Hypertherm, a U.S. based manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, is now accepting applications for its Spark Something Great educational grant program. The program, now in its fourth year, will award a Hypertherm Powermax45® XP plasma system to 10 schools in the United States and Canada. In addition, grant recipients will receive the full Plasma Cutting Technology: Theory and Practice curriculum kit and several hours of in-person training from a Hypertherm plasma expert.
The program is meant to support the next generation of welders and metal fabricators by making the newest generation of plasma cutting equipment and standardized instruction available to schools. To date, the company has awarded systems for 30 schools. Applications for 2018 are due on or before April 2 with grant decisions communicated by May 1. More information, including instructions for submitting an application, is available at www.hypertherm.com/grant.
“We’re committed to providing a variety of educational resources for metal fabrication students and their instructors,” said Betsy Van Duyne, who manages Hypertherm’s educational program. “Proper training on the latest cutting technologies is critical for today's students who need to know more than just oxyfuel cutting when they graduate. The Powermax45 XP is a perfect system for this purpose since it gives teachers the flexibility to teach both handheld and mechanized cutting, as well as applications such as gouging, flush cutting and marking with air plasma.”
In addition to the grant program, Hypertherm will continue to make all ten hours of its AWS SENSE approved Plasma Cutting Technology: Theory and Practice curriculum available for free download to teachers. The curriculum covers the plasma cutting process, common industrial uses for plasma systems, the differences between various cutting methods, safety procedures, as well as proper setup and operation. Electronic versions of each lesson, a facilitator’s guide, student workbook, and supporting reference material are all available at www.hypertherm.com/plasmaeducation. To date, teachers from more than 1,000 schools have taken advantage of the free download helping standardize the teaching of plasma cutting to thousands of students.
Hypertherm designs and manufactures industrial cutting products for use in a variety of industries such as shipbuilding, manufacturing, and automotive repair. Its product line includes cutting systems, in addition to CNC motion and height controls, CAM nesting software, robotic software and consumables. Hypertherm systems are trusted for performance and reliability that result in increased productivity and profitability for hundreds of thousands of businesses. The New Hampshire based company’s reputation for cutting innovation dates back 50 years to 1968, with Hypertherm’s invention of water injection plasma cutting. The 100 percent associate owned company, consistently named a best place to work, has more than 1,400 associates along with operations and partner representation worldwide. Learn more at www.hypertherm.com.
