2019 grant recipients were selected from a record pool of 170 applicants representing high schools, vocational schools, and colleges from throughout the United States and Canada. This year, in response to increased need, Hypertherm expanded the number of grants from 10 to 12. Each of the 12 winning schools will receive a Hypertherm Powermax45 XP plasma system, Hypertherm’s AWS SENSE approved “Plasma Cutting Technology: Theory and Practice” curriculum kit, and in-person training from a Hypertherm industrial cutting expert. 2019 recipients are as follows.
- Bristow High School - Bristow, OK
- Dickinson High School - Dickinson, TX
- Dover Bay Secondary School - Nanaimo, BC
- Eldon Career Center - Eldon, MO
- Granville Central High School - Stem, NC
- Harris County High School - Hamilton, GA
- Hinds Career Center - Elwood, IN
- Mason High School - Okemah, OK
- Morgan County Career & Technical Center - Wartburg, TN
- Northmor High School - Galion, OH
- OKAW Area Vocational Center - Vandalia, IL
- Weld Like A Girl - Yuma, AZ
“Increasing enrollment coupled with budget cuts mean schools are tasked with teaching greater numbers of students with fewer tools,” said Betsy Van Duyne, who manages Hypertherm’s educational program. “Many schools have no plasma systems at all, and many others are using systems that are 15 to 20 years old and in very bad shape. We believe the versatility of our Powermax45 XP makes it a perfect choice for schools allowing students to cut, gouge, and mark with either a hand or a machine torch.
Hypertherm also supports schools by offering educational discounts to teachers and students, and by making its plasma curriculum available for free download. To date, teachers from more than 2,100 schools have acquired the lesson plans helping standardize the teaching of plasma cutting to thousands of students. Hypertherm also offers its ProNest for Education program which places its ProNest CAD/CAM nesting software in schools. Since launching that program three years ago, Hypertherm has donated 52 ProNest packages valued at $145,000.
Hypertherm designs and manufactures industrial cutting products for use in a variety of industries such as shipbuilding, manufacturing, and automotive repair. Its product line includes cutting systems, in addition to CNC motion and height controls, CAM nesting software, robotic software and consumables. Hypertherm systems are trusted for performance and reliability that result in increased productivity and profitability for hundreds of thousands of businesses. The New Hampshire based company’s reputation for cutting innovation dates back 50 years to 1968, with Hypertherm’s invention of water injection plasma cutting. The 100 percent associate owned company, consistently named a best place to work, has more than 1,400 associates along with operations and partner representation worldwide. Learn more at www.hypertherm.com.
