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MATC MACHINE
TOOL TECHNICS PROGRAM RECEIVES PRECISION VISION MEASURING EQUIPMENT
Take a close look
at the back of a Lincoln head penny. With the naked eye, most people cannot
see President Lincoln sitting in his chair in the Lincoln Memorial. With
a recent equipment donation to the Madison Area Technical College's Machine
Tool Technics Program, not only can you see Lincoln, but you can also
measure the width of his knee!
The program's vision measuring system, a donation from California-based
C.E. Johansson Company, uses video camera technology to magnify and measure
parts quickly and precisely to a 10 millionths of an inch.
MATC came to the attention of C.E Johansson Company through a referral
from Darrell Doyscher, head of the inspection systems division of T and
A Industrial Distribution, a supplier to the school. He heard the company
wanted to donate equipment to colleges, so he nominated MATC as a possible
recipient.
"MATC has one of the best metrology [measurement] labs I've ever
seen," says Doyscher. "Some schools have metrology equipment
they use to measure parts but this is one of the few schools doing extensive
training in metrology."
Applications in the machine tool field include precision measurement of
sensitive and high tech parts to be used in manufacturing, medicine and
other fields. Varying the light source on the equipment allows the operator
to measure edges and surfaces more precisely and see through translucent
materials clearly. The equipment, when new, is worth about $45,000, and
it retains much of that value.
MATC's two-year Machine Tool
Technics program prepares students for employment in tool and die making,
mold making, Computerized Numerical Control programming and precision
machine repair. Students learn to use Computer Aided Design (CAD)/Computer
Aided Manufacturing (CAM) technology and work with state-of-the-art machining
equipment. Machine Tool careers provide interesting and challenging work
in clean, high tech environments. With five years of experience in the
field, the national average annual earnings for tool and die makers ranges
from $40,000 to $60,000.
MATC is one of the largest of the Wisconsin Technical College System's
16 colleges. It provides a comprehensive curriculum of technical, liberal
arts and science, adult basic education and life enrichment studies and
activities, as well as customized employee training. MATC provides training
in more than 100 career programs. The college serves all or parts of 12
counties located in south central Wisconsin and offers instruction through
five campuses and various other locations throughout the district.
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Last
Modified:
July 9, 2002
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