Everett Community College Student Compete in Reality Series
A team of Everett Community College students will compete in the Clash of Trades machining reality series next month, hoping to take home the national title and a $100,000 prize.
Three Advanced Manufacturing Training and Education Center (AMTEC) students, led by machining instructor and coach Darin Chase, will compete against three college teams in the National Clash of Trades Championship May 23-26 at Stewart-Haas Racing facility in Charlotte, N.C.
The Clash of Trades show will premiere this July.
“This is the school’s first year competing and we are honored to be representing Everett Community College in the finals,” said Chase.
The EvCC team is composed of these machining students:
- Ryan Bucciantini
- Leeann Riggs
- River Stormo
“The entire EvCC community rallies behind the AMTEC Team as they embark on this thrilling journey to the national championship,” EvCC president Chemene Crawford said. “Their dedication, skill, and passion embody the spirit of excellence that defines EvCC’s commitment to fostering talent and innovation in advanced manufacturing.”
EvCC is among the top four of 80 competing schools representing 31 states and two Canadian provinces in the National Manufacturing Competition Series. To get to the finals, EvCC passed the qualifying round in October 2023 by machining a part to spec in EvCC’s AMTEC facility, using their skills in computer aided design, CNC programming, precision machining and welding. Then, at the regional championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, in March, where they had to create specific parts on site within a staffing and material budget, they clinched a spot in the national finals.
“This has been something different for me. This is the first competition I’ve been a part of,” said Riggs. “I’ve never really been a part of a team event before.”
Each team member serves a specific role in the ma
nufacturing process to ensure smooth production. Bucciantini serves as a general manager, in charge of quality assurance and supporting any gapped tasks the team needs to complete. Stormo takes the lead in CAD design, CNC programming, and welding. Riggs specializes in setup and machining on the CNC machines.
The team will face opponents from Autry Technology Center (Enid, Okla.), Calhoun Community College (Tanner, Ala.), and Central Alabama Community College (Alexander City, Ala.).
“I feel that this is a wonderful opportunity to gain visibility both for the college and for a job later down the road,” said Bucciantini.
The Project MFG Clash of Trades competition, now in its fourth year, is a testament to real-world advanced manufacturing prowess. Schools nationwide vie for the prestigious title and a chance to claim the $100,000 grand prize. The competition hinges on the mastery of skill sets such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machining, and CNC milling techniques, culminating in the creation of products to exact specifications provided on the day of the competition.
“We have been working hard to find time in everyone’s schedules to practice as much as possible before we travel to North Carolina,” said Stormo. “We have been focusing our efforts on working with five axis programs, repetition in procedures and repeatability.”
The theme of products to be manufactured will be revealed on the day of the competition.
May 20, 2024
Everett Schools, Everett Jobs