The Future of US Manufacturing
In this article I bring you two unrelated news items that make me optimistic about the future of manufacturing in the US.
Modern Machine Shop features a high-school in Wisconsin that runs its manufacturing vocational program as a business, producing parts for paying customers. The wonderful thing about this model is that in these days of educational budget cuts and declining interest in vocational programs in high schools, this school has found a way to solve both of these problems in one fell swoop. Create a program that pays for itself and teach kids not only manufacturing but also business. The educators who came up with this unique concept need to be commended for their ingenuity. This program teaches and empowers not only the students but the school and the community as a whole.
And on the other side of coin, here is a story of a group of outstanding high school students from Washington spending over 1500 hours of their spare time to identify a problem in their community, come up with an invention to fix this problem and most importantly design and produce a prototype. Using Rhino3D,
RhinoCAM, and CNC machines, the students built a ‘self-balancing recumbent trike’ to provide a means of exercise and transportation for those with compromised balance, such as individuals with spinal problems. To truly appreciate the passion and innovation that went into this project, you need to watch the presentation of this invention at the
MIT High School EurekaFest 2012 conference.
Are these harbingers of a manufacturing resurgence in the US? I sure hope so.
Joe Anand
Joe Anand has been President and CEO of MecSoft Corporation since 1997. Previously Joe worked for Siemens UGS PLM Software running a Custom Projects group implementing specialized projects for strategic global partners such as GM, Opel and GE as well as working on 3D machining algorithms for the NX product series. Before that he worked at Intergraph Corporation and was responsible for rewriting Intergraph's 3 Axis milling product. Earlier, Joe held senior positions at Auto-trol Technology and GE Calma.
Joe earned his MS degree, in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University with a research emphasis on robot path planning and motion simulation.
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