ACR receives equipment grant
by Mary Barrera, SE News Editor

  Students of the South Campus air conditioning and refrigeration program will learn valuable skills on new equipment furnished by a grant this summer, Jeff Rector, ACR instructor, said.
   The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, a consortium of insulation manufacturers, endowed the TCC program with approximately $12,000 in machinery and tools.
   Insulation industry professionals oriented faculty to the equipment through a train-the-trainers program.
   According to the NAIMA Web site, the program is designed to train individuals who are responsible for training ACR students in the proper application and installation of fiberglass duct board systems.
   "L.T. Aylor and Ron Sandman, both Knauf representatives, did the training to fully incorporate us into the program," Rector said.
   The goal is to have fiberglass duct construction become one of the basic building blocks for completion of the typical HVAC technician course, according to NAIMA.
   A new insulation-cutting machine is used to cut duct insulation boards into strips, which are then used to form duct insulation.
   The large machine now takes up a good part of the shop, which the program is steadily outgrowing, Rector said.
   "TCC is building us a small building to do training and to build installations, which is a big deal considering the budget cuts," he said.
   NAIMA also provided hand-tool sets and a supply of duct board that will be replenished as needed. The duct board used for the train-the-trainers program costs about $600, Rector said.
   This program has been established at Lee College in Baytown, as well as colleges in Arkansas and Florida.