Welding Technology Program Partners with SF Athletics & Softball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Students from the Santa Fe College Welding Technology program recently partnered with SF Softball to add new branding signage on the field's dugouts.
Led by professor Ryan Mackey, the Welding Technology program is designed to equip its students with welding and metal fabrication skills that prepare them for a career in welding. The curriculum involves a progression of welding/fabrication skills to include Plasma Arc cutting with a CNC/CAD based programming, which was the process used to cut the new softball field signs.
The project was spearheaded by Welding Technology students Damon Fico and Zach Dampier. Damon is the spouse of Santa Fe Softball head coach Lindsay Fico, who first inquired about the welding program's ability to create signs to enhance the aesthetics of the softball facility. Damon saw the opportunity for athletics and the welding department to collaborate on this project, and so the work began!
A team of welding students participated in various stages of the sign fabrication process. Student Billy Hart used his significant experience in CAD/CAM/CNC file manipulation and was instrumental in cleaning up the silhouette logo file of Caesar, the Saint Bernard. Student Joey Cooley also assisted with the planning phase and was key in the final stages of installation. Fico and Dampier oversaw the entire process to include planning, material procurement, logo file manipulation and certification by the MarCom team, cutting, grinding, drilling, welding, sanding, powder coating and installation.
The project took approximately three weeks from inception to completion. Professor Mackey ensured each stage of the process was a learning opportunity for the students involved. Paul Raab, the program's evening session instructor, oversaw the progress as the students worked on the project over the course of several nights.
A video and images of the project in motion leading up to the final product are included in the gallery linked below.
Santa Fe College Athletics would like to thank all students, faculty, and staff involved in this skillful and successful endeavor.
Santa Fe College's welding shop is an American Welding Society (AWS) accredited test facility, which allows SF students the opportunity to earn valuable industry certification that is often preferred by employers.