Mobile Engineering Technology Lab at FCG Offers “hands-on, minds-on” Training

Who among us can deny a lab-on-wheels is a neat idea? It’s a breakthrough concept that has fired up the curiosity of many students pursuing an engineering technology (ET) degree at Florida Gateway College (FGC) in Lake City, FL. The mobile ET lab, the brainchild of Bob Deckon, director of the ET program at FCG, is a state-of-the-art facility that offers hands-on, minds-on education and training, and is probably the first of its kind in the state, or perhaps even the country.

This lab on wheels is housed within a 52 ft. triple axel trailer, and holds eight Hampden Technical Training Systems, two Nida model 130 electronic training consoles with individual circuit boards, has two fluid power trainers (hydraulic on one side and pneumatic on the other), a four loop instrumentation & process control trainer, a three-loop instrumentation and process control trainer, and two PLC trainers. Deckon points to these technical training systems as educational tools that enable students to “transition from traditional printed classroom material to a dynamic hands-on approach to ‘involvement’ training.” The trainers are specifically tailored to every level of complexity, and reinforce classroom learning through a series of hands-on projects that permit students to isolate a particular component and/or system and focus on its operation and usage.

True to its mettle, the trailer can transport each of the training systems anywhere within the five county (Columbia, Baker, Union, Gilchrist and Dixie) service area, where they can easily be rolled off the back into a classroom or training facility. The lab can also function as a stand-alone mobile classroom, equipped with its own on-board generator, air compressor, HVAC system and complete video system. One full side of the trailer can be opened up to expand the viewing area and create an open classroom.

The main idea, according to Deckon, is to have the ability to reach out to any school, or create and deliver customized training to improve the skills-set of current employees of any company/organization. To that effect, the lab has served as an important instructional tool and extension of the ET core curriculum, and played an integral role incorporating practical, hands-on projects that have expanded students’ theoretical/practical knowledge base.

Use of NIDA trainers in the introduction to electronics course has yielded tremendous success. Looking to the future, the program is looking to incorporate use of process control trainer into the manufacturing materials and processes, as well as mechanical measurement and instrumentation courses, and expand the advanced manufacturing curriculum through use of other trainers in the motors and controls, hydraulics and pneumatics, PLC’s and process controls courses. Its aptitude for flexible onsite training has also extended its services to a wide audience. Since September 2009, Deckon has hosted tours for seven high schools in Columbia and Gilchrist counties, with plans to take the mobile lab and use the hydraulics and pneumatics trainers to supplement the ag-mechanics classroom instruction at Fort White High School. Several tours and demos of the lab have also been conducted for local college students, faculty/instructors, members of the local ET advisory committee, College Board of Trustees, as well as local companies and technical schools.

For information on FCG’s mobile engineering technology lab contact Bob Deckon at robert.deckon@fgc.edu/386.754.4442, or visit www.engineeringtechprogram.com/MobileLab. For information FLATE’s statewide engineering technology degree contact Dr. Marilyn Barger, executive director of FLATE at barger@fl-ate.org/813.259.6578.

Spotlight on 2010 Manufacturers of the Year (Part II)

As mentioned last month, the Manufacturers Association of Florida announced the 2010 Manufacturers of the Year at their annual November meeting in Orlando. Each company was rated on nine various business parameters, an onsite tour and interview by a panel of 26 judges. Following are the winners in the larger employee categories.

Danfoss Turbocor Compressors, Inc., Tallahassee (126-400 Employees Category)

Turbocor Compressors started in Australia, moved to Montreal and finally relocated its headquarters and manufacturing facilities to Tallahassee in 2007 as a joint venture and became Danfoss Turbocor Compressors. This ISO 9001:2000 certified plant of 176 employees, produces the world’s first highly energy efficient refrigeration compressor utilizing magnetic bearings and variable frequency motor controls.

Using a combination of aerospace, magnetic bearing, and digital electronic technologies, its compressors are used in air- and water-cooled chillers and rooftop units. These oil free compressors are roughly 33% more energy efficient than conventional units and are used worldwide in the commercial heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration industry. With its breakthrough combination of patented technologies largely sourced from the aerospace industry, Turbocor's employees promise new horizons in energy efficiency and lifetime operating costs for mid-range chiller and rooftop HVACR applications.

Swisher International, Inc., Jacksonville (Over 400 Employees Category)

Swisher International, Inc. began in 1861 when David Swisher received the business through a debt settlement and by 1924, he was operating in Jacksonville. The plants here produced the first individually wrapped cigar in cellophane along with a simple device for removing the cellophane by pulling on the cigar band. Swisher’s King Edward brand became the world’s number one selling cigar in the 1940’s and by 1965, the Swisher Sweet brand was being shipped to all 50 states and 70 countries around the world.

Throughout the years, Swisher continued to prosper through the continuous upgrading of machinery and the constant pursuit of Continuous Improvement techniques in both Product Quality and Productivity processes. In 2004, Swisher adopted the Lean and Green Principles as its journey which encompasses all the past and current manufacturing principles/techniques under one umbrella.

Since Swisher is a private, family owned operation which allows for great flexibility and can react quickly to marketplace opportunities and developing trends. This, along with constant improvements, has made it a formidable force in the tobacco business now and in the future.

For more information visit www.mafmfg.com

sTEm-at-work (Puzzle 16): Chemical Reaction in Closed Batch Reactor

A “We-Make-it-All” product development technician is operating a fixed volume closed container batch reactor to make a test batch of miracle lotion “C”. A known mass of starter material, “A”, is put into the reactor and just heated so the “A” molecules rearrange their chemical bonds to form “B” molecules which then rearrange again to make the desired lotion molecules, the “C” molecules. After reviewing the data shown below the tech thinks there is something wrong.

There is nothing wrong with this reactor system. (yes or no). Please submit your answers at http://www.fl-ate.org/

STEM Virtual Enterprise (Summer Seminar)

The STEM Virtual Enterprise is an in-class pedagogical simulation that has students assume the roles of members of a high-tech enterprise and operate that business in face-to-face teams. It delivers technical, soft and business skills as part of an entrepreneurial experience comprised of a series of active-learning modules, online tools and student events. Faculty implementers have embedded it within existing IT, BioTechnology and Electronics courses. It has also been used as a standalone offering for STEM majors. The power of STEM-VE is its organized national and international network of student businesses, motivating students to produce high-quality projects and connecting classrooms across the STEM spectrum.

This seminar will discuss Virtual Enterprise and provide time and resources for integrating the pedagogy into your STEM classroom. Limited travel stipends are available to qualified STEM faculty members.

For more information please click on the flyer, or contact Edgar E. Troudt, lecturer and director of the Center for Economic and Workforce Development at the CUNY Institute for Virtual Enterprise at 718.368.6598/Edgar.Troudt@kbcc.cuny.edu

Contributed by FLATE Focus subscriber at the CUNY Institute for Virtual Enterprise





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