A technician for Sun Hydraulics is performing the quality check on a hydraulic driven actuator before it is to shipped to the customer. To test the actuator’s gasket, the Tech applies a pressure step pattern,  (as shown in the image) to the actuator and knows that the gasket should not leak when this pressure pattern is applied.  Because of an understanding of hydraulics, the Tech also knows the gasket’s expected response to this test pressure pattern.

The Tech measures and records the pressure on the gasket. The pressure response is shown below and the technician absolutely knows if the actuator should be shipped, or not!  The actuator should be shipped to the customer. Yes, or NO.

Submit your answers below the blog post, or at www.fl-ate.org.

Now for a toast to a Florida Manufacturer who has made significant contributions to the manufacturing community in Florida. Michael Ennis, a manufacturing engineer at Harris Corporation will receive the 2103 HI-TEC Industry Recognition Award. The HI-TEC Industry Recognition Award will be presented July 23, 2013 at the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference (HI-TEC) in Austin, TX. The Award recognizes key industry personnel for outstanding contributions to promote technology education and career awareness. Nominees for the award must have demonstrated impact on technology education on both a local and national level.

The honor is most befitting Ennis as he has gone far beyond his call of duty to advance technician education

and training. Ennis is an adjunct professor who teaches applied mechanics in the Harris-BCC Applied Associate of Science degree in Engineering Technology (ET) at Eastern Florida State College (EFSC), formerly known as Brevard Community College, and was instrumental in setting up BCC classes for Harris employees.When Michael heard about Harris’ aerospace division working with EFSC’s aerospace program, he decided the operations department should do the same, He initiated contact with Meer Almeer, associate professor of the ET program at EFSC, and got the ball rolling on the initiative. “His patience, help and guidance were invaluable” Almeer said.

As a result of Ennis’ input, the ET degree is the model program for the “Florida Pl a pivotal role in developing the Harris Cohort program at BCC.” Harris Corporation pays full tuition, books, and fees for participating students, something that Ennis continues to strive for amid pending budget cuts. Ennis has guided Harris operational personnel through every BCC stage, from admittance to graduation. To date, 160 degrees and certificates have been awarded to Harris employees.

In addition to his crucial role in setting up the program for Harris employees, Ennis is also a member of

Florida Advanced Technological Education Center of Excellence (FLATE) for manufacturing’s Industrial Advisory Committee (IAC). As a member of the IAC, Ennis has helped FLATE expand connections between technical programs in the state’s college as well as update and unify the degree curriculum. Michael’s “industry needs” perspective, his focus on industry credentials, and his drive to get his message across to others are among the reasons that today there is single FL DOE statewide articulated A.S.E.T program embedded in 14 of the 25 state and community colleges offering A.S. degrees.

Ennis serves on the EFSC ET advisory committee and the FLATE National Visiting Committee. He has participated in the national ATE PI meeting in workshops and panels, and has testified his support of the MSSC credential’s value to Florida’s industry. His broad experience was essential to establishing these ET career pathways starting in high schools and connecting to four-year ET degrees. Ennis has also served as a mentor in FLATE’s Iberian Partnership for Technician Excellence —a FLATE-led initiative to support high quality, international educational experience to Florida’s community college students and educators.

My expectations are to put in practice, as much as I can, the knowledge I achieve from my studies. I´m also

open minded to learn new skills in different areas, and I´d like to take advantage of this opportunity to improve in my field, learn as much as possible, and be well prepared for my future career. I started this internship in February. My first job was in Mustang Vacuum Systems, a company where I learned about vaporization and sputtering systems. I worked here until April and then thanks to FLATE I started a new way where I lived a lot of nice experiences.

In summary, the value of what I have been doing these past four months has been very positive. I realize, my

experience would be incomplete without all the places I´ve been, the things I´ve learned and the people. I´m sure this experience will be very helpful for my life in every sense. This experience has improved/enhanced my personal & professional life in many ways. It has helped me learn a different way of working, how to relate to people from different countries, improve my English speaking skills, and expanded my ability to adapt to new situations. I definitely obtained a wider spectrum of knowledge in manufacturing and engineering technology, and appreciate how things are “Made in Florida!” I had the chance to gain valuable experience with real, hands-on, high technology applications. When I move back to Basque, I am sure this experience will contribute, tremendously, in finding future job in energy efficiency anywhere in Spain, Europe or any other country. I feel better prepared to face my career.

As we struggle to find, or define workable education models that prepare people from different generations

with various backgrounds for today’s technical workforce, we add to the confusion, by not defining the “terms of engagement.” The need to find and use terms that express specific significant learning opportunities for students may seem a low priority task for educators familiar with the various term options, but this is not the case for people in, or just entering the technical education process. This is specifically the case when the term refers to some sort of work experience when educators, politicians, and manufactures use words and phrases like apprenticeship, apprentice-like, co-operative (co-op) education; internship; work-study; job shadowing; mentorship and work experience. Loosely tossing these terms around has two effects. First, when we mismatch the term and the reality of the term, it will cost them at least their time and usually their money. When we misuse one of these terms, it usually means we really don’t have a distinction among these terms, and then we try to generate policies and practices, that at best, do not meet student, or industry needs.

Apprentices are paid employees of the company from the first day of their program.  Typically apprentices

Image Source: Google Images

have a mix of classroom training and on-the-job training, as specified by the registered program. The training could be conducted in a company training facility, or at an educational institution partnering with the company. Some apprentice programs require specific college courses, or are aligned to college courses such that the completed apprentice program is eligible for a number of college credits that can be applied to a degree program. Who pays for the classroom-training portion (materials, instructor, tuition, etc.) of the apprentice program varies, but details are generally defined in in the “registration” papers. Generally, each program defines entry requirements, and most include a high school diploma, or GED, possibly a particular grade point average; aptitude testing, and/or other appropriate applicant filters.

The scope of the project involved, among several factors, a field trip to a manufacturing facility; identification

of industrial “manufacturing processes” present at the workplace; identifyng applications of STEM in these “processes”, purchase of equipment and software to integrate academic content and industrial applications; manufacturing a product using 3D parametric modeling software (Solidworks), and using the product as an example to showcase applications and integration of STEM disciplines in designing and producing a manufactured piece. (Source: Brevard Public Schools News Release). In an effort to give students a real-world, hands-on experience and knowledge, Portz also struck a partnership with Knight’s Armament a local manufacturer in Titusville to outline its role in defining manufacturing expertise, offering in-kind equipment, materials, and training support. The local industry tie-in has proved highly beneficial in enhancing students’ understanding about high-tech manufacturing operations.

In addition to his involvement with the Motorola Project, Portz was also recently awarded an Einstein

Fellowship by the National Science Foundation. As part of this effort, Portz will be joining a distinguished group of STEM educators from across the nation to provide insight in establishing and operating STEM related education programs, and providing “real world” perspectives to policy makers and program managers developing or managing educational programs. (Source: Einstein Fellowship). Dr. Marilyn Barger, executive director of FLATE says student success is often the result of great teachers working with great industry partners. To that effect, “Steve’s contributions to manufacturing education are exceptional and representative of educators across Florida,” Barger said.

    

An immediate lesson from this puzzle is the realization that slope values of a curve transmit technical information. In this case, the butterfly valve allows about 5% of the maximum flow when the valve is 30% on the way to completely open. However, the other valve at the same 30% open position will permit about 45% of the maximum flow through the valve. From the opposite perspective, the curves also indicate at the 50% fluid flow position, the butterfly valve has to be 70% open, but the other valve only needs to be about 32% open.  

The technician installed the “U-Becth-Em V222.   Answer: NO       
            

     

In the 2002-2003 academic year as FLATE was formulating its initial strategy for developing a technical education pathway that would be tailored to Florida’s educational system as well as address modern workforce needs, the Pinellas County School district contacted FLATE with an interesting challenge. Their objective was to bring engineering into the elementary school environment as a viable way to strengthen STEM education and provide both rigor and relevance to the curriculum. Douglas L. Jamerson (DLJ) Elementary School requested that we partner with them on this U.S Department of Education funded initiative. The result of that collaboration was the DLJ Elementary Center for Mathematics and Engineering in St. Petersburg Florida.

Robert Poth, the first principal of DLJ Elementary, was the driving force for this idea.  During the school’s

 initial planning period, he gathered a group of gifted teachers that were willing to explore a new way to teach elementary school students. While the school campus was being physically prepared to open, this group worked on opening a school that would present this new engineering based learning experience. They met weekly with FLATE for professional development, to discuss and develop a curriculum while spending the time in between integrating these suggestions into an elementary engineering curriculum that would be used in all of the subjects to be taught every day, all year long.  

The results of their efforts are impressive. The school opened with a full complement of students with at least

 two classes at each grade level. Granted the student test scores that first year were nothing to write home about and the school received an average rating. However, by the fourth year of operation, starting with K, first, second and third graders moving into fourth and fifth grade, DLJ’s test scores and school rating started going up. The school never looked back. Today, DLJ is an A rated elementary school, and its reputation has spread across the state and in the nation. For our readers in elementary education interested in blending engineering into your teaching day, check out their website, give them a call, or just Google D.L. Jamerson Elementary. You will be pleased with the results.   

Last month DLJ Elementary celebrated its 10^th anniversary. This was an all-day event culminating with an open house and evening picnic for the public. That single event drew more than 700 people from the St. Petersburg neighborhoods the school services. Attendees included former DLJ students and teachers, as well as city and state dignitaries. So happy anniversary D.L. Jamerson Elementary School! Your first 10 years were a whopping success! Who knows what the next 10 years will bring, but for Jamerson it is bound to be good.