After two days of classes, seminars, CNC convos, and making some serious chips, Tormach Tech Days has wrapped up!

Tormach machine tools are used for a variety of different projects, from businesses to hobbyist endeavors, but in 2016 Tormach-created parts saw a lot of action in the BattleBots arena.

The world of manufacturing and engineering is constantly changing and progressing, and so does the education to get quality workers in those industries. The Madison College Robotics and Automation program concentrates on preparing students for industry by giving them hands-on experience with a variety of tools and machines, including a Tormach PCNC 440.

When law enforcement agencies and the military need a robot mechanical platform compact enough to be carried around in the field but with enough power to get the job done, they turn to The Machine Lab.

ABC’s BattleBots pits a horde of 250-pound robots against each other in gear-grinding, fire-spewing combat, but Lisa Winter brings her ladybug doppelganger, Mega Tento, to the match. Created with the help of a Tormach PCNC 1100, Winter’s cutesy robot of doom is more than meets the eye, but this fierce competitor’s story started more than a decade ago.

As part of his responsibilities, DASL researcher Roy (R.J.) Gross is helping groom future roboticists in a multi-disciplinary curriculum with the help of a Tormach PCNC 1100.