MAKER
“I really enjoy my work because it has a very large impact on the quality of life of all those around me.”
Sam Greenbank
MEET SAM
-
Hometown
Norton, Ohio. I moved to Connecticut when I got married since my wife was finishing grad school here.
-
Position
Manufacturing Applications Engineer
-
Employer
Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, East Hartford, CT
Q&A
What do you do?
I help answer the question of how you make something. There are many different ways a design can be made, and each of them has strengths and weaknesses. Many different factors like quantity, quality, price, manufacturing time, material, and labor need to be balanced and considered.
Companies come to me to help them solve the problems of how to turn a design into a physical product or part.
How do you find meaning in it?
I really enjoy my work because it has a very large impact on the quality of life of all those around me. I help ensure that people can get things that work at an affordable price. I also help bring the ideas of inventors and designers to life.
What led you to a career in manufacturing?
I have always been interested in how things are made. I was always taking things apart to see how they worked. I was always making things as a kid. As I got older, I realized that I liked the process of making something more than the thing itself, and helping to decide how to make the things is best of all.
Do you have any advice for people thinking about a manufacturing career?
Look around and think about how everyday objects might be made. The world of manufacturing is much larger and broader than anybody realizes. Explore the things that interest you, and ask questions. Find someone in an area of manufacturing that interests you and ask questions. Most of us love to find people who are interested in what we do and will do our best to help you in a manufacturing career.
Do you have any strong interests or passions outside of work?
I like to make knives, read books, and play video games related to manufacturing.