Apprentices from around the country qualify for a national competition by finishing first in the regional chapter competition. A different fourth-year apprentice from the Cleveland Chapter NTMA / Cuyahoga Community College Machine Trades Apprenticeship program has placed at the national level 18 times over the past 20 years.
This year's first-place winner, David Apger, will compete with nearly 30 NTMA regional champions from across the country to determine the "best of the best" in an intense two-day contest involving projects in manual lathe, manual mill, CNC, precision grinding, and a comprehensive written exam. The 2007 national competition will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in May. The Cleveland Chapter NTMA and Cuyahoga Community College will host the 2008 national event at Tri-C.
Charmilles/Mikron donates a grand prize to the company sponsoring the first-place winner. The winning company receives their choice of a Charmilles Technologies FM20ZNC EDM or an EDM small hole driller, each valued at $35,000, or a 50 percent discount off the price of most other models with a retail value up to $200,000. Individual winners of the national contest receive participation plaques, trophies, certificates and a variety of measuring instruments and hand tools, as well as a wooden tool chest from H. Gerstner & Sons, and a copy of the latest edition of the Machinery's Handbook published by Industrial Press Inc.
NTMA member companies design and manufacture tools, dies, fixtures, molds, special machines, and precision machined components. The NTMA represents more than 1,750 members in the US Precision Custom Manufacturing industry and includes 50 chapters throughout the United States.
