THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, JOKIN BILDARRATZ, VISITS THE MACHINE-TOOL SECTOR

The Regional Minister of Education, Jokin Bildarratz, accompanied by the Deputy Regional Minister of Vocational Education, Jorge Arévalo, visited the facilities of the company BERKOA MACHINE TOOLS, where the manufacture of the 13 IKASMAK machines acquired by the Department of Education through the Deputy Regional Ministry of Vocational Education to equip the Integrated Vocational Education Centers of the Basque Country is being completed.

The IKASMAK machines have been designed jointly by the Integrated Vocational Education Center IMH and Berkoa. While the Integrated Vocational Education Center IMH has worked on the didactic specifications of the machines, Berkoa has been in charge of the whole industrialization process. Fagor Automation has also played a decisive role in the control, feedback, electronics and motorization of the machine.

The uniqueness of IKASMAK is that it is a machine that combines the characteristics of several machines that can be found in an advanced manufacturing educational environment in a single machine. Specifically, IKASMAK operates in manual format like a manual lathe and milling machine, and in automatic format like a CNC lathe or milling machine. These features also make it a multifunction mill-turn machine. The machine is designed in a modular fashion so that a variety of additional capabilities can be incorporated, and is intended for use in equipment assembly training processes.

With the right training modules, the equipment can be used to accelerate the training of trainees, teaching from basic machining processes to combined computer-controlled processes.

BERKOA MACHINE TOOLS is a Basque cooperative dedicated mainly to the manufacture of special and transfer machine tools and friction welding machines, offering specific solutions for the automotive, aeronautical, agricultural machinery and capital goods sectors.

Jokin Bildarratz, has also visited the IMH of Elgoibar, Campus of Advanced and Digital Manufacturing. There he was able to visit the new Design space equipped by the Department of Education, the didactic manufacturing workshop, the Additive Village (the largest didactic installation with industrial equipment in Additive Manufacturing in Spain), and the Innovation Area (industrial workshop for advanced manufacturing and digital manufacturing).

The IMH Campus is made up of the IMH Integrated Vocational Education Center, belonging to the Basque Government's Department of Education, and the IMH University School of Dual Engineering, a center attached to the UPV/EHU.

The integrated center offers intermediate and advanced training cycles in the manufacturing and industrial maintenance families, as well as different specializations. From the university side, a University Degree in Engineering, a University Master's Degree in Digital Manufacturing and a university specialization are taught. IMH Campus is a pioneer in the DUAL methodology in both vocational and university training.

IMH Campus is an educational center specialized in advanced and digital manufacturing, which works in a network with local and international strategic alliances, and offers, on the one hand, high value training for people, through Vocational Education, university training and continuing education and training for employment and, on the other hand, services for companies through technological innovation projects.

IMH Campus focuses its activity on 3 strategic technological areas in the world of manufacturing: Advanced Manufacturing in Machining, Digital Manufacturing and Additive Manufacturing.

Throughout the visit, the Minister and the Deputy Minister were accompanied by the Mayoress of Elgoibar, Ane Beitia, the President of AFM Cluster and General Manager of Fagor Automation, José Pérez Berdud, the Vice-President of AFM Cluster and General Manager of Loire Gestamp, César Garbalena, the General Manager of Berkoa Andoni García Abad, the General Manager of AFM Cluster and President of IMH Campus, Xabier Ortueta, the General Manager of IMH Campus, Ixaka Egurbide, and the Director of the IMH Integrated Vocational Education Center, Alaitz Bastida.