The weeklong event is expected to draw more than 16,000 participants including students, teachers, and business partners. The event is designed to help prepare students for the workforce.

Participants will be graded by CGTech in two categories: CNC Milling and CNC Lathe machine operations. Each category will be evaluated to measure the contestant’s level of understanding and preparation of CNC programming. The contest assesses real world scenarios such as writing CNC programs, interpreting prints, and measuring/gaging parts. Participants will also demonstrate theoretical knowledge of CNC machine configuration, setup, and operations.

“This is a great opportunity for students to see where their skill level is compared to their peers,” said Steve Arteman, CGTech Technical Support Engineer. “VERICUT software will be used to evaluate the accuracy of the participant’s NC programs created, while ensuring their programs run without violating safety standards or damaging machines. After each student’s NC program has been simulated, the virtual workpiece will be compared to the original design model to check for accuracy”

CGTech’s VERICUT machine simulation software detects collisions and near-misses between all machine tool components such as: axis slides, heads, turrets, rotary tables, spindles, tool changers, fixtures, workpieces, cutting tools, and other user-defined objects.