WNC receives gift of new machinery for machine tool technology program

Western Nevada College machine tool technology students may not realize it, but they just got a Christmas present that will help them learn with the latest technology for automotive machining.

Thanks to a $182,000 federal grant through the Carl Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, the college was able to purchase two computer-guided machine tools: a milling center and honing device.

"These are the first two machines of this type in Nevada, and the only ones being used in a teaching setting in Nevada or Northern California," instructor Paul Eastwood said.

Made by Rottler Manufacturing Company, Eastwood said he believes that the new machines will enhance student learning in machine tool and automotive technology at the college.

"The Rottler machines are used for restoring engine blocks, boring out cylinders, honing cylinders and resurfacing the heads of engine blocks. With tolerances to one ten-thousandth of an inch, they can also bore out a perfect alignment for crankshafts and camshafts," he said.

Eastwood said there is a huge interest in cars and rebuilding engines in this area, and the new machine tools provide students the ability to learn on the latest equipment.

"The Rottler tools are a nice complement to our other machinery. Students learn on our manually operated devices and then move up to computer controlled machines, and now we can offer them the very latest in machine technology," Eastwood said.

'Impressions of the Earth' shown

Western Nevada College Gallery in opens the spring semester Jan. 20, with a new show, "Impressions of the Earth," by WNC Fallon Art Professor Gil Martin. An artist's reception will be Feb. 4, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., for students, faculty and the community. The exhibit will continue through Feb. 20.

Gallery hours are weekdays, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and weekends, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

http://www.rgj.com/article/20090116/CARSON/901160304/1003

Falling Orders for Machine Tools Trouble Japan

TOKYO -- Japanese machine-tool orders marked their largest drop in more than two decades last month, suggesting that shrinking capital investment may deal a further blow to Japan's recession-hit economy in the months ahead.

Machine-tool orders fell 71.9% year-to-year in December, following November's 62.1% drop, preliminary data from the Japan Machine Tool Builders' Association showed. Machine-tool orders totaled 36.7 billion yen ($411.8 million) in December.

Machine-tool orders are considered a leading indicator of capital investment, and December's plunge suggests companies are cautious about increasing capacity as demand shrinks at home and abroad.

This is particularly significant for Japan -- home to three of the world's top four machine-tool makers by sales -- and means the economy may continue deteriorating into 2009.

Japan's GDP is expected to contract by nearly 1.3% in the year through March 31 and by 1.2% in the following year, according to a survey of economists by the Economic Planning Association, a think tank related to the Cabinet Office.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123196408029182597.html?mod=googlenews_wsj