Hey everyone! Lars here. I’d like to take a few moments to highlight a CAD/CAM educational academy that has gained support from companies like Kennametal and Haas Automation – Titans of CNC Academy.

https://youtu.be/PbfP9ppkjvs

Titans of CNC Academy was founded by  Titan Gilroy, owner of TITAN America MFG and star of the television series, TITANS of CNC. The academy is a free learning site that includes 2D PDF drawings, 3D Fusion 360 models, and detailed video lectures.

This site is not just for school kids. It’s for professionals as well. That said, the ability to design a 10 part course where every part can be cut out of the same bar of stock, and supplying the Fusion 360 tool library with feeds and speeds, and links directly to Kennametal’s website should make any shop teacher smile. I guess you could say this is a stepping stone for the next generation of manufacturing.

Let’s start with the most obvious question: How much does it cost? It’s totally free! You create an account and immediately have access to the largest CAD/CAM and CNC manufacturing education program ever developed.

Manufacturing around the world has had its ups and downs. Mentoring and apprentice programs have been abandoned by many companies for faster production of parts, either for more profit or simply for survival. The question many top machine shop owners are asking themselves “Where can I find skilled people?” The truth is most shops must do the work themselves.

Titan’s Academy is your resource library with structured projects that will teach you everything you need to know from basic design and modeling, to how to use Fusion 360 for mill, lathe and mill/turn.

Education…
The core of a great learning site is easy navigation. At the academy, everything is sorted by projects. Each project is ranked in difficulty, contains 2D PDF’s and 3D Fusion 360 models, followed by a video lecture showing you how to model the part in Fusion 360. These videos are between 8 to 30 minutes long and professionally produced.

Each video starts with a short introduction followed by a detailed step-by-step explanation of how to access and download the 2D print. This makes it easy to ensure you are not lost in the process as you sharpen your skills.

3D Models…
With over 100 Fusion 360 files (I stopped counting) available for download with associated 2D PDF’s there is tons of content for you to hone your skills. It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned machinist or a newbie; there’s content available to help increase your productivity.

Videos…
This might be the most valuable asset. The academy has tutorial-based videos to teach you how to setup your part on a CNC. There are CNC tooling classes and even in-depth classes on “How to quote jobs” and “How to build a CNC Machine Shop.”

Conclusion…
It’s clear that the Titans of CNC Academy is addressing some of the hurdles most machine shops are facing. Even if you don’t normally use Fusion 360, you can easily transfer the learning content to other platforms. Of course, you have to ask yourself: “With a 30-day trial and a free post processor available for your CNC machine, why not just test it out?” Remember, besides a little of your time, all of this is free.