Moraine Park Technical College Electromechanical Technology students were awarded new robotics technology after placing first at Lab Midwest’s Team Robotics Competition.  

Moraine Park students Anthony Biel of West Bend, Timothy Vukosich of Fond du Lac, and Gregory Van Slyke of Hartford participated in the Team Robotics Competition this fall. The students were presented with the award by Lab Midwest and Fanuc, Dec. 9, at Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus. 

“The recognition is awesome, and I’m glad we were able to win some new equipment for our program,” Biel said. “I placed second at the competition when I was in high school, so I was really excited when I got the chance to compete again and represent Moraine Park.” 

The Team Robotics Competition is part of the Wisconsin Manufacturing & Technology Show– the largest manufacturing technology show in the state. The competition allows high school and college students across Wisconsin to test their robotic programming knowledge and compete against other students using Fanuc technology. Each team was given three hours to complete a set of tasks using a Fanuc Fenceless LR Mate 6-axis robot. The students were judged on their ability to complete the objective, the complexity of their programming, teamwork and general robotics knowledge. 

“We appreciate the students’ incredible work preparing and participating in the competition,” Mike Dietrich, vice president of K-12 and training at Lab Midwest, said. “We love providing opportunities for the students to show off their skills, and we’re very thankful to Moraine Park for building our future workforce.” 

The students were awarded a PLC/HMI Training System from Rockwell and APT Manufacturing to be used by the Moraine Park Electromechanical program. 

“The Electromechanical Technology program plans to use the technology to teach programmable logic controller to industrial robot integration,” said MPTC Electromechanical instructor, Craig Habeck. 

Moraine Park’s Electromechanical Technology program is a 2-year associate degree program. In class, students learn how to think critically and use technology to solve problems and program, use and maintain electromechanical and automated equipment. For more information visit morainepark.edu/academics/programs/electromechanical-technology/. 

Moraine Park Technical College carpentry student, Chad St. John, recently participated in the 32^nd annual National Craft Championships (NCC) during the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) 2019 convention in Long Beach, Calif.

The NCC event allows for skilled trainees and apprentices from across the country compete for top honors by demonstrating their superior skills, training, and safe work practices. It features a field of 168 craft professionals competing for top honors in 14 competitions representing 12 crafts, from electrical and plumbing to carpentry and welding, as well as a team competition with journey-level competitors from four different crafts working to complete a joint project. The competition included a two-hour written exam and a day-long, hands-on practical performance test.

St. John, a carpentry apprentice for Northcentral Construction Corporation, took the bronze award in the competition’s residential-commercial carpentry division. St. John had advanced to the NCC after receiving the top score in carpentry during ABC of Wisconsin’s Skills Competition on Jan. 25 in West Bend.

For more information on Moraine Park programs, like carpentry, visit morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College carpentry students recently participated in the 2019 Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) of Wisconsin Skill Trade competition in West Bend.

The ABC of Wisconsin Skill competition is an all-day event that includes a four-hour hands-on practical exam and a two-hour written exam. Moraine Park had a total of four students participate, earning four of the eight medals in the competition.

The College’s students earned a complete sweep of the top three spots in the carpentry division. Chad St. John of Oshkosh, employed by Northcentral Construction Corporation, placed first; John Paul Rubenzer of Plover, employed by Altmann Construction Company, Inc, placed second; Brian Noone of Madison, employed by Stevens Construction Corp., placed third. Tyler Anderson of Oostburg, employed by DeTroye Electric Service, Inc., placed second in the electrical competition.

“Chad came to NorthCentral with very little construction experience,” Jim Brunet, general superintendent at North Central Construction Corp. said. “The past three years I have witnessed his growth in the construction industry, getting the knowledge and support from our experienced foreman and leadman. Having Chad go through the ABC apprenticeship will be a great asset for our company. He is now following in the footsteps of some of our past apprentices by going to nationals to compete and climbing the ladder of success at NorthCentral. I look forward to Chad being a great role  model for some of our younger apprentices in years to come, and we wish him the best of luck at nationals.”

St. John will represent Moraine Park Technical College at the ABC National Craftsman Championship in Long Beach, Calif. this March. This event allows for skilled trainees and apprentices from across the country compete for top honors by demonstrating their superior skills, training, and safe work practices. The championship is expected to have 200 competitors from across the nation.

For more information about Moraine Park Technical College, visit morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park students in the Electrical Club earn the top three spots in the Industrial Motor Controls category. Pictured left to right: Brandon Schuster of Horicon, second place; Evan Kehrmeyer of Mayville, first place; Nick Freres of Brookfield, third place.

Moraine Park Technical College students from both the CNC Tool and Die and Electricity clubs recently participated in the 2018 Wisconsin SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, WI.

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Moraine Park sent students from the CNC/Tool & Die club and the Electricity club to the State Skills USA competition in late April.  The CNC/Tool & Die students competed as a team in the Automated Manufacturing Technology category while the Electricity students competed as individuals in the Industrial Motor Control or Residential Wiring categories.

Moraine Park had students take all 3 top spots in Industrial Motor Control. Zach Heberer placed 1st, Jacob Stamm placed 2nd and Ramon Cruz-Nagera placed third. Continue reading

Moraine Park Technical College hosted its second-annual High School Welding Competition on Tuesday, May 3 at its Beaver Dam campus.  Check out all some awesome pics from the event below. High school students from Horicon and West Bend took part, with students working in our lab to put the parts together and weld them in a timed, competitive environment. Continue reading