Michigan Community College Expands Manufacturing Engineering Center

Schoolcraft College, a Michigan community college, has completed a building renovation and relocation of all the occupational programs related to manufacturing to 13001 Merriman Road in Michigan. This location is just a few minutes from the main campus in Livonia. The newly renovated building is 48,000 ft², more than double the space these programs occupied on the main campus.

The programs offered are billed as a great fit for the local companies involved in manufacturing, especially the plastics industry.

Programs that fit this career path include both certificates (16 and 33 credit programs) and an associate degree in plastic technology. The same program structure exists for CAD students, advanced metal finishing (CNC), electronics/mechatronics (learning about the inner working of processing equipment), robotics, occupational safety and welding. All designed to fit the needs of today’s plastics industry.

Additionally, metallurgy and automation also offer both certificate and associate degrees.

The plastic technology program now has the capacity in its processing lab to expand its program to include equipment other than injection molding and thermoforming in the process lab. Future plans include added extrusion and blow molding capabilities.

The testing lab, consisting of a universal tester (tensile machine), drop impact tester, MFI unit and aging oven now has the capacity to include an Izod/Charpy impact tester and two lab hoods for both chemical exposure and flame testing

The facility as a whole has the capacity to serve 300-400 students per day and offers the following opportunities: dual enrollment/middle college (take college courses while in high school at no cost), apprenticeship training that can be developed to meet the company needs, and work force development. This includes “bootcamps” in CNC machining, welding and robotics.

Embracing the concept of providing transformational learning experiences, Schoolcraft College is determined to meet the needs of the surrounding community. The MEC is one way that Schoolcraft College is investing resources to meet the labor demand for engineering technology professionals.