apply their advanced manufacturing skills prior to graduating from high school while working as interns at local manufactur- ing companies.
A prime example of PRIME success is Wheeling High School, located outside of Chicago. Wheeling has a newly- equipped fabrication prototyping lab that rivals local manu- facturing companies. The lab provides students interested in engineering, architecture, and manufacturing with hands-on design experience and a competitive edge for work or degree programs after high school. The lab includes a 3D printer for rapid prototyping, HAAS CNC lathes and mill, CNC Plasma Cutter, CNC training stations, robotic work station, surface grinder and more.
The school engaged the local manufacturing community and identified their employment needs, which resulted in partnerships, funding and resources to help prepare students for manufacturing careers. In 2011, Wheeling High School was named one of the original six SME Education Foundation PRIME schools.
An important component of PRIME is encouraging schools to run their own manufacturing business. Wheel- ing engineering students started an in-school project, using advanced manufacturing processes and technologies, to design and fabricate a metal and wood plaque which identified their school as a PRIME site. After the project was complete, the SME Education Foundation signed a contract with the students to produce plaques for present and future PRIME schools. The final design was chosen by the class of students who studied Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) and woodworking.
The project has been instrumental in teaching students real life business skills. These entrepreneurial young manu- facturers learned to maintain production and cost efficien- cies by reducing product cost and shipping weight. Through research and development, they came to use 50% less alumi- num by engineering the thickness of the aluminum plates to ¼" rather than the original ½". This was accomplished with- out changing the appearance of the plate, with a net result of reducing the per unit price from $175 to $125. Other examples of PRIME success: • A pre-engineering program at Calera High School, Caler, AL, has involved students in projects ranging from building basic utility vehicles (BUV), to prosthetic limbs, and a hydro-electric plant. Inspired by a service trip to a Honduran village, students have learned to re-
design and customize a fuel-efficient hybrid car, which is introducing them to green energy engineering. Learn more about this project at:
http://tinyurl.com/smebuv.
• Petaluma High School, Petaluma, California partnered with the City of Petaluma to design and create metal park benches for the city to be placed in park and store fronts. All proceeds benefited the High School Metal Shop and the Regional Occupational Program. The program has earned the school over $100,000. Learn more about this project at:
http://tinyurl.com/smebench.
Wheeling High School teachers at their lab.
• In Chicago, “The Whistle Project” at Austin Polytechni- cal Academy (APA) provided students with an opportu- nity to produce aluminum whistles in the school’s “Wa- terSaver Faucet Manufacturing Technology Center.” The SME Education Foundation placed an order with the school to produce 500 whistles that were given to donors and members of their board of directors.
• Kettering Fairmont High School, Kettering, OH, manufactured water bottles that were purchased by the Education Foundation who distributes them as gifts to its donors.
• Summit Technology Academy, Kansas City, MO, has designed and manufactured key chains. PRIME is a powerful partnership formed by the SME and the Education Foundation. Throughout the country, schools and organizations are joining together to inspire, prepare and support the next generation of advanced manufacturers. The health of our economy and our quality of life is dependent upon our continued success. ME
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