Have you ever realized that most AM experts who have started their career in academia usually move to the industry side after some time? It’s like a silent rule that’s passed down among professionals. It turns out Joy Gockel did not receive that memo as she steered her career in the opposite direction.
The now associate professor in Mechanical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines, first joined Mines from Wright State University where she was an assistant professor in Mechanical and Materials Engineering. Prior to her faculty position, she was a Lead Engineer at GE Aviation’s Additive Technology Center.
When asked what triggered the move from a lead engineer position at GE Aviation’s Additive Technology Center to the position of assistant professor, she said her natural place is academia.
“My industry experience motivates my work to be use-inspired, but we work on explaining the fundamentals behind the behavior that we observe. I also really enjoy mentoring students and introducing them to research. Often, it’s the first time they are presented with a scientific problem that no one knows the answer to, which is exciting,” Gockel explains.
Gockel’s biggest achievements today are her students. “I am very proud of where they have ended up and the contributions that they are making to many fields, additive and more. A big challenge is keeping up with how fast the AM field moves. Both in my research areas and to make sure that my course content is up to date. There is so much to still learn,” she continues.
In general, it is well understood that because AM represents a paradigm shift in design and production, well-trained talent— engineers and technicians— are pivotal to capitalizing on this technology. If this is true for many technologies, we have to admit that AM does not benefit from the century of research and dedicated training that is the hallmark of conventional manufacturing techniques. That’s the reason why most professionals who are working in the AM field, have built up their competencies through expertise on the ground.
“Key workforce needs are embracing the interdisciplinary approach and creating equitable access to learning resources. Design, materials and manufacturing are very intertwined in AM. It’s key to have knowledge spanning these disciplines, as well as being open to talking to and learning from each other. We also need to make sure the opportunities to learn about AM and to enter the AM workforce are accessible for diverse populations,” the associate professor explains.
This statement from Gockel emphasizes the challenges in teaching AM. The many nuances across the different processes and materials may make it difficult to deliver courses that uniformly increase a worker’s readiness for an entry-level job. More importantly, they refocus the debate on the need for a common language framework for the industry.
Hence the continuous reliance on “on-the-job training”
Today, there is an ecosystem of schools that teach AM programs and grant individual students AM credentials, certificates, and degrees. However, they should not forget that despite this theoretical knowledge acquired, there will always be “on-the-job training”.
“This is true for traditional engineering disciplines too. The role of academia is to teach the fundamental knowledge required to grow into your specific career. This is where we have seen growth in education for AM. One of the key areas that we emphasize is process selection and making sure students are aware of the breadth of AM. This will help ensure that the right processes and materials are used for the correct applications,” Gockel notes.
On another note, in the long list of essential skills often required from AM professionals, critical thinking (perceiving, hypothesizing, testing, and interpreting testing) and soft skills are often underrated. Most of the time, the focus is made on technical skills such as CAD, DfAM, finishing, safety or even reverse engineering. Technicians for instance, who can contribute to the detection of errors/failures and can communicate these issues are extremely valuable. Technicians can be part of the solution and therefore firms suggest more practical and hands-on training exercises to prepare them for the manufacturing floor.
After that, retaining that AM workforce will be the next challenge to address. Whether we talk about management, operational, or technical teams, organizations are continuously in search of motivators to retain their talents. These motivators may be career progression, increased wage, and flexibility, in the end, an individual’s growth in the workplace is often tied to what that person considers a “better job”.
The entire workforce pipeline is concerned
While initiatives are implemented to enhance the skills and competencies of future AM users, it’s often easy to forget educators themselves. The Alliance for the Development of Additive Processing Technologies (ADAPT) aims to fill this gap.
The research and industry-academia consortium promotes collaboration within the scientific, research and provider communities to advance data informatics and advanced characterization technologies for additive.
“With our core research focus, we have research students performing independent hands-on work, digging deep into AM expertise. However, we also do outreach and have a training program for high school teachers. Engaging with the entire workforce pipeline is critical to ensure the success of the whole industry,” Gockel concludes.
