Students Learn About Manufacturing at Diversified Machine Systems
Over 50 home-school students and parents participated in a tour that showcased advanced manufacturing and the opportunities that it provides.
Posted: January 7, 2015
On December 12, 2014, Diversified Machine Systems (DMS; Colorado Springs, CO), an original equipment manufacturer of 3- and 5-axis CNC routers and large format machining centers, hosted over 50 HOME (Helping Our Members Educate) students, parents and chaperones for a visit to the DMS world headquarters as part of their educational tours initiative.
Greg Halleck, a member of HOME, a local home-school group that gives students the opportunity to learn and experience new elements of education, reached out to the company after visiting their booth at the Southern Colorado Manufacturing (SOCOM) Expo this past September.
The group’s activities range from fun outings, such as rolling skating and air soft competitions, to informative day trips to visit area companies or educational fairs. One of their recent field trips included a visit to Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, CO. Halleck reached out to DMS because they had never participated in any tours that showcased advanced manufacturing and the opportunities that it provides.
The sales coordinator, Kristi Hilligrass, led students on an office tour that included a series of educational videos in the Training Center. For the main portion of the tour mechanical engineer Clay Guillory guided students around the manufacturing shop floor to show them how machines are manufactured and assembled on site. Chief executive officer Patrick Bollar gave live CNC router demonstrations, using a Freedom Machine Tool Patriot 4 ft by 8 ft CNC router with a lathe to produce domino sets that were given out as Christmas gifts.
“As home-schooling parents, it’s important to us that our future scientists and engineers are exposed to real world cutting-edge companies,” explains Halleck. “They are certainly one of those companies. Kristi and Clay gave us an excellent tour. The kids’ imaginations were sparked seeing the impressive [machines] being assembled and tested. They gave our students a great glimpse into the companies of tomorrow, where they may be a future employee. Our parents and students are excited when talking about this unique experience, and many have made comments about their children thinking ‘outside the box’ on how their current interests could blossom into a career choice like woodworking, machining, engineering, technician … the list goes on! Thanks you, from all our parents and children!”
Community outreach and workforce awareness are important initiatives for DMS, which makes educational tours available by appointment. The company has been honored this year as a 2014 Colorado Company to Watch and ranked No. 101 in the Top 250 Private Companies in Colorado.
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