HTECs Generate Winners at 2009 SkillsUSA Championships
Oxnard, CA -In June, more than 5000 outstanding students from around the country competed in the 2009 SkillsUSA Championships in Kansas City, Missouri. For the fourth year, Haas Automation, Inc., sponsored the Precision Machining Technology (PMT) Competition at the event, and once again, the majority of winners in the PMT category received their training at Haas Technical Education Centers (HTECs).
SkillsUSA is a national organization dedicated to improving technical, skilled and service-related education for high school and college students. The annual Championships provide opportunities for students to test themselves against the best students in the nation in their career field. Haas Automation supported this year's hands-on competition by providing a TM-1 CNC Toolroom Mill, an SL-10 CNC turning center and 30 CNC control simulators.
Contestants in the PMT Competition used the Haas CNC machine tools and simulators to demonstrate their expertise in CNC programming, machining practices, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, engineering drawing interpretation and technical math. Seventy students from secondary and post-secondary schools across the nation competed in the Precision Machining Technology division, and five of the six medal winners were HTEC students, including the two gold-medal winners.
Haas Technical Education Centers are part of a global network of partnerships between learning institutions, Haas Automation and local Haas Factory Outlets. HTECs leverage the capabilities and technologies of Haas Automation and partner with industry, schools and professional societies to exchange best practices and exploit the power of modern manufacturing equipment to provide the highest quality CNC education.
As of June 2009, the HTEC network in the USA and Canada included more than 800 high schools, vocational and community colleges and universities. In Europe, there currently are 25 HTECs in operation, with another 15 planned by year's end, and a 5-year goal of 200 HTECs in 35 countries.
The medalists for the 2009 SkillsUSA Championships Precision Machining Technology Competition are:
Gold Medal,College/Postsecondary Division - Eric Dahlen of Boise State University (HTEC), Boise, Idaho
Silver Medal,College/Postsecondary Division - Carl Spain of Tennessee Technology Center at Chattanooga (HTEC), Chattanooga, Tennessee
Bronze Medal,College/Postsecondary Division - Steve Poppovich of Saint Paul College (HTEC), Saint Paul, Minnesota
Gold Medal,High School Division - Sawyer M Hjortsvang of Des Moines Area Community College (HTEC), Ankeny, Iowa
Silver Medal,High School Division - Chris Harkless of Miami Valley CTC, Clayton, Ohio
Bronze Medal,High School Division - Kyle Brodeur of Diman RVTHS (HTEC), Fall River, Massachusetts
About HAAS Automation:
The world's leading CNC machine tool builder, Haas Automation manufactures a full line of CNC vertical and horizontal machining centers, CNC lathes, rotary tables and 5C indexers. Haas machine tools and rotary products are built to deliver higher accuracy, repeatability and durability than any other machine tools on the market.
From its beginnings in 1983, Haas Automation has always produced top-quality products at affordable prices. By relying on volume sales rather than per-unit profits to build the company, Haas delivers more standard features, high-tech innovations and rock-solid engineering than perhaps any other CNC manufacturer in the world - and at better prices!
