Calhoun Community College announced that its three-member advanced manufacturing team secured a spot to compete at the 2024 Project MFG National Competition, making this their fourth consecutive year advancing to nationals.
“Competing among some of the top talent across the nation and advancing to a national championship 4 years in a row doesn’t just happen by luck,” Jimmy Hodges, Calhoun president, said. “That sort of thing only happens when hard work is put in place to learn and understand the skill of welding and machining, the patience to keep trying when you don’t get it right the first time, and determination to continue to compete as these are lengthy qualifying processes.”
“Those are all of the vital things needed to compete at a national level, and that’s what our students and instructors demonstrate each year they advance,” Hodges said. “And for that, their Calhoun family is extremely proud.”
According to Tad Montgomery, Calhoun’s Machine Tool Technology Instructor and Project MFG Team sponsor/CNC Machining SME, all teams in the competition receive challenges where they create a product to required specifications as the competition is designed to reflect the real-world of advanced manufacturing.
The teams go through the production of a final product and ensure it is completed under the time given and to specifications provided.
In October 2023, 82 teams from across the nation participated in the competition series in hopes of advancing to the regional round.
Each team received a drawing and part stock to fabricate a project at their school. Projects were submitted and judged this past January, and those top qualifiers competed over a span of two-days at several regional sites in February.
The top four teams from that competition were Calhoun Community College, Central Alabama Community College, Everett Community College and Autry Technology Center.
These four teams were invited to Charlotte, N.C., for an intense four-day competition where they faced off live on the hit YouTube reality series, Clash of Trades.
At stake was $150,000 in total prizes as well as the honor to be named the 2024 Project MFG National Champions.
“We are immensely proud that our team has once again reached the Project MFG National Championship,” Montgomery said. “Our students undergo rigorous advanced manufacturing training using the latest industry equipment, which thoroughly prepares them for competitions like this. They have been diligently studying and practicing, with the national championship title as their ultimate goal.”
The winners will be announced via Project MFG’s YouTube channel and social media platforms in July.
The team consisted of two CNC machinists/programmers (Ty Whitson and Austin Kidd) and a welder (Ben Blanton). The team trainers and sponsors included: Tad Montgomery, Team Sponsor/CNC Machining SME, George Cassimus, CNC Machining SME and Matt Jones, Welding SME.