Penn College

Jun 8, 2023

The stars and stripes of the American flag, framed by the contours of The Keystone State, have been rendered in welded aluminum by Pennsylvania College of Technology students and faculty as a token for the people of the 9th Congressional District.

The flag was designed in a Basic CNC Programming class taught by Michael R. Allen, instructor/department head of welding, and transported to Washington, D.C., for display in the district office — currently served by U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser.

“This flag was made from 1/8-inch and 3/8-inch 3000-series aluminum. The students then cut it out on the (computerized numerical control) machine and polished it with a sanding disk on a drill and a grinder,” Allen said. “Once the pieces were polished, the students used the (gas tungsten arc) process to weld the 1/8-inch and 3/8 -inch materials together. Students from our machining department laser-engraved the nameplate, and we fastened it to the border/frame.”

The impressive result was delivered to the congressional office by Patrick Marty, Penn College’s chief government and international relations officer, while he was in the nation’s capital for the 75th annual NAFSA: Association of International Educators conference and expo in late May.

Marty explained to the congressman and his staff that it was fashioned from material similar to that used for The Living Chapel — designed by Penn State, built by Penn College students and faculty, and installed in the Botanical Garden of Rome.

For more about welding and machining majors in the college’s School of Engineering Technologies, visit www.pct.edu/et or call 570-327-4520. The college is a national leader in applied technology education and a special mission affiliate of Penn State. For more information, visit www.pct.edu, email [email protected] or call toll-free at 800-367-9222.

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