Tech Directions

"A Global Tech Ed View from Central Europe "

We often hear about the need to prepare American technical education students to compete in the burgeoning global manufacturing community. In addition, we hear experts say that learning certain programs and techniques can put our youth first in line for jobs where beating the offshore competition depends on production speed, product quality, and innovative process concepts. Regarding these concerns, Americans are not alone.

Consider the experience of the Tehnisˇki Sˇolski Center Nova Gorica-the Technical School Center of Nova Gorica (TSCNG) in the Republic of Slovenia. Nova Gorica lies by the Italian border, between the Alps and the sea. A town grown from the ruins of World War II, Nova Gorica's economic development targets restructuring industry and the promotion of small businesses, particularly via the introduction of new, environment-friendly technology; exploiting its border location; and ensuring the flow of capital.

Secondary school technology teacher Branko Jeriè, who has a degree in mechanical engineering, is determined to prepare his students to fill the need for skilled technicians in their own country. By doing so, he will also prepare them to compete for jobs in other manufacturing centers of Europe, pitting their skills against the world market.

"The Technical School Center offers programs in machining, electronics, computers, and automotive maintenance," Jeriè reports. "We are committed to changing our curriculum for our 14- to 19-year-old students. Our teaching goal is to help them reach the job qualification level for CAD/CAM operators set forth by our Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport, which will raise them to a world-class level of technical ability." Students with three years of general secondary education who add two years of technical education reach the fourth level of mastery in the technical pro-gram. They can go directly to work in CAD/CAM in the public or private sector, or open their own shop.

Students who complete another two years-the fifth level-can continue their studies toward a college engineering degree and may well teach the same institution's lower levels of CAD/CAM/CNC tech courses. Working students can pursue part-time postsecondary study. In all cases, courses are offered in areas of specialization as students focus more intently on specific skills needed to follow their career goals.

The Teacher Follows the Need

The quest began in the 2002-2003 school year when TSCNG bought a production-quality CNC machine. "We had some simple educational CAD/CAM programs, but they were not powerful enough," Jeriè recalls. Surrounded by local and area industry, he visited companies that used CAD/CAM/CNC software to compare their different programs.

"After that we had a presentation of different CAD/CAM programs for technical schools. I reported back to my director, Egon Pipan, and we decided to buy our first seat of Mastercam in December of 2002."

Using books, Jeriè first taught himself to use the program. "In early 2003, I spent two weeks at Iskra Avtoelektrika - Orodjarna d.o.o. learning basic 2-D application of Mastercam." Iskra Avtoelektrika, located in Nova Gorica, is a manufacturer of tooling for the production of automotive and other industrial components. "When observing practical commercial work," Mr. Jeriè continues, "I could see that we should at all times teach by manufacturing something. I think that helps the students to develop problem-solving skills in critical situations."

No Books, No Soul

Jeriè challenged himself not only to learn a new CAD/CAM program but also to develop a method of integrating its use within existing school curricula-and to translate the program manual into the Slovene language. He was certainly in the right place to begin this walk on the CAD/CAM side. The school's motto, "Majhni so tisti, ki ocenjujejo ucˇiteljevo delo za majhno," is from Cicero. That translates as: "A room without books is like a body without the soul." Part of his challenge was lack of classroom materials. No Master-cam curriculum or manual existed in the Slovene language. "My idea," Jeriè says, "was to create modules for which I also would make the literature.

Mastercam's books were well written, but Jeriè's students couldn't understand them in English. "So Rok Mikuzˇ and I wrote a 220-page Slovenian-language handbook," Jeriè says. "Rok had the Mastercam knowledge and I knew what I wanted to teach and how to do it. Our manual contains 2-D and 3-D drawing and toolpathing units, together with examples. I wrote a first copy for myself and then I gave copies of the handbook to my students. It is not perfect yet but we are waiting to get Mastercam X before we improve our Slovenian manual."

A Volunteer CAD/CAM Cadre

"I chose a group of students who were willing to stay at school after classes," Jeriè begins. "Our aim was to manufacture a product chosen by students themselves. At the beginning, they were surprised; they weren't used to working that way, and a relationship between teacher and student that was cooperative and open was new to them. The students and I talked about the kinds of projects they would like to make.

"We set as goals that the project should not be too difficult, and it should have both turning and milling components. The project was intended to teach the steps from initial geometry to toolpathing and machining, with students grouped as manufacturing teams. I didn't set a project time limit because I wanted no pressure on students so they could freely express their creativity. The only real limit was the end of classes in May 2003."

In choosing a project, Jeriè paid close attention to his students' skills and first-year grade level, as well as the technology available in his lab, which includes Emco CNC milling and turning machines. He discussed possible projects, including examples of chess sets at the Mastercam Education Division.

Teams Work!

Student groups first made sketches of each chessman and the chessboard for the aluminum turned-and-machined chess set. They drew the cross sections in Mastercam, with the option of redesigning any parts they didn't like once they created shaded models to check their designs. Each group planned and programmed the necessary toolpaths. They verified the toolpaths-facing, OD rough, OD groove, OD finish and OD cutoff-then posted, and finally turned the chessmen and machined the board in aluminum for the original and acrylic (to save international shipping weight) for their Mastercam "Wildest Parts" entry.

"It was TSCNG's first entry in Mastercam's 'Wildest Parts' contest and we placed in the International Secondary Division," Jeriè says with pride. "We arranged for a ceremony at TSCNG during which Mr. Pipan, Headmaster of the Secondary School, awarded students their certificates, and presented Mas-tercam T-shirts to all of the participants."

On the Road to Proficiency

"In 2003 we made the chessboard, a 3-D dinosaur puzzle composed of 2-D parts, and an engraved portrait of our national poet, France Presˇeren. In 2003-2004, our 14+-year-old students manufactured candlesticks while the 18-year-olds made 2-D/3-D acrylic spider puzzles." Students also began a sundial project but, because of its late start, we were not able to complete it before the end of the school year.

"In addition, our CAD/CAM students helped electronics students' groups by machining parts-transmission, frame elements, linkages-necessary for their entry in TSCNG's robotics competition." Though it's in Slovenian, the Svet Elektronike (Electronics World) article (www.svet-el.si/revija/index.php?Action=DETAIL&idd=110) on TSCNG's group-participation competition shows the diversity of project designs Jeriè's students supported with their newly-acquired CAD/CAM/CNC skills.

Adding a Dimension

Jeriè also wanted to introduce true 3-D machining and the use of Mastercam Solids as soon as possible. Student teams designed individual chess pieces in Solids, turned them in brass and aluminum, then used the solid geometry in negative form for machining two-part aluminum "sarcophagi" for the royal game pieces.

A rough pocket toolpath began the chess piece cavity in each of the rectilinear pieces using a 5mm end mill at a 0.3mm step-down. Next, a finish contour pass at 0.2mm with a 4mm ball mill, and finally a finish shallow pass on 0.3mm steps with the 4mm ball mill. The cavity process cycle took just under three hours.

The exterior used finish parallel for general shaping at 0.3mm step-down with a 12mm ball mill. The outside bevels and contour used a 5mm end mill at 0.5mm step-down and the pieces were completed with a finish project contour pass using a 1mm ball mill to a cutting depth of 0.1mm. Working through the steps to hog material from the solid aluminum took 9 hours-running unattended, of course, because Mastercam verified the toolpaths before they were posted.

Growth-Minds and Machines

"During 2004-2005 we are completing our work with the sundial, and designing and documenting a

3-D butterfly puzzle. Since the class group is fully participative, I am now awaiting the students' ideas for additional projects, though I am suggesting that we consider more serious industrial projects."

Having recognized the importance of technical education to Slovenia's economic future and Jeriè's successes at TSCNG and with other faculty throughout the European Union, the Ministry of Education sent the school new equipment this year-workstations and machinery-to inspire Jeriè's students' imaginations at a faster pace. To allow students the maximum benefit of the newly-equipped CNC lab, Jeriè has begun work to allow his students to get modules from the Internet and work with projects from home or at other computer locations.

A Network Abroad

In 2003-2004, Jeriè's students also collaborated in another EU project, Telematica. "Also here we used Mastercam for developing and manufacturing the mechanical part of a micro-robot-the transmission and the form and development of the other mechanical parts of the robot. My colleague, Silvan Bucik, worked with his students on the electronics (sensors, powering and programming the robot, etc.). Together, we brought RoboMisˇ (RoboMouse) to life." You can catch him at http://ucitelji.tscng.net/~silvanb/RoboMis/home.html.

Telematica is a multi-school cooperative robotics project administered under the international Socrates/Comenius 1 Program. The Program offers a broad range of cooperation among educational partners to make the final micro-robot product more successful and more effective.

Jeriè reports "TSCNG is the coordinating institution of our group's project. Together with our partners Kainuun Ammatti-Instituutti (KAJAANI-Finland), Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale 'Francesco Severi' (Padova-Italy) and Drenthe College (Emmen-The Netherlands), we represent a virtual team that is linked with ICT-information and communications technology.

"The final product is a result of the partners' teamwork. As such, it combines the expertise from the fields of electrotechnics, computer science, and mechanical engineering. Throughout the individual project stages, partners exchange their experience and search for the new, more effective solutions and methods.

There are two different types of communication-the real communication as actual meetings and the virtual ones like online chats and e-mail. Consequently, the partners learn and develop their knowledge in different fields-technology (planning, developing and manufacturing the final product), teamwork (the importance of knowledge and information sharing, team roles, communication process), and in communications with the use of ICT.

"The aim of these communications and meetings among the partners is not restricted only to the work within the project. It also stimulates informal ways of communication, permitting the partners to learn about the cultural differences and about the different methods of research and work. All this helps to build and strengthen the intercultural space."

Teaching Teachers

Jeriè's work has broken new ground for the expansion of CAD/CAM/CNC curricula in Slovenia and concentrically in Central Europe. He has taught teachers in the Slovenian towns and cities of Korosˇkem, Celje, Idrija, Velenje, Murska Sobota, Sˇkofja Loka and, of course, Nova Gorica. He reports, "I was motivated for the organization of teachers' courses by the director of our School Center, Egon Pipan, after he had seen my work and the projects with our students. Beginning in 2003-2004, we invited teachers in our area to attend the course to further their technical education.

"This school year, 21 teachers attended it and were very satisfied with the form and usefulness of Mastercam as well as with my lecturing and leading the course." Indeed, it would be an overly modest teacher who did not recognize his significant contribution to the life choices available to his own students and many others throughout his nation.