Finger Lakes Manufacturers Train Workers to Use High-tech Equipment in MCC’s New Lab
August 4, 2021
Optics technicians, a college sophomore gain specialized skills most in demand in the industry
BRIGHTON, N.Y. – Behind the floor-to-ceiling glass entrance to Monroe Community College’s new, high-tech optical fabrication laboratory, four advanced manufacturing workers and an MCC student are spending this summer gaining specialized skills most in demand by U.S. employers in the industry. The group is completing five weeks of intensive, hands-on training on a state-of-the-art diamond-turning lathe — a $300,000 machine that is increasingly used to manufacture parts with nanoscale precision for autonomous vehicles, missile guidance systems, telescopes, TV projectors, and numerous other applications.
The challenge Finger Lakes region employers face is finding optics technicians skilled in setting up and operating the machine. Through MCC’s inaugural workshop in July and August, area employers like IDEX Health and Science, Optimax Systems and Richardson Gratings are training their employees to use this highly advanced technology.
“Diamond turning is an important and significant area within the optics field. Where we’re seeing diamond-turned parts is growing. Manufacturing companies are trying to buy more of these machines and, ultimately, they need technicians who know how to properly use them,” said Alexis Vogt, Ph.D., program chair and professor of optical systems technology whose team developed the five-week workshop.
“Optics technicians with diamond-turning experience are in incredibly high demand across the United States,” she said. “Our goal is to train people so they can go back to their companies and use the skills we’ve taught them to benefit their employer and customers.”
Every Tuesday and Thursday through Aug. 12, workshop participants spend four hours learning to properly program and set up the lathe to perform operations that require a high level of accuracy. Because the equipment uses a diamond tip to cut various materials, it is capable of producing extremely fine cuts with nanoscale precision. Participants also learn the fundamentals of metrology, using different tools to verify that a part was manufactured properly.
Come this fall semester, students in MCC’s optical systems technology program will have their first opportunity to use the lathe and other high-tech advanced manufacturing equipment worth over $1.5 million in the 1,400-square-foot lab. Funded through grants from Corning Incorporated Foundation and the federal Office of Naval Research, MCC’s optics lab renovation project began in summer 2020 and was completed in spring 2021, doubling the capacity of machines to better meet employers’ and students’ training needs.
A second workshop is planned for January 2022. For information, email Ross Micali at rmicali@monroecc.edu.