Computer Aided Drafting and Design
Drafters prepare technical drawings and plans used by production and construction workers to build everything from manufactured products, such as toys, toasters, industrial machinery, and spacecraft, to structures, such as houses, office buildings, and oil and gas pipelines. Their drawings provide visual guidelines, show the technical details of the products and structures, and specify dimensions, materials, and procedures.
Drafters fill in technical details, using drawings, rough sketches, specifications, codes, and calculations previously made by engineers, surveyors, architects, or scientists. For example, they use their knowledge of standardized building techniques to draw in the details of a structure. Some drafters use their knowledge of engineering and manufacturing theory and standards to draw the parts of a machine in order to determine design elements, such as the numbers and kinds of fasteners needed to assemble the machine. Drafters use technical handbooks, tables, calculators, and computers to complete their work.
Program Summary
The program uses such CAD programs as Mechanical Desktop, Auto cad Solid works for all our 2-D and 3-D applications. Mechanical Desktop and Solis Works are both powerful 3-D solid modeling programs. These programs are industry standard.
Career Opportunities:
Entry-level Computer Aided Design operator in the engineering areas of:
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Civil
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Architectural
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Mechanical
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Electrical
Senior Co-op programs:
We encourage partnerships between the school and post secondary schools through the tech prep curriculum for co-op positions for qualified seniors. Seniors can, when available, serve either a Co-op or internship as part of their senior year Curriculum. Students are placed in area offices where they work as a member of the office staff. Many of these positions are paid internships.
Memberships in skills USA/VICA
Students are eligible to become members of skills USA/VICA, where they compete with other vocational in their respective trade.