Give ’em a hand
Students starting the fall semester in the woodworking technology program at Fox Valley Technical College will be greeted by a new piece of equipment when they enter the woodworking lab.
The sliding table saw has state-of-the-art features to process wooden components with high-level precision and comes with a hand safety assistance system powered by artificial intelligence.
“The system uses something similar to a traffic light display as a visual to help students understand when their hands are in a potentially dangerous proximity to the blade,” explains Glenn Koerner, FVTC woodworking technology instructor. “If your hand gets too close to the blade, the system will retract the blade and shut down within milliseconds.”
Developed by Altendorf Group, a wood-processing machinery maker based in Germany, the HAND GUARD hand safety system collects more than half a million pictures and references from real hands, tattooed hands, hands with amputated fingers, hands with different pigmentation and more. It then uses artificial intelligence to form a virtual “super hand.” When a saw operator’s hand is captured by one of two cameras projecting down on the tabletop, the hand is matched against the AI-created “super hand” and the system reacts accordingly.
“When students begin, the overhead cameras identify the operator’s hands, and the visual display on the blade guard will start with a green light,” Koerner explains. “Anytime while in operation, if a hand starts approaching dangerous proximity to the blade, the blade guard will change colors. If a hand moves rapidly toward the blade or gets too close, the display turns from orange to red and within a split second the blade drops and the system shuts down.”
While the safety feature is an asset in the learning lab, Department Chair Mark Lorge stresses students will still be taught about safety and not to rely solely on technology to tell them when they’re in trouble.
“We do enough with our instruction to make sure students know this feature might not be something they have in the workplace,” Lorge says. “Students still have to learn how to operate equipment safely, but when you have someone coming in with no experience, this is a great protection for them until they get that experience.”
— Fox Valley Technical College
Grant boosts Green Bay airport, Chilton maker
Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport will use a $2 million federal grant to purchase two new pieces of airfield snow removal equipment from Chilton manufacturer M-B Companies. The funding is one of 320 grants being made across the U.S. by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program. GRB will purchase two multi‐function airfield snow removal trucks from M-B; delivery is expected in September 2025, in time for the winter season.
Keep on rockin’
For the second year in a row, the heavy metal band Metallica is providing $50,000 in scholarships to support students at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. Through the Metallica Scholars Initiative, NWTC students with qualifying financial need will receive up to $1,000 toward programs in high-demand sectors of manufacturing and other fields. “Being named a Metallica Scholar means additional financial support for our students,” NWTC President Kristen Raney said. “It’s also a testament to our shared commitment to build a thriving workforce in high-wage, high-demand career fields.”
‘Where craft beer begins’
This summer, Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels officially proclaimed his city as the Specialty Malt Capital of the World. Manitowoc’s Briess Malt & Ingredients has the highest volume of specialty malt of any malting company in the world, the proclamation states, supplying craft beer makers across the U.S., as well as in 25 other countries. “You’re really seeing the recognition and celebration of our great city,” Briess Malt & Ingredients CEO Craig Briess said, “as the place where American craft beer begins.”
