Machining.Blog® is a weekly blog focused on manufacturing career development. It features blog articles on the fundamentals of manufacturing for aspiring machinists. Our goal is to create an interest in manufacturing in the USA. Our writer Matthew Schowalter has worked in manufacturing for 24 years, and he covers the topics that matter to someone starting their career in manufacturing.
“The soft skills the machinist uses are the unseen tools in their box and can directly impact the success or failure of a dreamed after machining career.”
With my outreach in STEM, I have developed a presentation for technical education classes. My presentation is about the mechanical clock that I developed. The clock was 3d printed and inspired by a mechanical watch movement. I scaled up the parts six times larger than a mechanical watch and laid them out in-line. The result is a STEM project that students can understand.
In the presentation I also describe my twenty-four-year career in manufacturing. I started my career as a Manufacturing Youth Apprentice and finished as a Manufacturing Engineer at a global manufacturing company. During this time, I have made tooling for motorcycle engines, instruments for spinal surgery and molds for consumer products. While making tooling for the American motorcycle industry, I served a 5-year, 10,400-hour apprenticeship to be a Journeyman Tool and Die Maker. I will talk about an opportunity that was presented to me, to make coining dies for the US Mint in Denver. I have had a progressively responsible career.
My presentation is best suited for sixth grade students through high school students. My message is inspirational because I invested thousands of hours into researching and developing the clock, while inventing a few parts that operate differently than what is currently used. That along with a solid career to reference, I have a great message for students.
To learn more about this, or to inquire about having a presentation, please email Matthew@Machining.Blog.