Bill Jones, of Hawker Beechcraft, with WATC's Aerospace Paint and Coatings students.
WATC, with the help of Hawker Beechcraft’s Chief of Global Engineering, Bill Jones, has accepted the generous donation of a state-of-the-art sanding device for the College’s Aerospace Coatings and Paint Technology program. WATC rebuilt and updated the EMMA (Easily Manipulated Mechanical Arm) unit with dollars from the Kansas Board of Regents Innovative Technology for Learning Grant.
On October 27th, a team from Hawker Beechcraft and Temple Allen Industries brought the EMMA unit to the NCAT campus to install and give demonstrations to students. EMMA uses joy-stick controls to move the tool over a surface, allowing the operator to stand a distance away from the paint dust and also avoid vibrations. It sands, grinds, blasts and polishes and is being implemented in many of the leading aviation industry’s painting processes.
Through an on-site visit to Spirit AeroSystems, WATC had the opportunity to see EMMA in action and speak to both company leaders and end users regarding the tool. During the tour, Spirit staff commented that EMMA has saved the company production time, is cost effective and protects workers from muscle injuries. EMMA cuts production sanding time almost in half, requires less material and provides a quality finish.
WATC is excited to include EMMA as part of their Aerospace Coatings and Paint Technology training. Business and industry partners supporting the program have expressed that they appreciate that WATC will offer them workforce ready workers for high-value shops in a facility, a greater population of informed workers who know working with EMMA could provide them a longer career in painting, and increased productivity, high quality work, reduced operating costs, and improved employee wellness.
The WATC Aerospace Coatings and Paint Technology program is designed to produce an aerospace technician with multiple skill sets, a well-rounded understanding of the aerospace industry and the depth and breadth of knowledge which comes from general education courses. It provides a broad based understanding of coating and paint processes within the aerospace industry and includes comprehensive learning experiences in all aspects of the coating and paint industry including formulation, application and specialized areas.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
