Machine Donation Helps Students

Methods Machine Tools has provided new machines to Ivy Tech Community College’s Orthopedic and Advanced Manufacturing Training Center (OAMTC) in Warsaw, Ind. The company is donating the use of a Feeler VMP-580 CNC vertical machining center and a Feeler HT30-Y turning center during the 2012-2013 academic year, to be part of the curriculum of the Advanced Manufacturing program and the Orthopedic Quality Standards and Technical Skills certificate program. Methods intends to replace the machines with the latest models in subsequent academic years.

According to Ivy Tech North Central Chancellor Thomas Coley, “This generous donation from Methods ensures that Ivy Tech students will always be training on the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art equipment available. Coursework and training at the OAMTC already meets rigorous standards, and students will now have the added value of experience on always-current machines. Employers who hire our graduates will also see the benefit of new employees who have a wider range of machine-related experience.”

"One of the key issues facing our industry is the shortage of skilled, qualified machinists," Dale Hedberg, Feeler product manager at Methods, explained. "Through the years, we have partnered with different technical schools, colleges, and universities across the country to help train the workforce. The students get a great education on high-tech equipment, the industry gets trained people, and students leaving here know our equipment."

The Feeler HT30-Y turning center features linear guideways on the X and Z-axis, 30° slant bed construction and a Fanuc 18i-TD control. It offers a 3,500-rpm, 30-hp spindle with a hydraulic chuck diameter of 10" (254 mm) and a bar capacity of 3" (78 mm). X-axis travel is 7" + 3.2" (178 mm + 82 mm), Y-axis travel is 3.9” and +/- 2” (100 mm +/- 50 mm), and Z-axis travel is 31.3" (795 mm). It also includes a 12-station turret and offers a maximum turning diameter of 14" (356 mm) and a maximum turning length of 27.75" (705 mm).

The Feeler VMP-580 machine features a 10,000-rpm spindle with 15 hp, linear guideways on X- and Y-axes and boxways on the Z-axis. X-axis travels range from 23” to 43” (580 to 1,100 mm), Y-axis travels range from 16.5” to 24” (420 to 610 mm) and Z-axis travels are from 20” to 23.6” (510 to 600 mm). The VMP-580 also provides a 24-tool automatic tool changer and a standard Fanuc 0i-MD control.