Machining Day attracted more than a hundred high school students, with AI sparking strong interest

How can young people be introduced to technical fields and motivated to study them? The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of West Bohemia provided an opportunity. Over the course of a two day, it presented high school students with the latest engineering technologies.

No dirt and noise, but cutting-edge technology. This year’s Machining Day at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (FST) brought together 106 students and around twenty teachers from seven industrial secondary schools from Pilsen, Klatovy, Domažlice, Sokolov, Strakonice, Příbram, and Kladno. The program combined theoretical knowledge with practical machining demonstrations. The main theme was AI. Together with experts, the students explored how artificial intelligence is shaping the future of engineering.

“We are aware of how important it is to popularize technical disciplines and break down entrenched myths about working in engineering. We strive to bring students closer to real-world practice and show them that today’s engineering is a perspective field with strong career potential. At the same time, we want to emphasize that it is no longer a stereotypical and polluted environment, but a modern industry that relies heavily on digitalization and artificial intelligence,” said Martin Horváth from ISCAR, which has been organizing Machining Day for the fourth year together with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at UWB and the company SolidVision.

Right at the beginning, Luboš Kroft, the main faculty organizer, explained to the students why studying engineering disciplines makes sense and what career opportunities await graduates. Company representatives then demonstrated how integrating elements of artificial intelligence into machining results in faster, more accurate tool selection, time and cost savings, and increased productivity. Students also learned about the potential of AI in CAD/CAM design and modeling systems, and experts demonstrated how artificial intelligence can simplify the work of technologists, for example, as an assistant in creating machining operations. Jiří Hruška, a student of the faculty, introduced the Skills Czech Republic competition in CNC milling, which opens the door for top competitors to the European championship.

At the faculty’s research center, the Regional Technological Institute, participants in the event could observe live machining demonstrations with modern tools and try working with a 3D scanner. “At the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, we have long been striving to connect teaching with current trends in industry. Machining Day is one of the ways to show high school students the reality of modern engineering and motivate them to apply to our faculty,” summarized Milan Edl, Vice-Dean of the faculty. According to him, the event once again confirmed that technical fields have much to offer to the new generation, for whom the connection between engineering and artificial intelligence will be natural. The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at UWB then offers them the opportunity to further develop in this field and become experts for the 21st-century industry.