FIVE THINGS NEW CNC MACHINE OPERATORS MUST KNOW

SHOP SAFETY

The shop floor is a dangerous place. Safety must be observed in two areas: safety equipment that workers use and the safety practices to which they must adhere.

SHOP MATH

Calculations that a typical CNC operator must be able to perform are simple, however newcomers must be able to use a calculator to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Operators must be able to perform calculations with repetition and without making mistakes. Workers should also understand values down to ten-thousandths of a unit. The concept of negative values must be included because adjustments made by CNC operators always include a polarity.

BLUEPRINT READING

Anyone working with CNC machines must be able to interpret 3D workspaces from 2D drawings. This involves understanding line types (visible, hidden, section etc.) and orthographic projection. Operators must also be able to interpret dimensions to judge the size of each workplace attribute.

TOLERANCE INTERPRETATION

New CNC operators must understand that every workplace attribute has an amount of allowable error, whether it be specified or implied. The type of tolerance of most concern is the dimensional tolerance. Be certain new operators can determine high and low limits and the mean value for the methods used by your company.

MEASURING DEVICES

Fixed and variable gages. Explain the details for any fixed gages your CNC operators use, including go/no-go gages and gages that incorporate a dial indicator.

Be sure workers understand the variable gages as well. The most common are micrometres and callipers.