NGTC Gets New CNC Equipment

North Georgia Technical College is welcoming some new pieces of equipment for one of its programs.

Several new pieces of Computer Numeric Controlled, or CNC, machining equipment were delivered to the Purcell Metals building on the North Georgia Technical College Clarkesville Campus in July. Purchased with funds made available from a USDA Rural Development grant, two lathes, one mill and three simulators, are being installed and will be fully online for the beginning of Fall semester.

North Georgia Technical College said that because of advancements in technology, these three new machines have a smaller footprint than the older equipment currently in the shop.

School officials said that equipment acquisitions of this magnitude are difficult to work into budget, and the combined package of machinery, simulators, and warranty plan is a great boon to the program.

They added that prior to this delivery, a high speed wire cutter purchased in 2010 was the newest addition to the lab and say the CNC lab has never had simulators for the students before.

Acting North Georgia Technical College President Dr. Mark Ivester said that it is critical to provide state of the art facilities for students so they can be fully prepared to enter the workforce.

Ivester added that it is great to have the support of David Mull and Jeff McLeod USDA Rural Development to bring this level of equipment to the college.

Meanwhile, North Georgia Tech CNC and Machine Tool Instructor Shannon Gary said they have to teach the students three different ways to program CNC equipment and this equipment means the school is now fully prepared to teach all three approaches.

Also, the new equipment will allow students to practice with simulated exercises in programming and will also give them experience working with automated tool change in processing.