Description:

The "Digital Manufacturing" program includes five lessons - "Practical Project Management", "2D Computer Aided Design", "3D Computer Aided Design", "Printed Circuit Board Assembly" and "Equipment Demonstrations". During the lessons, the students got hands-on experience with various digital manufacturing equipment, such as a small CNC milling machine, laser cutter and vacuum forming machine, learned digital design in programs such as Tinkercad and Inkscape, and learned soldering skills. It is the practical operation that has been the main emphasis in the implementation of the program. Promoting young people's ability to use digital production equipment will broaden horizons, showing that choosing a career in STEM fields is a sustainable choice, taking into account the trends in the world and the demand for specialists both in Latvia and Europe. An important aspect that the program addresses is the fact that the design stage determines for 80% of the life cycle of a product and the design stage is vital to ensure product viability.