Case Study: Nash Community College achieves crash‑free 5‑axis machining and faster training with 3D Systems (GibbsCAM Machine Simulation)

They Don't Crash at Nash with GibbsCAM Machine Simulation

Nash Community College in Rocky Mount, NC, confronted the common industry challenge of bringing multi-axis (5-axis) machining into the classroom and local shops: it’s technically different from 3-axis work, prone to costly collisions, and requires significant prove-out time. With strong local employer demand for skilled machinists, the college needed a practical, low-cost way to teach 5-axis programming while eliminating the risks and barriers that keep shops from adopting the technology.

Nash retrofitted a Haas VM-3 with a TR-210 trunnion and used SolidWorks and GibbsCAM to model the machine, fixtures and toolpaths, then ran a two-day seminar demonstrating GibbsCAM machine simulation. Simulation showed moving machine components, logged collisions, and cut prove-out time—preventing crashes and speeding programming—so students gained industry-ready skills and local shops began adding trunnions and GibbsCAM, improving supplier efficiency and delivery.

Nash Community College

Craig Bidwell

Nash Community College