By Todd Haynie
THATCHER – Eastern Arizona College (EAC) cordially invites the entire community to attend an open house and “steel cutting ceremony” at its new FabLab Industrial Technology Education Center on EAC’s Thatcher campus on Friday, Oct. 14.
The open house and tours of the center will take place from 1-4 p.m., with the steel cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. sharp outside of the FabLab entrance at the building’s southwest entrance located on South Campus on Stadium Avenue in Thatcher immediately west of the College’s Fine Arts Auditorium.
This event is scheduled in conjunction with National Manufacturing Day, which highlights the importance of manufacturing to our local and national economy and draws attention to the many rewarding, high-skill jobs available in manufacturing fields. As part of this celebration, we hope to demonstrate to the community EAC’s commitment to advanced manufacturing when we unveil our beautiful new facility and FabLab.
EAC’s Advanced Manufacturing program and FabLab were made possible through a partnership with the Arizona Regional Advanced Manufacturing Professional Upgrade Project (AZ RAMP UP). EAC and a handful of other community colleges in Arizona provide state-of-the-art training for the next generation of advanced manufacturing workers as a result of this valuable partnership.
Funding for the FabLab project and EAC’s facility remodel came from a $2 million grant by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training Program. The FabLab is a direct result of this grant and is equipped with an array of flexible, high-tech, computer aided machines — including 3D scanners, 3D printers, laser cutters and engravers, CNC machines, lathes, mills and robotic plasma cutters — which will allow students and members of the community to create almost anything.
“We are proud of our new advanced manufacturing facility,” EAC President Mark Bryce said. “And we hope that you can join us on Oct. 14 for tours and refreshments between 1 and 4 p.m. and participate in the steel cutting ceremony at 4 p.m.”
For more information about this event contact EAC’s director of grants, Eldon Woodall, at (928) 428-8409 or by email at eldon.woodall@eac.edu.
