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Up Topic Welders and Inspectors / Education & Training / Soldamatic Review
- - By pipewelder_1999 (****) Date 07-25-2014 16:19 Edited 07-25-2014 20:25
I just finished up the Welding Educators conference and have tons of things to comment on.  But the most awesome thing I observed was the augmented reality device.

All I can say is weld done soldamatic.

Swap process
Position pieces anywhere
View the environment you are in with a virtual weld joint that looks very realistic. 
Weld operation seems responsive
Comparitive low cost 1/3rd ish.
Fillet Welds groove welds and possible custom solutions.

Multi language
Record data for each weld of each student
Display screen output on monitors/big screen tvs.
Not much bigger than a Microwave

And Much More probabaly.

I want one.  Period.
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 07-25-2014 22:56
Thanks Gerald.

Read your other post about it as well.

BTW, did you run into, at least if you can remember some of the names, Buddy May.  He is the head instructor at Mohave Comm Coll in Kingman, AZ and one of my AZ Section committee people.  We got him there as our District rep for the week.

Sounds like you felt it a very good and informative week. 

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - - By JTMcC (***) Date 07-26-2014 01:51
Buddy may be one of "your" AZ section committee people (do they really belong to you??, emporer, king, supreme commander of All Arizona??, Lincoln singed the proclomation so really Brent nobody is "yours" anymore), but he sure doesn't answer his phone, and he doesn't return voice mails. Even to people wanting to pay him $$$ as an AWS atf.

Unless you, his owner, has instructed him not too : )

John
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 07-26-2014 02:35
Funny John. 

Hey, after you said something previously about this, I sent him a message about the problem.  He told me all contact was set up through the office but he was going to look into it.  I am extremely sorry no one has contacted you yet to try to make amends.  It does not reflect well on AWS as a whole nor on the AZ Section. 

When I have been chairman for the past couple of years and hand picked Buddy to serve on a committee to broaden the contacts, locations and variety of people serving this section I don't feel bad about calling them 'my people'.  Just as you would refer to your employees and company as 'yours'.  I trust Buddy to be a good representative but I know that some times things get confused with a new organization and dividing up the responsibilities to try to keep the teaching staff from getting overloaded with phone calls.  Just as you and/or I do not always personally answer every call that comes in.  It may go to voice mail, receptionist/wife, or other message options.  But, hopefully we all try to get to those messages as promptly as possible. 

Buddy, MCC, and in some ways AWS, has let you down and I personally apologize for that.  You and I have a rather strained relationship as it is and I don't need it complicated by something like this.

I will try to get a response for you asap.  Being summer break and Buddy would have just gotten back in town from this seminar I'm not sure how fast it can happen but I will make phone calls tonight to get the ball rolling.  You deserve an answer even if you have moved on and gotten your issues taken care of. 

Now, what is this about Lincoln?  And how does that apply to anything?  We represent AZ as a section of AWS.  Lincoln does not effect that in any way.  As a section we have put together a team from the ashes that were left by previous officers and are one of the busiest sections in our District and also the country.  And Lincoln is not pulling our chains, nor Miller, ESAB, etc.  I answer to Miami and our District Director (currently based in Las Vegas but about to be termed out and replaced by someone from San Diego).  So I'm not sure what you were referencing there.  I would like to know in case there is something being done to undermine the efforts of this particular team for section activities and representation.  IF, you don't mind sharing more particulars. 

Nothing said here is said with attitude, frustration, or any other 'tone'.  Some informational, some apologetic, some quizzical. 

Respond how and if you want.  I have a course and am calling Buddy to see why the lines of communication have not been repaired since I contacted him before.  I feel the buck stops here, with me.  This section is my responsibility to keep operating in a decent and orderly fashion.  And I want to know when something has not happened the way it was supposed to.  While I may not have a lot of control over ATF's I can sure make phone calls and push buttons and make waves. 

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - - By JTMcC (***) Date 07-30-2014 19:37 Edited 07-30-2014 19:41
:razz:Hello Brent,

Well I guess that by now I should well understand that my off center sense of humor is completely lost on the interwebs.
But I'm happy to hear that you're not in the slave-master business. Whew.

I sure don't want to get the guy at MCC in any sort of trouble. No intent there whatsoever, I'm sure they are nice folks.
But it is ironic and somewhat humorous to me at least, that days after reading several articles about the new ATF at MCC and it's great benefit to the welding providers in the area (and I am one, small, but I am), that I couldn't actually contact a human being when I needed straps bent. I COULD find the price list on the website. Just couldn't buy the product.

Previously we had to go to Las Vegas @ 130 miles for me, or Phoenix @ 200 miles. I just decided to bend our own straps so that was my solution. But we have other work that demands a CWI stamp on all quals, and no qual over 6 months old is acceptable (Cal trans field work). So MCC might still be a viable option for us.

They really do need to smooth out the contact system in my opinion. If the contact person is also teaching classes maybe he should have a personal voicemail/emaill for ATF related calls only that he could return in the afternoon.
Most community colleges are not set up, or even have personnel that really understand the activity of doing business for $$$. I'm guessing that's why they are lagging.
In my opinion that would greatly increase the effectiveness of the whole thing. Tho I'm not sure how many in the area will require their qualification service, hopefully a lot but I'm not real sure.

I'm not strained, I'm to simple for that.

J

And oh yea, apologies to the OP for the sidetrack : )
Parent - By welderbrent (*****) Date 07-30-2014 23:12
I'm trying to get this worked out and do thank you for sharing the negative experience so we know it's weaknesses.

Sorry I didn't catch the level of humor that was intended but on the other hand I didn't take it as an attack, just a moment of clarification.  Sometimes I wish you and I could get some time to meet so we both understood each other a little better.  Differences do not enemies make, but miscommunications and misunderstandings and coming from different backgrounds don't make it easy.  And the internet doesn't always make the best form of communication. 

Keep up the good work, I can tell you are one who puts his best foot forward. 

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - - By pipewelder_1999 (****) Date 07-26-2014 02:54 Edited 07-26-2014 12:50
There was a man from Arizona. Samuel Colton. I appreciated his energy and what he had done with his program. Didn't really talk in detail with many. I asked quite a few questions during the presentations so maybe many got tired of hearing me. There is much more for me to say about the conference. The augmented reality welder was the only actual demo. AWS didn't have their video recorder there for todays session so I don't know if any of it was recorded.

There was lots of "information" shared for sure. There were some things that blew me away. Some in a good way, some not.

Have a good one.

Gerald
Parent - By welderbrent (*****) Date 07-26-2014 03:33
Oh yes.  Samuel Colton, instructor at Western AZ Technical College, Yuma.  Very good man and a very good program. 

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - - By Lawrence (*****) Date 07-30-2014 11:31
I worked with Sam Colton as part of Miller Electric's educational steering committee a few years back.

He is a good guy and very energetic... He was very involved in "Welders Without Boarders" when I saw him last.

Sharp and friendly guy.
Parent - By welderbrent (*****) Date 07-30-2014 14:52
Still is with Welders Without Borders and a contest here in AZ, Welding Thunder, that brings teams together from around CA and AZ high schools and colleges for a very fun and practical weekend of welding.

His health is really going down though and he is training others to take over the administration of all these activities he does. 

But, for slowing down, he still travels around the country and to foreign countries teaching the teachers.  Does several around AZ as well.  Has had me speak at a couple so teachers become aware of AWS opportunities assisting teachers with programs, materials, training, etc.

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - By pipewelder_1999 (****) Date 07-30-2014 15:01
I was impressed and motivated by his energy.

Gerald
Up Topic Welders and Inspectors / Education & Training / Soldamatic Review

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