Thomas Middle School Students Visit GAM - 5-1-2014

GAM has partnered with nearby Thomas Middle School to help educate students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields.  For several years now, students visit GAM as a part of the Careers Connection class which includes a job shadow.

The day started with a presentation on the different types of engineering fields, followed by another on the various manufacturing processes.

After the presentations, things got hands on as the students got to design a phone docking station.  They rough sketched the initial concept on a whiteboard and made sure to include all features and dimensions.

With some help from one of GAM’s engineers, the students created a 3D model of their part using Solidworks.  They tweaked the model until it was perfect and then created a dimensional drawing which would then be sent for manufacturing.

While the students ate some pizza for lunch, their part was programmed on a CNC machine.  After lunch, students got to watch as the machine took a block of aluminum and turned it into the phone docking station they designed.  The students were thrilled to leave with the part they actually designed!