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Vocational Training in Technologies of Numerical Analysis by Finite Elements applied to Cold-Forming processes

Cold forming is an outstanding activity within European mechanical manufacturing sector. Due to the growing globalization of markets and to the necessity of optimizing production and management processes, companies are coming up against the necessity of having at their disposal specialized workers with many abilities. In this context the use of tools as Numerical Analysis by Finite Elements to improve the optimization of the processes is becoming widely used. Consequently the companies are facing up to the necessity of having specialized workers in all these fields.

In the case of the mechanical manufacturing industry, the training of skilled workers in cold forming technologies has taken place within the same companies, through trial and error empirical experience and over many years, which has led to an optimization of these processes. The knowledge gained is transmitted only internally and forms part of each company's know-how.

The centres of European vocational training which are specialized in mechanical manufacturing have hardly developed any formal training offers in this aspect, due in part to the high cost of these technologies and because it is a highly specialized discipline. It calls for practical experience, which exists only in the area of investigation and within companies.

In 2004, a group of 30 companies from the Basque Country requested the Miguel Altuna Institute to put in practice these cold forming training programs at different levels to cover the lack of training offer in cold forming technologies. With the support of these companies and of the Basque Government through Tknika (Centre of Innovation in Vocational Training) a training and service program called MAIATZ was created. Among many other formative actions that are produced from MAIATZ, there is MAIATZ SIMULFORM, a Leonardo Da Vinci European project for transference of innovation.

The general objective of MAIATZ SIMULFORM is to develop a specific training program in Technologies of Numerical Analysis by Finite Elements applied to the optimization of Cold-Forming processes addressed to the Vocational Training in Mechanical Manufacturing.

The MAIATZ SIMULFORM is supported by Leonardo de Vinci / Transfer of Innovation 2008, within the framework of the European Permanent Learning Program.

The MAIATZ SIMULFORM is related to the priority of ''The Development of the abilities of adults in the labour market'', as it as focussed on training workers and future workers in the mechanical manufacturing sector in the type of abilities that will improve their chances of employment in this labour market and their fitness to the demands of future labour environments.