Video: Kirkham University Making A Billet Aluminum 427 FE Engine Block

couldnt agree more..
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=527696&highlight=flatcad

this is a shot of the software that is used to operate the sterolitho machine at my school

and these are scaled 3d printed caddy heads..
thanks again to flatcad racing

david thanks for posting. look for a PM.
"No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking." Voltaire[/QUOTE]

NOTE: I answered your PM but it did not appear in my sent folder. This is what I wrote.

Jeff,

Thank you so very much for the kind note. I am sorry I did not see your note until today, or I would have certainly answered sooner. I wish there were an email notification of personal messages on the HAMB. (Maybe there is; I just haven't found it.) In the future, please feel free to contact me directly at my email by clicking on my name on my posts.

Who knew teachers could use that video? I can't think of a higher compliment. That is really what I was/am trying to achieve. I want people to know they can chase their dreams and make them come true.

All our programmers and machinists have been trained in house--including myself--though I did take CNC classes at BYU from some exceptional professors who were most dedicated when I studied Manufacturing Engineering Technology there. I even gave a tour of our shop to one of my old professors and a group of his Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing students just two nights ago. We have remained friends all these years. I can not thank those wonderful professors enough for what they did for me.

Thank you so very much for convincing your administrators to bring tools and machines back into the classroom. They have long been sorely missed. Tools and machines are how we make our world. The skills you are teaching are CRITICAL to our country. Good programmers/machinists are extremely hard to come by. They are in high demand, even in this economy. I write "programmer/machinist" because the combination is what makes them so highly valuable to an employer. You can't program blindly and expect a machine to cut properly if you don't know what is actually going on out on the shop floor. All of our programmers have also been machinists. Again, we trained them all in house--because we could not find them. I should add they are all modelers as well.

CNC and robotic classes in High School would be an excellent start for our young people here in the US. Automation is the key to staying competitive in the world market. 3d Modeling skills are critical to bring an idea to reality. A good solid model is a must to make any part today. I would say if you can teach the kids how to model a part, program it, and then make it (even in wood on a router) they will never go hungry. Additionally, and even more important, is imparting into your students the excitement of manufacturing. If they are excited they will work hard. If they work hard they will be set for life.

You are most welcome any time to visit our shop. Just let me know in advance and I will be happy to show you around. In the meantime, we just finished the girdle of the block today and I hope to have a YouTube of it up tomorrow. It is a pretty cool part and the completed block is stunning.

Thank you again so very much for writing.

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have,

David


David Kirkham, President
Kirkham Motorsports
www.kirkhammotorsports.com