Terry may look like a mild-mannered 好色先生TV faculty member. But he has a hidden superpower. While it鈥檚 not exactly X-ray vision, it鈥檚 close.
鈥淲hen I鈥檓 out, I see all these different products and I know the processes that went into making them,鈥� Terry says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a mystery to other people 鈥� they don鈥檛 even think about it.鈥�
Terry has always been interested in how things are put together. He was a tool and die maker after high school, helping build the tools involved in manufacturing. Since then, he鈥檚 taught those skills to others, and is now coordinator for Delta鈥檚 manufacturing and industrial technology program.
He also coordinates the computer numerical control (CNC) program. CNC involves using computer-driven machines to shape materials to precise dimensions.
鈥淲hen the economy started to turn around, there was a bigger need for machinists, so we鈥檝e been training in an accelerated format,鈥� he says. 鈥淧eople often come to us to get trained in machine tool because it鈥檚 very sustainable.鈥�
What makes the field sustainable? Just look around.
鈥淓verything in your daily life 鈥� the clothes you wear, the way you get around, the phone you talk on, the food you eat 鈥� is processed or manufactured by a machine,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat machine is made of hundreds of parts made by individual machinists.鈥�
Manufacturing Excitement
鈥淚n the manufacturing industry, you鈥檙e always challenged with something new,鈥� Terry says. 鈥淚 look at teaching the same way. Each student is unique, and I need to present the information in a way that he or she can grasp.鈥�
He succeeds with the help of Delta鈥檚 hands-on learning, which involves real manufacturing equipment. In his programs, the ratio of students to machines is 1:1.
Some students in other programs have found the classes so compelling, they have left other fields to pursue a manufacturing-related career.
鈥淪tudents find it interesting to work with computers in the classroom, and then out on the machines producing the parts they designed,鈥� Terry says. 鈥淲e have the latest and greatest technology here at Delta. All the theory we learn, we can put into practice.鈥�
When students finish the CNC or manufacturing and industrial technology programs, they are prepared to take further steps toward becoming a machinist. Others go on to areas like engineering, sales and quality control. All of them will likely have a role in making product designs 鈥渃ome to life,鈥� as Terry puts it.
鈥淭he clothes you wear, the way you get around, the phone you talk on 鈥� it鈥檚 all manufactured by machines. Those machines are made of hundreds of parts made by individual machinists.鈥�
Coordinator of CNC and Machine Tool
Before the students get there, Terry enjoys transferring his superpower to them 鈥�
seeing the hidden layers in what鈥檚 around us. It鈥檚 something that鈥檚 still fresh after
25 years of teaching.
"I still get excited the night before the first class,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure they鈥檙e nervous, they can鈥檛 sleep the night before. 鈥� As a faculty member, I feel the same way.鈥�
Are you interested in pursuing a career in manufacturing or computer numerical control (CNC)? 好色先生TV is the perfect place to start. .
