IACMI ACE Training Addresses U.S. Machining Workforce Gap

Training the nation’s next-generation machine tool workforce is continuing this summer through six in-person boot camps in Knoxville developed by the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI-The Composites Institute).

Hosted jointly by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT), Pellissippi State Community College (PSCC) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the weeklong bootcamps started in May and will run through August. Participants come from across the U.S. and have diverse backgrounds, ranging from high school, community college and university students to professional machinists and manufacturing engineers.

It is all part of America’s Cutting Edge (ACE), a national initiative for machine tool technology development, advancement and workforce development. Established by the U.S. Department of Defense Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program from the Office of Industrial Policy, ACE is designed to revitalize U.S. manufacturing and ramp up the machine tool industry in support of national security.

The ACE bootcamps now underway in east Tennessee are designed to teach essential manufacturing skills that will address the nation’s growing manufacturing workforce gap. The machine tool research and development for ACE is based at ORNL, whose Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) is a leader in developing and validating systems and processes that leverage digital frameworks for manufacturing innovation.

The ACE CNC machining training program is a two-part, no-cost course. It combines in-person learning with online, virtual training, and machining simulation to teach essential manufacturing skills and introduce the newly developed technology that accelerates competency and optimizes the machine’s performance.

The in-person training now underway this summer corresponds with the online component at the point of the on-machine setup. It is divided into CAM sessions and machining sessions, with only two participants on a machine at any time, to enable optimal instructor-participant communication and provide a low-pressure environment for learning and questioning.