistics Report. (2001 - 2002). Education and Training Statistics (pp.186-203). Retrieved from Jacobs, Paul F. (1992). Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing: Fundamentals of Stereolithography (1st ed.). SME. Dearborn, MI.Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Community and Technical Colleges Division. (2001). Guidelines for Instructional Programs in Workforce Education (Part 1). Austin, TX: THECB.Manufacturing Education for the 21st Century. (1997). Manufacturing Education Plan: Phase I Report (Vol. 4). Dearborn, MI: Society of Manufacturing Engineers.