I need to justify IMTS trip as "training"

[i_r_machinist]

I am a maintenance machinist at a nuclear power plant, before that I was a ME for a valve company. One of my duties is to reverse engineer obsolete parts using the Faro cmm system, SolidWorks, and Gibbscam. I haven't been to IMTS in 15 years and have decided it is time to go. My current supervisor (f#$%^&* welder) told me "You can't just go to some stupid show, its got to be training!" If I can justify the trip as "training", I think I can swing this.
So.....
thanks in advance
i_r_

 

[Ox]

Well - there are seminars regularly scheduled during the week. You could maybe find one of them that sound ... at least semi reasonable for your app and sign up for that. ???


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I am Ox and I approve this h'yah post!

 

[alphonso]

Don't they have an anti-Dilbert seminar at IMTS? Shirley you can find some seminar there to justify the trip. Maybe a note from your doctor concerning your imminent nervous breakdown.

Just curious, do you look for an unusual glow in the sky on the drive in to work every morning? And stop at Chalk Mountain to double check for not quite right emissions?

 

[i_r_machinist]

I've tried to explain that the entire experience is training. I've registered on the IMTS web site but have not found anything that says "seminar".
still looking
i_r_

 

[i_r_machinist]

Don't they have an anti-Dilbert seminar at IMTS? Shirley you can find some seminar there to justify the trip. Maybe a note from your doctor concerning your imminent nervous breakdown.

Just curious, do you look for an unusual glow in the sky on the drive in to work every morning? And stop at Chalk Mountain to double check for not quite right emissions?

You laugh about that shit, but yes, first thing I look for is if the main steam safety valves are venting!

 

[GMitchell]

The whole experience of attending IMTS is training and research. You have all those vendors, many with new technology, waiting to show you how they can change the way you do things. A new tool, software or any of a hundred other things might make your job better, safer and more productive. Just the QC side of things is a real eye opener to what is available and possible. I know that Sandvik did a technical seminar for carbide in the areospace industry back in 2010. I don't know what will be offered this next show.

As far as seminars, there are ongoing "seminars" at the different booths. I went a few years back and spent a great deal of time with the carbide people. Learned how to apply new technology and new grades to help streamline our processes.

As Gordon said, it may be hard for a man of your experience level to convince your boss that there are new things for you to learn!

 

[i_r_machinist]

I don't think my current supervisor and above have any idea of my experience level. I'm on my 5th supervisor and 4th manager in 12 years.
have fun
i_r_machinist

 

[behindpropellers]

I don't think my current supervisor and above have any idea of my experience level. I'm on my 5th supervisor and 4th manager in 12 years.
have fun
i_r_machinist

Maybe you should try to take their job.

 

[i_r_machinist]

Supervision out here has no personal life. 60+ hour work weeks. Married to a pager. Most have ulcers. I can think of 3 times that supervisors had an ambulance ride due to chest pains. One who was in his 40's died in the parking lot, sitting in his pickup. I've seen one that would break out in skin rashes during outages. My last manager stepped down voluntarily.
Move Up, No Thanks
i_r_

 

[behindpropellers]

Supervision out here has no personal life. 60+ hour work weeks. Married to a pager. Most have ulcers. I can think of 3 times that supervisors had an ambulance ride due to chest pains. One who was in his 40's died in the parking lot, sitting in his pickup. I've seen one that would break out in skin rashes during outages. My last manager stepped down voluntarily.
Move Up, No Thanks
i_r_

Sounds like they need two of them for the job.

 

[Bruce Nelson]

Years ago, I attended IMTS regularly as a seller for Mastercam and Cadkey. I also visited a lot of the booths that had technology which interested me.
I had a Microscribe arm that I purchased for some third party software that Cadkey had. The software turned out to be crap. The good news, it that I visited the Rhinoceros booth, which was demonstrating their software with the Microscribe arm. They gave me a dealers copy of their software, which I ended up installing on my notebook computer. I bought a trigger type control to fire the probe on the Microscribe, and the rest is history. I still use the Microsribe arm and the Rhino software today. It is not as accurate as the Faro arm, only about .005 resolution, but for most reverse engineering, the accuracy is adequate. If you want formal training on this, I am a retired Cad/Cam instructor in the Wisconsin Technical college system with 30 years of teaching experience and a lifetime teaching certificate. I could design training and teach you using Rhino and Microsribe on a one to one basis. I would suggest you to contact Rhinoceros, Microscribe, Faro, Software systems that you are using to ask them about their booths at IMTS. You could probably use their responses to justify your trip. You really need to do some legwork to gather information that supports your request. Good Luck!

P.S. My experience with big employers in Texas is that they tend to be slave drivers. My sympathies to your bosses.

Lord Byron

 

[Barry Weeks]

The few shows I've gone to, I've gone on my own and wasn't paid by my employer. I've gone not knowing why I was going or what I was going to learn about, but when I got back I had a whole list of new things I had learned about that would apply to my work. So I guess if an employer asked me to justify why I was wanting to go, I couldn't, since I don't know what new things I'm going to see. When I got back, I could probably write a whole essay on why it was good that I went, and even show some changes we could make based on that new knowledge.

 

[i_r_machinist]

I guess if an employer asked me to justify why I was wanting to go, I couldn't, since I don't know what new things I'm going to see...

Bingo.
Talked to the engineer (saved his bacon a couple of times) over pumps. He's going to talk to the head of our training dept.
Bruce;
Thanks for the offer, but with the help from this forum, I haven't run in to anything I couldn't get done with the three softwares.
Gordon;
Nuke power is still your best bet. Unless you build one on the ocean, in a earthquake zone.
have fun
i_r_

 

[alphonso]

You laugh about that shit, but yes, first thing I look for is if the main steam safety valves are venting!

Only half jesting. Every time I go that way I do stop at the roadside park and take a good look at the plant and wonder what the hell can I do if it blows up.

 

[annoying]

I don't know a damn thing..... but, could you poke around on government websites to see if you can find anything for tax "write-off", or tax-deductable, I guess? I'd assume that might help you swerve it a bit.

I've tried to explain that the entire experience is training. I've registered on the IMTS web site but have not found anything that says "seminar".
still looking
i_r_

How about the word "Conference". Different bidnesses have them all the time, on bidness hours, with fellow bidness people, might even have a bidness meal (catered or outing) which I believe is tax deductable cause it is about bidness

...........

IMTS 2012 Conference

September 10-14 — West Building, Level 1

IMTS 2012 brings the industry together, under one roof and at one time, to discuss new opportunities. Network with a community of your industry peers and explore fresh ideas to enhance your business. Leave with different perspectives on overcoming day-to-day and long-range challenges.
•Technology explore innovative and revered ideas
•Business examine development, optimization, workforce efficiency and productivity
•Goals focus on short and long-term goals to succeed in a tough economy

 

[adama]

The Nuclear plant up the road from here blew up, well strictly speaking one of its large transformers did. Very very impressive boom! Equally impressive fire. But nothing near as impressive as watching a 100+ caravan park hitch up and go from a busuling site to deserted in 5 minutes flat! They clearly though it was something of a far larger greener nature :-)

I long ago realised the only reason you need to worry is when you see the workers start scurrying! Were British, laying down our lives for honour does not come naturally to these parts! More a case of the poos hitting the fan RUN!!

 

[i_r_machinist]

I'M IN!!!! If I still have the same manager in September! I had a mountain of info, with a liberal helping of bullshit, gathered up and ready for a presentation. Didn't need it.
"I think it's a great idea. Think you could gather some information about replacement machines for the ones we have? They're getting pretty old."

 

[rj newbould]

Good luck with it.. Hope you can make good use of the experience.

 

[coalsmok]

I don't think my current supervisor and above have any idea of my experience level. I'm on my 5th supervisor and 4th manager in 12 years.
have fun
i_r_machinist

You are in good shape, I am on my 5th supervisor and second manager in 4 years.

 

[Black Lab]

So i_r_ is going...who else plans to go to the machine-porn show?

I'M SO THERE!