Future Mechanical Engineering Graduates Tour MicroStep’s Cutting-Edge Technologies

Over the last two weeks of April, MicroStep welcomed a group of Slovak and international students from the Institute of Manufacturing Engineering and Quality at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (SjF STU) in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Once again this year, MicroStep continued its tradition of hosting field trips and open house events for students from technical high schools and universities. These events are held regularly – once, twice, or even more times each year. As a company born from academia and with long-standing active collaborations and joint projects with the academic community, we naturally provide opportunities for students of technical disciplines to engage in real-world projects. This allows them to participate in the development of state-of-the-art cutting centers, automation solutions, and robotic applications. We also actively support the dual education system, offering vocational school students internships at our production facilities in Slovakia, and we help facilitate exchange programs with partner schools across the region.

Field Trip from the Institute of Manufacturing Engineering and Quality

In the field of higher education, our primary partners include the Slovak University of Technology (STU) – specifically, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (SjF), the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (FEI) in Bratislava, and the Faculty of Materials Science and Technology (MTF) in Trnava – as well as Comenius University's Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics (MATFYZ), and the Technical University of Košice (TUKE).

Our cooperation includes support for both diploma and postgraduate projects, along with organizing guided tours of MicroStep's R&D laboratories and production facilities for students from various electrical, mechanical, and technology programs.

This time, students from the Institute of Manufacturing Engineering and Quality at STU’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering visited us in two groups. In the second half of April, their field trip began at MicroStep’s production plant in the central-western Slovak town of Partizánske and concluded at the company’s R&D headquarters in Bratislava.

Tour of the MicroStep Plant in Partizánske, Slovakia

The visit to the Partizánske plant included a walkthrough of the mechanical production process – from raw material intake and production line operations at various workplaces to final painting and coating. Students saw CNC cutting and drilling of parts on MicroStep machines (naturally!), as well as laser and robotic welding, machining of frames and machine rails on a horizontal milling machine, bending on a MicroStep MSBend press brake, and milling of soft materials such as aluminum and plastics on MicroMill routers.

An even more exciting part of the field trip was the tour of the assembly halls, where control systems and technologies are integrated into the manufactured mechanical components. The future engineers had the chance to see – and even physically inspect – MicroStep products in their final stage of production, just before shipment to customers across the globe, from Central Europe and Germany to the Middle East and Australia. The machines on display covered a wide spectrum: a 12 x 3 m laser cutting machine with an automatic pallet changer, bevel head, and a powerful 20 kW laser source; a large-format 28 x 3 m laser machine with a moving cabin around the gantry; multiple oxy-fuel cutting systems with widths up to 5 meters and several torches; and a 60+ meter long machine equipped with plasma and gas torches and newly developed sorting manipulators – recent additions to MicroStep’s product portfolio.

Visit to MicroStep Headquarters with International Students

One week later, the group visited MicroStep’s Administrative and R&D Center in Bratislava’s suburbs, this time with an even larger group – nearly two dozen participants. Among them were 10 international master’s students from outside the EU, studying at STU’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

In addition to a theoretical introduction – including a presentation on the company’s operations, product portfolio, and highlights from notable projects delivered to customers in over 60 countries – students, divided into two groups, toured MicroStep’s mechatronics laboratory and development halls featuring more than ten CNC cutting machines of various types. They observed live demonstrations of fiber laser cutting, plasma cutting, bevel cutting, drilling, and tapping, and also saw systems for cutting and drilling open profiles, dome cutting, milling, laser cutting of tubes, and even robotic plasma cutting of beams.

Supporting the Next Generation of Engineers

At MicroStep, we are deeply committed to supporting the quality of technical education in Slovakia. Through field trips, technology demonstrations, and student lectures, we aim to contribute to the professional development of future engineers. We also welcome the opportunity to inspire student interest in working with MicroStep – whether during their studies or as a career path after graduation.

To all participating students, we wish great success in their studies and future careers in manufacturing and engineering!