Equipment donation benefits NMCC
The precision machining technology (PMT) program at NMCC recently received a donation from the Mid-State Foundation in Winslow to be used for the purchase of equipment. The $2,500 gift allowed the PMT program to acquire more than $10,000 worth of equipment.
Earlier this year, the Mid-State Foundation made the cash donation to Dean Duplessis, PMT instructor, for the purpose of buying a new electronic height gauge. A height gauge is a precision measuring instrument that travels on a vertical column which measures heights, depths, inside and outside diameter and other measurements in fine units. They are used frequently in manufacturing and machine shop environments in support of first-article, in-process and post-process inspection of precision components.
The Mid-State Foundation was established in December 1992 to solicit and collect contributions from Mid-State Machine Products and its employees, and distribute these contributions in a responsible and fair manner.
“I spent a great deal of time talking with various manufacturers to see what they might be interested in doing from an educational standpoint,” said Duplessis. “Fowler High Precision stepped up in a big way by providing two height gauges. One was donated outright and the other was sold at a very deep educational discount. This made it possible to make the most of the Foundation gift.”
Fowler High Precision, headquartered in Newton, Mass., manufactures inspection and measurement instruments such as calipers, bore gauges and digital scales. The newly acquired gauges are ideally suited to shop-floor situations where accuracy, repeatability, ease of use and ruggedness are required. The battery operated, precision height gauges boast a multitude of useful, easy-to-access features, and allows the college to illustrate practical gauge usage and handling in a controlled environment. Being able to accurately verify one’s work is as important as producing the actual work-piece, Duplessis said.
“Thanks to Dean Duplessis’ reputation in the industry as an excellent instructor, NMCC has benefited by a number of important equipment donations,” said NMCC President Timothy Crowley. “The partnerships forged by Dean have made it possible for our precision machining technology program to keep pace with the ever-evolving equipment demands of the industry. Because we have been able to acquire state-of-the-art equipment, our students are well prepared to offer exceptional skills to employers in this field.”
The new gauges were utilized in the PMT program during the spring semester.
