Tom Dorman, Methods Machine Tools
“Robots are kind of my thing”
Tom Dorman is in his second year interning for a local company – Methods Machine Tools Inc. in Sudbury.
“I work for the automation department, so we import robots and design and build automation to suit the needs of our customers,” Dorman said. “Robots are kind of my thing.”
Dorman said he first got the internship while studying at the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. He went to a Meet the Manufacturers event and ended up telling a manager from Methods about a robotics project he did in high school.
“He got super excited and wanted to take me on right then and there,” Dorman said.
At Methods, Dorman learned to install CNC equipment for customers and then moved on to building automation cells. He’s now finishing his degree at QCC, and the company has already offered him a full-time job after graduation.
Tom Dorman
Design co-op/design intern,
Methods Machine Tools Inc., Sudbury
Lives: Townsend
Makes: Machine tool distributor
Career aspirations: To start a robotic
design firm
Pay: $17/hour
“The best advice I can give is just to jump right in and just get your hands on the technology,” he said. “I got involved with all the projects that I could and at this point I’m managing three major automation cells.”
Dorman said doing hands-on work together with experienced employees is a great way to advance in an industry like manufacturing.
“You figure it out as you go,” he said. “That’s the beauty of an internship. You can ask as many questions as you want.”
