SolidWorks partners with FMAF to support manufacturing camps, student scholarships

SolidWorks® Corp., Concord, Mass., a supplier of 3-D CAD technology, is partnering with the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Foundation (FMAF), Rockford, Ill., to support summer manufacturing camps and student scholarships that promote careers in manufacturing.

"This national sponsorship with SolidWorks will have a major impact on every child who attends one of our manufacturing camps or receives a student scholarship, and we are thrilled to have their support," said Terrence Egan, director of the FMAF.

SolidWorks donated 150 day-limited licenses of its Student Design Kit CAD software to 750 students and teachers involved in 26 manufacturing camps. FMAF and the Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Foundation (NBTF), Westlake Village, Calif., partner annually to support not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions across the country that offer overnight or day camp experiences that introduce young people 12 to 16 years old to manufacturing and engineering.

The Student Design Kit is a Windows®-based 3-D application that allows students to create designs they can manipulate. The kit, which is designed to be easy to learn, includes an interactive tutorial and online help menus and references to help users learn how to use SolidWorks software for applications such as sheet metal products and weldments. SolidWorks also will provide the full licensed version of its software program to every FMAF student scholarship winner and contribute money to help underwrite a portion of up to 32 scholarships.

The FMAF scholarships are awarded annually to college- or trade school-bound high school seniors seeking careers in manufacturing. The FMAF expects to award more than a dozen scholarships this year.