A company having ten CNC machines that is working three shifts will need but
one or two CNC programmers and setup people. But if working machines with one
operator per machine per shift, they will need thirty operators! It is getting
more and more difficult to find and hire qualified CNC operators.
Unfortunately, most companies are forced to hire operators with little or no
CNC experience - and train them on the job. Because of the sheer number of CNC
operators required in most companies - and because new people must be trained
as people leave for greener pastures - operator training is an on-going
training need.
Most companies simply don't have the resources needed to develop and
implement their own CNC operator training courses. So they leave newcomers to
figure things out on their own. People with good CNC aptitude and motivation
may be able to survive in this situation, but may become frustrated. People
without CNC aptitude will fail miserably.
In this course, we present what it takes to be a CNC machining center
operator from the ground up. We do assume students possess some basic skills
like the ability to perform simple arithmetic calculations, ability to read a
blueprint, ability to interpret tolerances, and ability to use the gauging
tools your company uses. (We can teach these subjects, but course time must be
expanded.) We assume nothing about their current CNC knowledge.
We present material as it relates to two-axis slant bed turning centers
(though we can address any form of CNC turning center). Specific techniques are
given for the most popular control in the industry, the Fanuc control.
Depending on class size and machine availability, practice can be done on
your own machine tools. However, we commonly find that a machine shop makes a
very poor learning environment (noisy, distracting, tight quarters, etc.). For
this reason, we prefer that training takes place in a classroom environment.
We use our proven key concepts
approach to stress the reasons why things are done as importantly as how
their done. While many of the key concepts are programming-related, there are
many important principles of machine operation that require a limited
understanding of how the machine interprets a program.
General:
Course name: Turning Center Operation
Machine types: Primarily two axis turning centers (but we can
address any turning center type)
Prerequisites: Knowledge of: blueprint reading, tolerance
interpretation, basic arithmetic, gauge reading, and the hand tools your
company uses
