Front Range Community College

LASER-TEC is the Center for Laser and Fiber Optics Education, founded in 2013 by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and headquartered at Indian River State College in Florida. It was established to help meet the goals of educating and sourcing domestic talent in the areas of optics and photonics. As a service to students, recent graduates, and prospective employers, Photonics Spectra runs a profile of one of the LASER-TEC colleges each month.

Front Range Community College (FRCC) offers both a one-semester and one-year certificate program that stack into a two-year associate of applied science (AAS) degree program in Optics & Laser Technology. These certificate and degree programs were developed with the support of the Colorado Photonics Industry Association (CPIA), the American Center for Optics Manufacturing (AmeriCOM), and an industry advisory board that enables a photonics workforce ecosystem for growth in lab equipment, curriculum, and outreach initiatives. FRCC students in this ecosystem are able to network with relevant employers including Excelitas Technologies, Meadowlark Optics, Thorlabs, and others.

Program

FRCC’s program is designed for students who want to complete a certificate or degree pathway and enter the workforce. Students are prepared for entry-level positions in optics fabrication and assembly, focusing on laboratory safety including cleanroom environments and test equipment, quality assurance standards, and manual and computer numerical control (CNC) fabrication. Students explore the production processes of precision optics used in cameras, projectors, eyewear, microscopes, telescopes, appliances, and binoculars. Students will learn about optical engineering drawings/prints, lean manufacturing, statistical process control, geometric dimensioning, and tolerancing for optics, focusing on the unique metrology practices and tool sets within each. The program will prepare students for laser and photonics technician positions with increased electronics, laser, and system-level skill development including advanced topics, such as fiber optics, along with additional writing and mathematics courses — all culminating in a work-based internship or problem-based capstone project.

Graduates of FRCC’s degree and certificate programs have the skills to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the nature and properties of light and lasers using basic geometrical and physical optics.

• Demonstrate safe and proper handling and operation of laboratory, optics fabrication, and test equipment.

• Use tools and techniques to measure optical parameters and systems, and collect, organize, and interpret data to draw proper conclusions.

• Define the documentation of design intent using prints and the interpretation of tolerancing symbols.
• Understand, build, and learn about electrical and electronic instrumentation as it applies to optical and photonic systems.

• Define and demonstrate optics manufacturing, fabrication, quality testing, and troubleshooting techniques.

• Explain how efficient manufacturing processes affect optics manufacturing.

• Apply written and verbal communication skills to effectively execute work instructions and report information.

• Demonstrate optical alignment, building, and testing of optical systems.

• Understand and practice safe use of light sources, including lasers.

How to recruit from this college

Send job postings to the contact information below. If possible, visit FRCC to present your company and employment opportunities to our students. A private room to interview interested students will be provided. Please see the contact information to schedule a recruiting visit. Graduates are available every December and May.

Contact information
FRCC Center for Integrated Manufacturing
+1 303-678-3790
FRCCMfg@frontrange.edu
1351 S. Sunset St.
Longmont, CO 80501
Program website
www.frontrange.edu/optics

Students in the Front Range Community College (FRCC) Optics & Laser Technology program train with Dave Mohring from OptiPro on a computer numerical control (CNC) optics generator.