The terms Mechatronics and Vacuum Technology represent 20th
Century state-of-the-art “tags” for leading edge STEM based skill sets that are
even more significant in this 21st century digital world. Mechatronics was coined in the 1960’s to
verbalize the then brand new integration of mechanical and electronic knowledge
for commercial (automobiles, etc), space (moon mission) and defense (ICB’s)
applications. Vacuum Technology could
trace its heritage to the 19th Century (Edison’s work with
incandescent filaments for example) but certainly is anchored in technology
development (radio and television) in the 1920’s and cemented in all advanced
technologies triggered during and post Manhattan Project. Although there is always a tendency to
rebrand almost everything (IHOP to IHOB for the latest example), new
identifiers for either of these incredibly STEM based skill sets is not
necessary. What is important is to
recognize that from a technician’s perspective both are indicative of the
required and similar advanced knowledge and skills for today’s advanced
manufacturing sector technicians.
FLATE’s mission to build Florida’s advanced manufacturing
workforce is driven by the fact that Florida’s high tech industries (defense,
aero-space, biomedical devices and communications sectors) are dependent on
both Mechatronics and Vacuum Technology and the reality is that the skillset of
these two discipline areas have a significant overlap. FLATE continues to work
with A.S. programs around the country that support mechatronics certifications alignment
to year degree programs. Additionally,
FLATE annually provides a range of professional development opportunities at
the HI-TEC conference (this year in Miami Florida in July). Mechatronics events include: workshop on
Programmable Logic Controllers; Mechatronics group “mixer”; and an industry
panel on Industry 4.0.
FLATE is now beginning an initiative to build a community
of practice that supports vacuum technology and its overlapping Mechatronics
skills. The National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education program (NSF-ATE) is supporting FLATE
activities focused on technician education that lead to careers in advanced
manufacturing that depend on vacuum technology and science skills and
knowledge. FLATE has entered into a
partnership with the American Vacuum Society (AVS) to identify the essential
skills that are and will be essential to support this industry sector. (The AVS is the internationally recognized premiere
organization of academic, industry, Department of Defense, National Laboratory,
and NASA STEM professionals that require or use controlled pressure environments
to accomplish their missions.) This
objective will be reached through a joint effort by the AVS Education Committee,
Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN, and FLATE. The work has already begun at workshop supported
by AVS at the Colorado School of Mines that took place in early June. Stay
tuned for the next steps in this project in the fall of 2018. For more information, contact gilbert@fl-ate.org.
So what’s next? As
with the action item generated in last month’s FOCUS workforce related message,
“On-Time and Drug Free”, We need input from manufacturers and their technology
supporters that rely on vacuum technology and science to share insight and experience. From your perspective, what are required
skills that support manufacturing operations conducted in controlled pressure
environments? What skills and tasks do
your engineers and scientists have and do that should be within the
technician’s domain? What vacuum related
skills are now not key to your vacuum supported processes?
In summary, to paraphrase and repeat the bottom line
message from “On-Time and Drug Free”, drilling down into the skill set
expectations of manufacturing workers in high performance complex vacuum
required processes will increase process efficiency and product quality. This exploration requires extra energy from
all parties but the increased details will refine the processes Florida uses to
produce the fundamental non-competitive technical expertise necessary in this manufacturing
sector. Florida has a great future in
global manufacturing when the needed skills development is transferred to the
education system. FLATE can help with
that transfer into the education system but manufacturers have to identify the
critical skills. If you can help, let us
know.
