1.1

The problem: The need for a skilled manufacturing workforce

Manufacturing was central to Connecticut’s past and is critical to its economic future. The state that was home to Samuel Colt, Eli Whitney and the first submarine now produces jet engines, helicopters, nuclear submarines, fuels cells, space suits, fabricated metals, electronics and pharmaceuticals in its 5400 manufacturing companies. Although the popular perception of manufacturing is “dirty, dark and dangerous” with no future as jobs decline or are outsourced, high tech manufacturing, including the use of lasers for cutting, drilling, welding and sintering, is central to the state’s economy.

In response to a 2005 survey by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA), nearly half of Connecticut’s manufacturing firms reported that job applicants did not have the skills necessary for open positions and another 19 percent reported having difficulty finding any applicants at all. [1] In addition to the difficulty of finding new employees, the state’s employers face the problem of an aging workforce and large numbers of impending retirements. (Connecticut has the nation’s seventh oldest workforce) It is not surprising that the availability of a workforce skilled in new technologies is a prime concern of the state’s manufacturers.

1.2

The Community Colleges’ response: The Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing

The driving force behind the creation of the Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing (RCNGM) was the success of the College of Technology (COT), a virtual organization of the twelve Connecticut Community Colleges. COT was created by the state legislature in 1992 when the state’s five technical colleges were merged with its twelve community colleges. The COT’s unique infrastructure provides seamless career pathways with multiple entry and exit points leading to credit certificates and Associate of Science, and Bachelor of Science degrees in engineering and technology. There are 2 COT pathway programs, Technological Studies and Engineering Science. The Associate of Science degree in Engineering Science seamlessly articulates to engineering programs at five universities, while the innovative curriculum of the Technological Studies pathway includes five industry-driven technology electives.

Although COT was originally charged with developing 2+2 pathways from the community colleges to four-year university programs, the Technological Studies pathway in particular quickly became the practical choice for creating new programs to meet technical workforce needs. Unlike a full Associate degree program that can take years to be approved, elective options to the Technological Studies degree can be implemented in a matter of months, allowing Connecticut’s Community Colleges to respond quickly to changing industry needs.

Beginning in 2001, COT and CBIA received two grants from the Advanced Technology Education (ATE) project of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop curriculum in cutting edge technologies and to provide faculty professional development, in large part through paid externships at local companies. Teachers from high schools and community colleges who completed industry externships created new work-based curriculum that was shared statewide through the COT’s virtual network.

The creation of the Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing was, then, the next logical step to address the critical need for a workforce educated for the new manufacturing environment. The Center was funded by the National Science Foundation’s ATE program in 2004, and its goals are: to develop programs in new technology areas with input from industry; to prepare faculty to implement industry-driven, next generation manufacturing coursework and laboratories; to make young people aware of opportunities in the new manufacturing workplace; and to increase collaboration between schools and manufacturers.

Around the same time (2005), the newly formed Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) received funding from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research/National Aerospace Leadership Initiative to develop a Laser Applications Laboratory to conduct applied research on laser materials processing for military and commercial products. With so much research and development activity directed at laser material processing, it was natural that the RCNGM begin the process of developing a laser manufacturing curriculum for Connecticut’s Community Colleges.

3.1

Interdisciplinary curriculum team to the rescue

The Three Rivers Technology Department began in the 1960s as a State Technical College, and for the most part, the autonomous technology programs worked together only when forced to by the college administration. In 2005, in response to low enrollments and a need to improve efficiency as the college plans to move to a new campus, the Director of Engineering Technology announced a reorganization of the department into “clusters” of several programs with similar courses and student outcomes. The manufacturing-related cluster, or the “Gang of Four” as it came to be called, included Laser and Fiber Optic Technology, and the TAC/ABET accredited Electrical, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Technologies. The first project undertaken by the group was the creation of a laser manufacturing program.

3.2

Ideal world meets reality

The four program coordinators of the manufacturing-related cluster met weekly throughout the spring of 2006 to implement the RCNGM laser manufacturing program. A totally new associate degree program was out of the question; approval by the appropriate college committees, the Board of Trustees for the Community-Technical Colleges, and the State Department of Higher Education would take up to two years (or more) to obtain. There were other constraints as well, some imposed locally by the college and some by the state governing boards:

The program coordinators decided to create a fifteen-credit elective option to the existing Manufacturing Engineering Technology program, while, at the same time, updating other courses in the program to reflect the current manufacturing workplace. This decision was not without its own constraints: only fifteen credits of an associate degree program may be changed without the approval of the Board of Trustees. The group used a combination of reformulated and/or renamed “old” courses (which needs only the approval of the college’s Curriculum Committee) and a small selection of new courses to accomplish their goal. In some cases, changes will be made over two years, to keep to the fifteen-credit limit. The long-range plan is to use the basic degree structure to support additional options, for example, a Mechatronics option to build on the automated controls courses.

Table 2 shows the Manufacturing Engineering Technology degree program and the Laser Manufacturing Option, which was approved by the Board of Trustees in the summer of 2006. It should be noted that students entering the program are required to have passed College Algebra and Physics I (Mechanics) before entering the program. Students may do this through the Tech Prep program at their high school, or as additional courses taken at Three Rivers.

Table 2.

The Three Rivers Community College Implementation of the Laser Manufacturing A.S. Degree Program. The current Manufacturing Option (right hand side) is slated to become a Mechatronics Option.

Much compromise was required on the part of each of the four technology programs, including eliminating some cherished traditional courses, cutting back on the number of credits for some courses, and combining similar courses previously taught in separate departments (in some cases, by assigning two faculty to “team teach” a course.) The revised degree and option reflect the enthusiastic agreement of all program coordinators involved to update and streamline courses and to create shared interdisciplinary courses wherever possible. Among the course revisions were:

3.3

New Courses

Of course, it is impossible to create a meaningful new program option without adding new courses. In response to the RCNGM industry survey, an optoelectronics course was created as a parallel course to the standard Electronics I taken by Electrical Engineering technology students, but emphasizing applications in optoelectronics. At the same time, the content of the Laser Electronics course was changed to include more high power and RF electronics. These courses will be part of the LFOT program as well as the new Laser Manufacturing Option

3.4

Computer Controlled Laser Material Processing

The capstone course created for the program is Computer Controlled Laser Material Processing. The course covers the mechanics, components, characteristics and control of lasers used in the processing of engineering materials. Students study specific processes such as athermal processing, surface hardening, cladding, joining, cutting, marking and welding and are exposed to computer numerical control (CNC) concepts and programming. The course is taken by both Manufacturing and LFOT students, leading to an interesting mix of abilities; some students are well-versed in laser technology while others have in-depth knowledge of manufacturing processes.

To support the laboratory, the RCNGM purchased a large format 45 Watt CO2 engraver for use in the Three Rivers Manufacturing Laboratory. Students use the laser to study the effects of changing laser parameters when processing (raster engraving or vector cutting) a variety of materials. In one such experiment, students were instructed to design a procedure to methodically investigate the raster settings of speed and power for 3 types of material. Additional tests were performed at fixed speed and power settings with variations in resolution from 75 to 1200dpi, and in a third investigation, the effects of changing lens focal length and engraving with both focused and defocused lens were also studied. Students examined the materials processed by the laser by creating photomicrographs using microscopes equipped with digital cameras and image analysis software.

The investigations required students to devise a graphic to be engraved that would allow them to effectively study the parameters being changed. The test pattern was applied repeatedly with different settings of power, speed and resolution for each material and for several focal length lenses, with results organized in a matrix format. Because of the relatively low power, the laser is restricted to various types of wood and plastic, but students were still able to draw conclusions about the “best” settings for different materials. For example, they noted that high powers used with acrylic resulted in fine drops of molten plastic being sprayed onto the surface. One group reported, “An earlier attempt to engrave wood at 100% power and 10% speed made it clear that some combinations would result in fire, the byproducts of which would be fouled lenses and destroyed samples.”

Figure 1.

Student study of laser engraver speed and power on wood sample, photographed at 60X.

Figure 2.

Student study of laser engraver resolution on acrylic. This portion of the test graphic was a solid rectangle, and the photographs are at 200X.

4.1

Introduction to Photonics Online

Introduction to Photonics has been offered as an online laboratory course since 2001. Students perform experiments designed for a “home lab” environment, using commonly found supplies and the Optical Society of America’s Optics Discovery Kit (available from Edmund Optics). The course was completely redesigned as a result of the NSF/ATE project PHOTON2, which incorporated adult learning principles and created a collaborative version of the course for online teacher professional development. Based on the PHOTON2 experience, the course is now less instructor-centric, and requests student collaboration on home labs. It is an ongoing challenge to convince technology students of the value of teamwork and collaboration.

4.2

Introduction to Lasers Hybrid Course

In Fall 2007, Introduction to Lasers will be offered as a hybrid online/onsite course. Current plans include the podcasting of Power Point based lectures, and some limited use of online computer controlled experiments. Oncampus classes will still be held for traditional day students, mainly to discuss and review the online podcasts, and most labs will be held on campus in the evening. Quite a few students who have expressed interest in taking the course are working for companies that build lasers, for example, Trumpf or IPG Photonics. Three Rivers is exploring the possibility of granting credit to such students for the laboratory portion of the course. There is ample precedent for credit for industry experience offered by technology programs at TRCC.