Manufacturing isn’t what it used to be and to meet the demanding needs of jobs in the highly skilled areas of advanced manufacturing, the Dillon County Technology Center is offering a course of study called Mechatronics Integrated Technologies.
Mechatronics is a new interdisciplinary field involving mechanical, instrumentation, electronics, robotics/automation, computer components, and control systems.
Systems are networked to meet the demands of automated manufacturing processes, and technicians are trained to meet necessary entry-level industrial skills and entry into a post-secondary program at a technical college. Dual college credit is available for MIT-2 and MIT-3 through Northeastern Technical College.
In this course, students will learn to work safely with many hand and power tools, machinery, conventional and precision measuring tools, blueprints, drawings and CAD (Computer assisted drawings), CAM (computer aided manufacturing), conventional machine shop, modernized CNC – computer numerical control) machining and 3D printing (Additive manufacturing), basic electrical and PLC (programmable logic control), hydraulic/ pneumatics, CIM (Computer integrated manufacturing ), automated manufacturing, robotics, welding and fabrication processes. There is an emphasis on communication and employability soft skills.
Students will take-on challenges and gain exposure and experience by developing the skills needed to get entry-level jobs in the construction and manufacturing. Industry is very conscientious of the higher levels of attention one must acquire for success with actual hands-on skills needed to become a professional craftsman, and extend lucrative incentives for those who master the basics.
Some of the students who have successfully completed this program work in businesses and industries such as Angus-Palm , Advance Auto, Adtek-Telecommincations , BMW – Logisitics, City and County of Dillon (Police, Fire and Rescue), Davis Service Center, SC Department of Transportation (Dillon and Florence), CSX, Nucor, ESAB Welding Solutions, Expert Machine & Fabrication , GE Healthcare, Harbor Freight, Hinson’s Backhoe Home & Industrial, Honda of South Carolina Mfg., Inc., K & G Storage Systems, Miller Electrical & Plumbing, Mohawk Industries, Montone Trailers LLC, Ox Bodies Inc., Palmetto Paving Corporation, Pee Dee Tank, Rock-Tenn Co. (WestRock Co.), True Value Hardware, Vesuvius USA, Wal-Mart, Wix Filtration , UnderWriters Laboratories , Wyman-Gordon, and Agribusiness-(Cox Farms, Elliott Farms, and Huggins Farms).
The instructor is Jerry Bullard. Mr. Bullard has been teaching at the technology center for more than 25 years. He brings a lifelong list of diverse educational and industrial experience with knowledge, skills, and abilities from Aviation Manufacturing to local Industrial Maintenance technical experience.
Statistics show that people in this field earn about $25 per hour or $50,000 per year, and the job outlook is bright.
If you have an interest in a career in a dynamic field that changes daily with the rapid improvements in technology and computer systems, then mechatronics is the course for you. Contact the Dillon County AppliedTechnology Center for information on how to register.
PHOTO GALLERY
PHOTOS BY JOHNNIE DANIELS/THE DILLON HERALD
Click once on a photo to bring it into a single screen, and then again to enlarge.
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- The project
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- Jerry Bullard
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- Datron Jones
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- “I made an eight-sided Ferris wheel to be used at the welding rodeo. Then, from that drawing, I added spindles and created extra layers to draw a water wheel I then had to go back and erase the unneeded lines to make the blueprint realistic and so it was clear and the builders would not be confused.” -Seth Jackson, Lake View High School. He is pictured with instructor Jerry Bullard. (Photo by Johnnie Daniels/The Dillon Herald)
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- “I am playing back a simulation on the various steps we had set-up to create our final product. It shows every tool path along with the tool. After it completes its cycle it demonstrates the finished part.”—Stephanie Campbell, Latta High School (Photo by Johnnie Daniels/The Dillon Herald)
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- “This is a nozzle that we had to make for our first project. It is a very complex part to draw. It uses lots of angles and geometry that we had to draw in using Autocad software. After drawing the part we had to go through and label all of the dimensions and specifications.” —Datron Jones, Lake View High School
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- “I am representing a three-phase motor that would typically be used on an assembly line in a factory. The blue board on the wall cut with nothing on it. I had to install forward and reverse contactors, programmable timers, interlocks, transformers, and wire the circuit according to the schematic. The end result is a fully functional circuit in which students like me can learn and gain knowledge.” —Nicholas Davis, Dillon High School (Photo by Johnnie Daniels/The Dillon Herald)
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- Seth and Datron were checking the .00003 program on the CNC Lathe to check for bugs. Upon their examination they found one. The bug was a misspelled word within the program. After fixing the error they did not find any more during their examination. (Photo by Johnnie Daniels/The Dillon Herald)
