Cal Poly Receives Machine Tool from SMTCL

SMTCL-Americas (City of Industry, CA) donated a new machine tool to Cal Poly Pomona’s engineering department. California State Polytechnic University of Pomona is receiving a new VMC850E vertical machining center that will allow the engineering department to give a more hands-on experience to students.

The Formula SAE and BAJA SAE teams will also greatly benefit from the new machine. Currently the team uses an SMTCL Brio for making parts and wheels for their vehicles. With the new VMC, students will have a better chance of spending more time working on the machines. “What is great about the VMC850E is that it comes with everything: coolant thru the spindle, spindle chiller, chip conveyer, 10,000 rpm and even an oil skimmer,” explains professor Clifford Stover.

Along with a new learning experience, students will also be able to cut costs and save time before competitions for Formula SAE begin. “Cost is one of the judging factors in Formula SAE, and it is up to the team of students to ensure that they stay within budget”, explains Stover. Before receiving the Brio machine, the team had to send out all designs to an outside source. This not only affected the cost of the car, but also infringed on time that the students could have been using to practice. “It is not just a race”, explains design lead Steve Saffron, “it is the largest engineering design competition in the world, and having the correct tools to get us there is one of the biggest factors to our success”.

SMTCL has been working with Cal Poly Pomona for over five years. Jamie Gonzalez is the SMTCL distributor who first contacted the schools engineering department. “It is important for young future engineers, technicians, and machinist to all have the proper training on CNC machines,” explains Gonzalez, “with experience on the Brio and now with the VMC850E, we are happy to give the students what they need to be successful in this field.”

www.smtcl-americas.com