Check out this episode of Industrial Talk featuring Josh Brown and Steven Fedell with Penn State University METAL Program.
Industrial Talk is onsite at Penn State and talking to Josh Brown and Steven Fedell with Penn State University METAL Program about “Why they are passionate about the future”..
Heavy hammers. High heat. Glowing metal. These are all images that come to mind when one pictures a foundry. While the heat and the molten materials remain central, the modern foundry floor is undergoing a massive technological transformation, and METAL is staying on top of the game. Our partners, including the University of Tennessee Knoxville, are bringing advanced robotics directly into the educational space. Bootcamp and workshop participants are getting a firsthand look at how smart manufacturing is reshaping the trades. It is no longer just about melting and pouring; it is about precision, safety, and efficiency.
Heavy Industry and High Tech
At the Kohler Foundry in Kohler, WI, high tech machines allow workers to move heavy cast iron tubs safely and with ease.
When participants step into a modern metal workshop, they see advanced robotic arms operating just feet away from traditional sand casting tables and investment casting stations. This pairing of the old and the new demonstrates the real-world applications of automation in manufacturing. Today’s industry relies heavily on automation to handle repetitive, dangerous, or highly precise tasks. By integrating these dynamic machines into the learning environment, bootcamps provide a comprehensive, 360-degree view of modern production pipelines.
Precision and Durability on the Foundry Floor
Industrial-strength heavy lifters, utilized in large-scale factory settings, are built to withstand the intense rigors of heavy industry. During induction forging demonstrations, these robust robotic arms handle the high-stress, high-heat tasks.
Paul, a UTK computer science student working on the foundry robots, explained the specific advantages of their UR12e model: “The UR12e on the other hand is actually used in industry as a factory robot, so that’s what we use for the induction furnace. It’s a little more durable, it can take more stress and stuff, and it’s also a lot easier to program.”
Tennessee students Paul and Vishnu work with the robotics used for METAL workshops and bootcamps.
These industrial machines are programmed to grip cylindrical metal pucks and precisely manage their thermal cycles. Describing the automation of this intense environment, Paul says they will “heat them up till they’re like orange, almost white-hot, and then we put them in a hydraulic press and we stamp the METAL logo into them.”
After the stamping process, the robotic arms smoothly transition metal into a cooling water bath. “We also have it dunk the puck in water to cool it off afterward so you can control how long it swirls,” Paul notes, ensuring the metallurgical properties of the token or tool are properly set without ever risking human burns.
In contrast to heavy-duty factory arms, smaller precision robots are deployed for tasks requiring delicate, highly accurate movements. Utilizing advanced camera systems and artificial intelligence, these robots perform dynamic location and sorting functions.
Vishnu, another researcher working on robotics, explains that the system uses a “machine learning algorithm to take a picture of it, identify the shapes within the picture, and then set those as positions for it to come pick up and do stuff with.”
This level of precision requires meticulous calibration to ensure the robots function correctly. Because some colors naturally lack contrast in a factory setting, the team has to adapt the materials for the robot’s optical sensors. “We cover them with white so it has higher contrast; it’s easier for the robot to see,” Paul explains, highlighting the real-world troubleshooting required to make automation seamless.
Enhancing Safety Without Replacing the Artisan
A common misconception surrounding industrial automation is the fear of human obsolescence. However, the core philosophy demonstrated in these technical workshops is that robotics are implemented to enhance human capability, not replace it. Introducing a robotic arm to a blistering induction furnace has an incredibly straightforward benefit: operator safety.
A metal cylinder handled by a robotic arm and stamped with the METAL logo.
By delegating the most dangerous and physically demanding steps to machines, human workers are shielded from extreme temperatures, hazardous fumes, and repetitive motion injuries.
Paul perfectly summarized this ethos when discussing the robotic programming: “The idea is not to take the job from a human but to give a human greater control and safety over the process.” Consequently, the human element shifts from brute force to high-level process management. An operator working alongside a robotic arm is making critical decisions, controlling parameters via a tablet, and ensuring stringent quality control. The artisan’s deep knowledge of metallurgy is more critical than ever; the robot simply serves as a highly advanced tool that executes the artisan’s commands with unwavering consistency.
Training the Next Generation of Innovators
Ultimately, the inclusion of robotics in metal bootcamps serves as a critical bridge for the future workforce. Engaging with these technologies early on demystifies the programming, calibration, and maintenance of industrial machines. When students and participants adjust a time parameter on a tablet and immediately watch a robotic arm adapt its workflow in real-time, the advanced concepts of smart manufacturing become highly accessible.
The skills honed in these workshops go far beyond basic metalworking or simple casting. Participants leave with a foundational understanding of integrated manufacturing systems, machine learning applications in quality control, and the strict safety protocols required in automated environments. By striking this balance between traditional craftsmanship and next-generation technology, the industry is forging a smarter, safer, and incredibly innovative future.
Check out this episode of Manufacturing Unscripted featuring Mike Kubacki and Elliot Keas with IACMI–The Composites Institute.
Peter Parsons wraps up his two-part conversation with Mike Kubacki and Elliot Keas of IACMI, digging into the perception problem manufacturing still faces with parents and students alike. Elliot and Mike talk through why so many people still picture manufacturing as dangerous and dirty, and how technology and innovation have reshaped what these environments actually look like today. The conversation also covers the different tiers of skill development in a modern facility, why apprenticeships matter for knowledge transfer, and how IACMI is partnering with veterans groups and job boards to connect people directly with industry. Mike and Elliot close things out by sharing their 10-year vision for the program, from expanding westward to building industry confidence in US manufacturing for the long term.
Check out this episode of Industrial Talk featuring Andy Bomberger with METAL and Bomberger Industry Graphics.
Industrial Talk is onsite at Penn State and talking to Andy Bomberger with Penn State University METAL Program about “Hands on manufacturing and foundry experience”.
The Industrial Talk podcast episode with Andy Bomberger describes nearly 29 years in foundry engineering, including work with steel, ceramics, polymers, machining, casting, and roughly 150–200 alloys.
Check out this episode of Industrial Talk featuring Bradley White with Penn State University METAL Program.
Industrial Talk is onsite at Penn State and talking to Bradley White with Penn State University METAL Program about “The Profession of Metallurgy”.
The Industrial Talk podcast episode, sponsored by the Propane Education and Research Council, features a discussion with Bradley White from Penn State’s METAL program. The program, which stands for Metallurgy, Metallurgical Engineering, Trade, Apprenticeship, and Learning, aims to train the next generation of workers in foundry skills. White, with 32 years of industry experience, is helping to establish a foundry lab at Penn State Barron, expected to be operational by 2027-2028. The program, funded by the Department of Defense, is expanding nationwide, with schools like Ohio State, Tennessee, and Purdue joining. The initiative emphasizes hands-on learning and real-world skills to inspire future industrial leaders.
Original source: Manfacturing Dive
A Department of Defense’s multimillion-dollar contract has brought a metal casting competition to the worldwide stage as reality show competition in an effort to spread awareness of the skill trade and inspire a new workforce.
Six teams from schools across the United States will be competing for a $25,000 cash prize on the season one finale of the metal casting reality show, Cast in Steel, airing Thursday on YouTube.
Original source: Modern Casting, August 2026 Issue
Twenty years ago, Adam Scheloske set out to transform Keystone Foundry into a world-class metal manufacturer. Today, METAL is helping fuel that vision — training the foundry’s workforce while preparing the next generation of American metal workers.
Original source: Gear Technology
Many students and job seekers are unfamiliar with the advanced technologies and career opportunities available in metal casting and forging. But thanks to the Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship and Learning (METAL) program, led by the IACMI-The Composites Institute, that is changing. METAL is partnering with universities to showcase the rewarding careers these industries offer. Together, these institutions are hoping to revitalize American manufacturing by delivering responsive, scalable, and sustainable workforce development programs.
Check out this episode of Manufacturing Unscripted featuring Mike Kubacki and Elliot Keas with IACMI, The Composites Institute.
Peter Parsons sits down with Mike Kubacki and Elliot Keas of IACMI, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing and Innovation, to talk about how they’re building the next generation of the manufacturing workforce. Mike directs the METAL program and Elliot directs the ACE program, and together they break down how these initiatives connect academia, industry, and government to close the skills gap in advanced manufacturing.
They dig into the K through 12 outreach efforts getting kids hands-on with sand casting and machining before they ever set foot in a factory, why foundries have declined 40 percent over the past 20 years and what that means for national defense, and the career paths (apprenticeships, boot camps, internships) that can lead to a six figure salary without a four year degree.
Mike and Elliot also share their own winding paths into manufacturing, from wire bonding microelectronics for space and defense projects to leading 600,000 square feet of manufacturing operations. This is part one of a two part conversation. Join us next episode as we continue the discussion with Mike and Elliot.
Check out this episode of Industrial Talk featuring Kayla Konieczny with Erie Bronze and Aluminum.
Industrial Talk is onsite at Penn State and talking to Kayla Konieczny, Sales and Procurement Specialist at Erie Bronze & Aluminum about “Manufacturing careers”.
Scott Mackenzie introduces Elevotec, a company offering ERP, EAM, and business intelligence solutions, and highlights the Industrial Talk Podcast’s focus on industry innovations and professionals. Kayla Konieczny, from Erie Bronze, discusses her career path from the food and car industries to her current role in procurement and manufacturing. She emphasizes the importance of hands-on experience and the challenges of material sourcing, particularly the volatility of prices for metals like tin and aluminum. Kayla also highlights the need for more women in manufacturing due to their attention to detail and organizational skills. The conversation concludes with a call to support programs like Penn State’s METAL program to inspire the next generation of industrial leaders.
The revitalization of American manufacturing relies heavily on bridging the gap between traditional metal trades and cutting-edge engineering.
At the forefront of this movement is a concerted effort to build a highly skilled, tech-savvy industrial workforce.
One of the chief guides of this effort at the University of Tennessee Knoxville is research coordinator and METAL workshop and bootcamp instructor Amy Wheelock. After pausing her engineering career to care for her family, she has become one of UTK METAL’s top trainers and a key part of the university’s efforts to train the next generation.
METAL, led by IACMI – The Composites Institute®, and funded by the Department of War’s Office of Industrial Base Policy, was built to revitalize American manufacturing through hands-on training in casting and forging.
Through K-12 workshops and university bootcamps, METAL introduces students and career seekers to modern metalcasting and forging careers. Participants can complete METAL’s free online training before attending immersive, in-person bootcamps led by professional metallurgists and manufacturing experts like Amy across the country.
For nearly a week, bootcamp participants gain hands-on experience in casting design and pouring processes. The trainees pound sand into molds, learn CAD software, pour molten metal, and machine-finish parts. Participants leave with their own metal creations, foundational metalcasting and forging skills, and a clearer picture of promising careers in aerospace, automotive and defense manufacturing.
Wheelock works closely with IACMI Chief Technology Officer Dr. Uday Vaidya.
UTK’s investment casting program hasn’t been around long.
“For us, this is the beginning of investment casting…we started this program about a year and a half ago,” said Wheelock.
The program’s origins began when university faculty, specifically IACMI Chief Technology Officer Dr. Uday Vaidya, identified the need for a specialized casting program that previously did not exist. Wheelock, a mechanical engineer who was auditing a class, was invited to help get the project off the ground.
“By the end of the semester, he’s [Vaidya] like, ‘You know, we’ve got some projects, I need to start up an investment casting program, would you like to come work for us?'”
Stepping into the role of research coordinator, Wheelock became a key part of the team. The program strategically grew from its initial, small-scale concepts, like jewelry, to processing high-temperature industrial metals. Today, the curriculum involves working with Nordic Gold at 2,000°F and castable 356 aluminum alloys to produce precision-engineering components such as miniature turbine blades. “
“Investment casting is everywhere. It’s in aerospace. It’s in automotive. It’s in defense,” Wheelock said of the prominence of cast parts.
METAL is a key aspect of the UTK investment casting program.
“METAL [the program] is a fundamental part of the investment casting program. We teach both sand and investment casting and machining,” said Wheelock. “Teaching the importance of casting is part of developing the next generation of people that can go into the workforce. We’re having diminishing numbers of people that have any knowledge of metalwork.”
A major focal point of the curriculum is mastering the investment casting process itself. Historically referred to as “lost-wax casting,” this method has evolved significantly in modern foundries. Instead of carving beeswax by hand, students and technicians in the program frequently utilize 3D-printed PLA filaments or wax-based resins to create highly detailed patterns.
These patterns are assembled onto a central sprue, encased in a ceramic slurry, and baked in a burnout oven at extreme temperatures, often for up to 14 hours, to vaporize the original pattern and harden the ceramic. Finally, molten metal is drawn into the mold using advanced vacuum-casting machines. This method eliminates parting lines and achieves exceptional geometric tolerances, producing precision components that require minimal post-process machining. By mastering this technique, students are directly prepared for high-level manufacturing roles in aerospace, automotive, and beyond.
The core mission of the investment casting program is educational outreach. The foundry serves as a dynamic classroom for immersive METAL Bootcamps and workshops. Participants as young as high school age gain hands-on experience with metalcasting and the science behind it.”It’s a great thing when young people are trying to figure out what they want to do, to expose them to a lot of different things,” Wheelock notes. “A lot of people don’t really get exposure to metal casting or metal working, and it may be something that they could find really interesting and make a career out of that they otherwise would have never known existed.”
By teaching the intricate, one-piece mold process of investment casting, the program demonstrates exactly how engineering and materials science intersect. Students learn firsthand how selecting a specific material dictates the manufacturing technique, and how that technique, in turn, alters material properties.
The innovation at UT doesn’t stop with traditional casting. Drawing on advanced machine design principles, the university is bringing advanced automation directly into the foundry and its METAL Bootcamps and workshops.
Some of these machines are already active in the foundry, with the full system expected to be online later this summer.
UTK is integrating new robotics tools into its METAL curriculum.
Stay tuned for an upcoming feature exploring how these robotic assistants are revolutionizing safety and precision on the foundry floor.
The manufacturing sector in the United States is at a critical inflection point, requiring brilliant young minds who are ready to tackle modern challenges with innovative, sustainable solutions.
At just 21 years old, Mhakayla Johnson is already working to make the world a better place. Going into her senior year as a mechanical engineering student at Alabama A&M University, she is conducting research on composite materials that are more sustainable and easier to recycle. While interning this summer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Johnson was encouraged by her mentor, Dr. Haibin Ning, to attend a METAL bootcamp.
Johnson poses with the skillet she made at the UAB Bootcamp
METAL, led by IACMI – The Composites Institute®, and funded by the Department of War’s Office of Industrial Base Policy, was built to revitalize American manufacturing through hands-on training in casting and forging.
Through K-12 workshops and university bootcamps, METAL introduces students and career seekers to modern metalcasting and forging careers. Participants can complete METAL’s free online training before attending immersive, in-person bootcamps led by professional metallurgists and manufacturing experts across the country.
For five days, UAB bootcamp participants gain hands-on experience in sand casting design and pouring processes. The trainees pound sand into molds, learn CAD software, pour molten metal, and machine-finish parts. Participants leave with their own metal creations, foundational metalcasting and forging skills, and a clearer picture of promising careers in aerospace, automotive and defense manufacturing.
At bootcamp, Johnson gained critical, hands-on experience necessary to transition from classroom theory to real-world application.
“I’m just a hands-on kind of person, you know. I like to work with my hands, I like to build and create stuff and improve things,” she says. Her journey highlights the vital importance of experiential learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Engineering a Sustainable Tomorrow
Johnson’s current research, conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Ning through the REU research program, is deeply focused on manufacturing sustainability. She is actively exploring the creation of composites using cellulose and hemp fibers.
“Dr. Ning told me I should step into the metal bootcamp so I can get my hands dirty and add more knowledge to what I already have,” she said of expanding her materials understanding.
Currently, industries ranging from automotive to aerospace rely heavily on materials like carbon fiber. While highly effective, these materials are notoriously difficult to recycle. By researching viable, sustainable alternatives, Johnson is addressing a critical environmental challenge head-on.
“Recyclability and just making our planet a better place [is important],” Johnson explains. “With carbon fibers… it’s very hard to recycle. And that’s why I’m glad I’m doing the research with Dr. Ning so that we can do research on composites and find different materials, better materials than the ones that are already being used.”
Johnson toured the historic Sloss Furnace site with her UAB Bootcamp classmates.
Nurturing a Lifelong Passion for STEM
Johnson’s journey into science was no accident. Her mother, an Alabama A&M physical science professor, nurtured her passion for building and creating from an early age through robotics and STEM camps. “She didn’t just push me into it; she realized what my interests were as a kid and put me on that path,” Johnson stated.
“I was a really hands-on creative type of kid,” she recalls. “I loved to draw, and I was very artistic… I want to be an engineer, I want to build stuff, I want to make stuff.”
In high school, Johnson began welding and looking into different types of engineering, landing ultimately on mechanical.
Despite identifying as a hands-on creator rather than a natural mathematician, her determination allowed her to excel.
“This might sound crazy,” she said, “but I was never the best at math…I understood it, but it took me more to get there. I had to study a little bit harder and just apply myself a little bit more.”
Her story is a powerful testament to the fact that success in engineering requires immense creativity and perseverance just as much as raw calculation.
Strengthening Foundations
Bootcamp participants take turns processing recently cast pieces.
While Johnson’s research focuses on sustainable composites and natural fibers, a foundational understanding of metallurgy is vital for innovations in material science. By participating in the METAL bootcamp, students like Johnson gain a comprehensive view of how traditional metalcasting interacts with modern materials.
One example of this at UAB involved a project to produce composite screws that could be used on offshore oil rigs while maintaining strength similar to steel. Understanding the science behind both metal and non-metal materials proved vital in this pursuit.
Johnson noted the lab at UAB was a great place to “actually see the real-world applications of what I’m learning.”
METAL Bootcamps also dive into sustainability, teaching students about cleaner melting techniques and demonstrating them, as demonstrated by the use of the induction furnaces at the UAB lab.
Inspiring the Next Generation
As she looks toward her senior year and contemplates furthering her education, Johnson offers advice to aspiring young engineers.
“Keep going and pushing towards your dreams,” she advises. “There’s nothing that you want to do that you can’t do… Take heed to your resources and believe in yourself. Stick to the course, your dreams can come true if you put in the work to achieve them.”
