Manufacturing Day to showcase groundbreaking programs

CHEYENNE, Wyoming – The community is invited to Laramie County Community College’s Manufacturing Day Block Party on Oct. 4, offering an opportunity to get a taste of the college’s state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge programs.

The event will take place from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Career and Technical Building and adjoining parking lot. The event is part of the national Manufacturing Day, led by the Manufacturing Institute, celebrated on the first Friday in October each year.

Food trucks will be available until 1 p.m. with vouchers for free food available for the first 200 guests. Those attending will be entered into a grand prize giveaway for a 3D printer and instructional class.

Personnel from LCCC’s Advance Manufacturing and Material Center, or AMMC, will be available for facility tours and equipment demonstrations. Hands-on activities, cornhole games and giveaways will provide fun for the whole family.

Manufacturing today is a far cry from what previous generations understood about the sector, said Dave Curry, AMMC director. Today’s opportunities in manufacturing offer safe and fulfilling careers in a variety of exciting and groundbreaking fields for anyone willing to take on the training, Curry said.

“We’ve come a long way from smokestacks and punch cards,” Curry said. 

The AMMC is serving as a facility to train new workers to meet the needs of the region’s manufacturing industries. It offers a location for the current and future workforce to receive training, a need not previously met in the region.

Included in the AMMC is the Concept Forge, a fabrication lab that provides entrepreneurs and other innovative workers with space and technology to produce items for business and personal interest. The Concept Forge includes 3D printers, sewing machines, laser cutters, Glowforge, a sublimation printer, soldering stations, cutting tools and more. Community programming is underway, with expert demonstrations of different technologies available in the space showing locals how locals can turn their ideas into realities.

“We haven’t found what we can’t do yet,” Curry said.

The college offers both credit and non-credit manufacturing programs that develop skills in areas such as 3D modeling, robotics, CNC mill and lathe operations and much more, leading to industry certifications and college credentials. Customized industry training designed to help companies upskill and reskill their current employees is also available.

“We had two bootcamp students go out and start their own businesses,” Curry said. “They picked up enough skills here to go out and launch their ideas.”

For more information on Manufacturing Day and the AMMC contact Dave Curry at dcurryFREELARAMIE or 307-432-1684.