Automotive Machinist

   Winter 2010 Program Outline

Start: Fall (Winter and Spring with instructor permission)

Degrees and Certificates

• Certificate - SCC

Program Website:

www.scc.spokane.edu/?auto

Program Description

The successful completion of the one-year Automotive Machinist Certificate program will enable graduates to enter the workforce as skilled craftsmen. They will possess a thorough understanding of the internal combustion engine and the methods required to remanufacture the complete product. They also will have the knowledge and ability to safely and successfully operate sophisticated machinery. Students learn about materials used in today’s high-tech engines with emphasis on the exacting tolerances necessary for successful operation of the finished engine. They are offered specialized training with intense theory and hands-on performance based objectives. All of the automotive machinist classes are competency-based to maximize the students’ ability to learn the subject matter at their own pace.

A 2.0 grade or better must be maintained in all automotive coursework before advancing to the subsequent quarter. Students not meeting this minimum requirement must repeat the course(s) before progressing.

Program Goals

1. Tear down an engine and identify core parts.
2. Set up an engine block in the cylinder boring fixtures and resize the cylinders to industry standards.
3. Use both vitrified stone and diamond honing technology to finish cylinders to exact tolerances.
4. Set up an engine block, cylinder head, manifold, or flywheel on the re-surfacing machines and regrind or mill as needed.
5. Align bore and line hone the main bearing housings to factory specifications.
6. Set up, regrind, and polish a crankshaft to specified factory undersize.
7. Magnaflux engine parts and determine if they are cracked.
8. Use industry's finest cylinder head equipment including Kwik Way, Sioux, K.I. Petersen and Sunnen.
9. Use the Sunnen Power Hone to recondition connecting rods and fit new piston pins.
10. Precision balance engine assembly using industry’s finest computer aided machinery.
11. Pressure test cylinder heads.
12. Machine disc and drum type brakes.
13. Machine outside, inside, and face using an engine lathe.
14. Set up and regrind camshaft to factory lobe specifications.
15. Use the cylinder head flow bench to test port flow.
16. Remanufacture complete engines and test on a Go-Power dynamometer.
17. Use a computer to understand the design and efficiency of today's camshaft and calculate the maximum stress points acting upon today's modern engine.
18. Use AERA’s “PROSIS” computer program to identify engine specifications and technical information.
19. TIG weld aluminum cylinder heads, blocks and straighten cylinder heads.

Career Opportunities

Automotive Machinists are employed by production engine remanufacturers, custom rebuilders, jobber shops, and auto parts supply houses that have machine shop services for their customers. Employment opportunities will increase in future years due to the number of automobiles being manufactured and repaired. Repair shops, independent and dealerships, are removing and replacing worn engine components and sending these units to machine shops for reconditioning, which is easier and more profitable. The employment outlook for an automotive machinist is excellent. Entry-level salaries range from $8 to $11 per hour, while advanced salaries range from $14 to $18 plus per hour.