Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Location: HCC West Loop Campus
Amatrol’s Skill Boss Manufacturing is a portable, hands-on training and assessment system designed to meet the rigorous standards of the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC). Built for the Certified Production Technician (CPT+) program, this system evaluates over 60 essential skills across safety, quality practices, production processes, and maintenance awareness.
The Skill Boss system replicates real-world manufacturing tasks, including assembly, machine operation, and troubleshooting. Learners gain practical experience with components such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), electro-pneumatic systems, sensors, mechanical drives, and robotic pick-and-place systems. By completing CPT+, individuals prove both their technical knowledge and applied competency, making them job-ready for advanced manufacturing careers.
With its real-world finishing and sorting process, Skill Boss Manufacturing automatically feeds, sorts, and polishes parts, while learners control and monitor operations. The system’s design provides educators and employers with a reliable way to both develop and validate critical advanced manufacturing skills.
The EDU-RoboMill brings together the world of CNC machining and FANUC robotics in a single, compact solution designed for both education and industrial applications. Built with precision and durability in mind, the RoboMill allows students to practice robot programming, CNC fundamentals, and integrated automation—all in a footprint that fits through a standard 35″ doorway. Its combination of industrial-grade controls and accessible design makes it the perfect choice for classrooms, labs, and training centers preparing the next generation of advanced manufacturing professionals.
Other FANUC robots may be used; larger models may affect doorway clearance and table dimensions.
Gateway Technical College (GTC) is helping shape the workforce of tomorrow with its Smart Factory lab located at the SC Johnson Integrated Manufacturing and Engineering Technology (iMET) Center in Sturtevant, Wisconsin. As the first publicly funded technical college in the United States, GTC continues to lead by preparing students with the skills needed for Industry 4.0.
This advanced lab simulates a real-world production line where students gain hands-on experience in “lights out” manufacturing, automation, and data analytics. Learners work with programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), industrial controllers, and smart sensors to understand how modern factories operate. By integrating connectivity and data analysis, the lab demonstrates how to unlock siloed information and apply it to real-world decision-making.
One of the lab’s most exciting features is its development of a digital twin—a virtual replica of the physical environment that collects and processes real-time data from robotics, machinery, and sensors. This allows students to explore artificial intelligence, advanced automation, and smart technologies that are rapidly transforming the manufacturing industry. By engaging with this innovative environment, students are better prepared to become the highly skilled employees industry partners need today and in the future.
Absorption is a critical separation process in chemical engineering, widely applied in industries such as environmental engineering, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemicals. Pignat’s absorption training systems provide hands-on learning by simulating real-world gas–liquid interactions, enabling students to explore both the theory and practice of mass transfer operations.
These systems are designed for flexibility and precision, helping learners understand core concepts such as absorption efficiency, column design, and operating parameters. Whether used in an undergraduate classroom or an advanced research lab, Pignat’s absorption units bridge the gap between academic knowledge and industrial practice.
Adsorption plays a vital role in chemical engineering and industrial applications, from gas purification and pollution control to water treatment and chemical recovery. Pignat’s adsorption training units enable students to study surface phenomena, adsorption isotherms, and regeneration techniques.
These versatile systems demonstrate the behavior of gases and liquids when interacting with solid surfaces, offering real-world insight into adsorption processes that industries rely on daily.
Crystallization is a widely used process in chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries for product purification and separation. Pignat’s crystallization units provide a hands-on approach to studying solubility, cooling rates, and crystal formation.
Students gain real-world understanding of crystal nucleation and growth, learning how operational conditions affect product quality and purity.
Distillation is one of the most common and important separation methods in the chemical process industry. Pignat’s distillation training systems bring industrial operations into the classroom, teaching fractional distillation, column efficiency, and reflux control.
These systems allow students to analyze mixtures, understand boiling point differences, and optimize process conditions—all while reinforcing real-world chemical engineering skills.
Understanding vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) is essential for designing separation processes. Pignat’s ebulliometer training systems allow students to investigate boiling points, azeotropes, and thermodynamic properties directly in the lab.
These systems bridge theory and practice, giving learners critical insight into the phase behavior that drives distillation and other chemical processes.
Evaporation is widely used in chemical, food, and environmental industries to concentrate solutions and recover solvents. Pignat’s evaporation training units provide hands-on learning of heat transfer, phase change, and energy efficiency.
These systems allow students to evaluate operating conditions and optimize processes, preparing them for practical applications in industrial environments.
The BOFA 3D PrintPRO 3 incorporates an externally mounted plenum system which effectively captures fumes generated during the printing process and returns ultra clean, filtered air to the operator’s breathing zone.
The BOFA 3D PrintPRO 3 has the benefits of low cost, low power consumption, and integral speed control. Each filtration unit is supplied with connection hoses and ‘print your own’ plenum instructions.
The BOFA 3D PrintPRO 4 provides a high fume evacuation and filtration rate when connected to a large enclosed 3D printer via its extraction off take point. the system can also return the filtered clean air either back to the printer enclosure for a cleaner print area or to the operator’s breathing zone.
The BOFA 3D PrintPRO 4 combines high flow rate with speed control within a compact free-standing unit.
