I started out as a cnc operator/trainee. Did that for about 6 years, and have been programming cnc's full time for the last 7 years. Just wondering who else on cnczone works in manufacturing.
Printable View
I started out as a cnc operator/trainee. Did that for about 6 years, and have been programming cnc's full time for the last 7 years. Just wondering who else on cnczone works in manufacturing.
Been in the trade since 1975. Started on the burr bench. Started programming about 10 years ago. Been a full time programmer using MasterCam for last 7 years
15 years machining 5years programming one yearmanufacturing technician
6 years in shipping/recieving.
5 years of set up, and operating. I also handled all tools for the shop, ordering, organizing, and stocking.
It was real nice always haveing the exact tool I wanted for the job.
3 of those years I was the assistant programer.
I am currently the inspector.
I still program every now and then, maybe two or three times a week.
Mostly I inspect and make the process sheets to go along with our jobs.
took machining in HS since i was 16, made stuff for freinds in garage (Hotrods!) for about 10yrs, became auto mechanic 10yrs, then machinist/cnc operator for 2years, opened business its been about 7 years and now have lots of toys (10 machines!). ITs been a rollercoaster ride though! We are currently going up hill :D waiting for the next down turn saving our penny's.
wouldn't trade it for anything!
worked weekends and summers sweepin chips n drilling holes at age 12 in my fathers shop quit school at gr 10 and worked at the shop conventional machining and taking the crap load for the shop machinists and welders.went out west and took on a shop foreman job at a fab shop machining came home and managed his shop for three years or so then bought it and have had it for 3 yrs now and still machining i love the job. I just bought my first cnc mill last week and this is how i found this site i think its great to share help and learn thanks a lot
I do all 3. Wouldn't accept anything else ! In our shop most operators don't
1 year at the machine shop, a few years in my own shop. I am the only one there who knows how to run cam programs :eek:
other than that its a sweet shop.
Jon
Hi Guys
I started as an fitter and turner on a 4 year Apprentiship. 2nd year i was programming c.n.c. lathes. 4 years running them. Then went into production planning for 2 years only (could'nt handle sitting on my butt for that long :D ).
Back out onto the floor as a programmer and planner with 7 c.n.c. lathes and 1 Vertical machining centre. Spent the next 8 years in that postion.
My company them brought out their main compediter and i spent 1 year getting their machines up to speed, before they brought them over to our main factory and sold off the old one. Stayed for another year and then left to the place where i are currently working.
I now run a Okuma MB56va machining centre, Fanuc wire cutter and Surface grinder and have got back onto the tools. Small toolroom in a company that has started to make their own press tools. Got out of the production side of things and now know i should of done it years ago.
Now programme with Mastercam and love it. ;)
Cheers Darren
My machining career started 20 years ago on conventional mills & lathes and I still machine with the same Tree tool & die mill and Cadillac engine lathe. I started programming, setting up and running CNC machines 10 years ago when I started my own shop. In addition to machining and programming I do a lot of cad work. And I'm also the master broom pusher.
Hey darren,
Welcome to the zone!!
Good to see you here.
PEACE :D
Most of my work involves program, setup and running of the cnc. Sometimes i need to design/redesign first then do progamming, setup and running of the cnc. I build my own jigs (i hate other people's jigs & fixtures, LOL!). Then sometimes i have to do project management on the stuff i source out.....
Started out taking Machine Shop in High school and working in a local shop after school running turret lathes.
Went to Northeast Missouri State and got an 2 year certificate in Machine Tool Tech.
and a B.S. in Industrial Occupations.
Started working for an Aerospace Subcontractor in 1985 as a machine operator running 5 axis profilers.
Promoted into the NC Programming department in 1987. Been programming for 5 axis
profilers using N.C.L. ever since.
Started machining as a "wee lil' boy" of about 8 yrs old in the '70s at Grandpa's shop (aerospace and government work). Ran a Cincinatti lathe. Couldn't even load some of the parts since they weighed a little more than half of me (at the time). Have a picture of me (about 9 or 10 yrs old) standing on a Bridgeport table, hunched over with one hand on the draw bar, the other holding on the tool (I was doing a tool/collet change).
Got into die working, switched to CNC (tape readers), programmed lathes, then switched to VMs and HMs around '85 or '86.
Being a military brat (and not one to stay still in one area), I've machined in 3 continents, 6 countries and 4 states...... I still haven't got it all figured out. :rolleyes:
Never will, but, always looking to learn new things,.... There's always a 'better' way to do something 'tomorrow' than the way I did it 'today'.
:cheers: :cheers:
I took every machine shop class I could in High School and started working as a machinist in a family owned business that speciallizes in custom N.D.T. (Non-destructive Testing) systems. Been here for 16 years and now I am the machine shop supervisor, not to mention shop welder, machinery repairman, building maintenance man, among many other things. ;)
We don't have any CNC in the shop yet so I built my own CNC Router just so I could get the experience in programming and operating a CNC type machine. Since I have worked here I have taught myself how to weld, work with AutoCAD, design and all that other good stuff. I find the best way to learn something is to just do it. Never been one for going to school and sitting in a classroom. CNC is just the next challenge I want to learn and be skilled in.
Carl :D
I started out in a mold shop and went through the Tooling and Manufacturing Association's apprenticeship program. I started out on the manual mill and worked up to precision grinding. I had the opportunity to go to a model shop and learn CNC. Now, ten years and a few shops later, I am programming and running CNC machines making high quality prototype models. I have met a lot of CNC programmers and operators and it has been my experience that the ones that have a solid foundation in manual machining are the ones that excel in CNC.
I currently work for a large production shop, making parts for the semiconductor ind,
running the weekend shift, I do setups,run, program, program testout and repair for other programmers, the industry is good paying, but has a wide up and down volume
many or or parts are now going to China
this is my 4th job in 4 years.
would ultimitly like to get into a custom auto/motorcycle manufacturing
I started a tool & die apprenticeship 23 years ago working on manual Bridgeport’s & LeBlond lathes. I then went to school for CNC programming. After graduation, I enrolled in an internship and eventually employment, programming and operating vertical and horizontal machine centers and lathes (Producing mostly missile & military aircraft components). After seven years in the metal working industry, Military budget cuts and downsizing of larger companies had me looking to local production woodworking. I went to work for a production furniture company (1200 employees) as a CNC programmer, sub assembly & fine mill supervisor and eventually production engineer. During which time I was programming for the company’s CNC routers, CNC lathes, and CNC double end tenoners, a CNC twin spindle 5 axis router, and CNC point to point machine. After 16 years of that, I decided to start my own shop working out of my 3-car garage. I’ve been in business for 2-1/2 years, and I’m in the process of moving into to a new 5,000-sq. ft. building I recently purchased. At this point I only own 2 CNC Routers and a CNC Vertical machine center, I’ve also been speaking with my local Mazak dealer about getting a CNC Lathe. I’ll see what kind of deal I can work out. And I can say that “Yes, I do it all”.
I started out on a Warner Swasey 4A turrett lathe 25 years ago. Then took over as an Inertia Welding machine operator.Took a brief 3 year leave, thought I wanted to work in sales, BIG mistake. Came back. Learned to run engine lathes, mills, surface grinder then CNC. Ran production for an oilfield manufacturer for several years, learned programming. I am now a supervisor over the CNC department. We have 9 CNC lathes and 1 CNC mill. It's been a wild ride! I still enjoy the machine work when I get the chance to do some. The supervising pays more but not as much fun.
Started programming in 1974 in N/C equipment with paper tape. Programmed till 1986 and was strictly a manufacturing engineer till 1993. Moved into purchasing. Returned to school and just received my BS in manufacturing engineering technology. I've programmed horizontal lathes, 2-spindle vertical lathes, vertical and horizontal machining centers, punches, combination punch/plasma, 4-head plasma machines. I did lots of manual programming and Compact II computer assist and Equinox. In school I programmed water jet cutter and EDM. Used Mastercam.
I am a third year college student, 2nd year of my mechanical technician toolmaking program and graduate of a 1 yr pre apprenticeship tool and die makers program. im currently an entry level cnc operator, i run lathes most of the time, but i also run the Fadal VMC4020 from time to time. Im goin for my general machinist apprenticeship as soon as i can get my school out of the way so taht i can get my basic and intermediate tradeschool exemptions (already have basic). i did do a fair amount of cad/cam in school, although i do have access to Mastercam 9, solidworks 2004, and autocad 2004 on a daily basis, so i keep workin on those whenever i can find the time (nightshift operator), Im in the process of building a mini 4axis vmc (hopefully one day ill be able to figure out a decent way to make an ATC, but until then im just focusing on the 4th axis... haha
I started as a machinist an manual lathes in 1979. I've been through a gambit of CNC lathes and mills since 1981. I've operated, setup, and programmed primarily multiple turret and spindle lathes, some milling in there, until about 1995. During that time I worked with an Anvil 5000 cad cam system, wrote post processors and a DNC program to transfer programs to and from the machines. I was sentenced to management in 1996 and still deal in CNC problems and solutions on a daily basis as an operations manager. Now, I primarily make sure the machines are running at projected efficiencies and, if not, figure out a way to make it so. What I'd give to be back running a machine where all I had to worry about was myself and what I was running ..... and making the money I make now of course!
Started in High School Metal shop. Worked in a Mold shop for awhile on a Taurus Duplicator, then went into a Die Shop as a "Small Machine Operator", sold shoes at the mall for a spell, sold some cars for awhile, back into machining in a small fab shop, then on to Uncle Sam. Tried to join the Army as a Machinist, ended up an Infantryman. 8 years of humpin and jumpin Airborne Ranger style, for the last 5 years I have been working in the Custom Firearms Shop for the Army Marksmanship Unit. Amazing how the machining knowledge just hides, never lost it. I now run, set up, program and maintain a VMC and a Turning Center. Use Master Cam alot, what a life saver there! I also teach basic and advanced machining night courses at the local Tech College. And I still sweep up my own chips!!!
I did my apprenticship in the mid 80" as a fitter and turner then in the mid 90's started on cnc's with a colchester cnc 350 then onto a tornado 200 @300.Then i went onto machining centers hitachi seiki,doosan,and okuma alwasy done it all thats the way i learnt to do it. and i think there is some merit to that as you can teach most people to operate them and just push the go button ( we had a mechanic working a tornado fo a while) but programming takes a lot more.When i was shown cnc's 3 days training from scratch on programming and it is all yours.The colledges over the last year in brisbane have just started running cnc courses for opperators and programming which i think is about 5 years to late and i wish i could have done some in the 90's.
kerry
After 2 years community college basic machine technology courses, 1975 started working in my 1st machine shop, manuals (not to many CNC machines in those days). When CNC became more common, I knew this was my thing, jumped on board. Machining has been a good career for me, rewarding in many ways. Went back to school to study CNC programming, in those days it was APT (ugh), when there was no PC based CAD/CAM. Man, I don't miss those days...
Rather than be redundant here, let me just refer you to this thread:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11136
Are we havin fun yet?