TEEX provides CNC training for Boeing San Antonio employees
SAN ANTONIO – By partnering with the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and a Wagner-Peyser grant from the Texas Workforce Commission, Boeing San Antonio was able to provide training in Computerized Numeric Control (CNC) to employees in the manufacturing and paint center.
Those employees need CNC skills in order to manufacture customized aircraft parts needed for repairs. And thanks to this program, they were trained in CNC Basics to Boeing’s specific equipment in a two-week timeframe, using both a virtual simulator and hands-on techniques.
“The course was an excellent way to obtain the basic knowledge and skills needed to set up and run a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) mill and lathe,” says Raul Villanueva Jr., a Boeing machinist, who works on a team responsible for aircraft paint and depaint operations and the manufacture of custom aircraft parts and components.
“Prior to taking the course, I would see a program on the screen and it felt like seeing algebra for the first time — there were numbers and letters everywhere. Now after taking the course, I am able to comprehend the lines of code and understand the actual meaning and uses behind them.
“The virtual simulator was arguably one of the best parts of the training,” he added. “It gave us the option to choose any type of material and any one of the hundreds of cutters that were programmed into it. The simulator allowed us to set up our part, enter our numbers and offsets, and run the program In addition, our instructor, Raymond Mark, was very knowledgeable and his teaching and machining skills were tremendous. He was able to accommodate our class and skip some of the basics that we already knew I would highly recommend for others to take this course.”
Boeing San Antonio is one of the world’s largest maintenance, repair, and overhaul facilities, capable of supporting commercial and defense aircraft operations. The workforce, comprising 1,200 professionals, includes program managers, engineers, quality inspectors, and aircraft mechanics.