CNC machine classes

[Spooled-up]

I live in the Cincinnati area. Where can I go to learn how to use a CNC machine? I have no experience. I am mechanically inclined and I have a flexible schedule and am very willing to learn/study.

 

[1stgen4evr]

CNC Machines

In Georgia there are technical schools that teach these operations. Recently the politicians have elected to call them colleges but they are the same places that were trade schools 40 years ago. I took the course to become a machinist before the school had CNC and later took additional courses for that. Among all that, I did some teaching in that area.



What I think you will find is that you will not be allowed to touch the CNC until you have done your peon time doing the other training. On the other hand, if you have the money to buy a machine (and they are cheap enough now to do that), you might as the owner allow yourself to operate the machine. The various function controlls are outlined in the manuals that come with them. You can buy wax blocks to "machine" whereby if you make a mistake, the machine will not crash into something steel trying all the while to continue cutting. VERY UGLY RESULT.



I will give you an example. As you drill a series holes, you must step by step instruct the machine to do each and every task involved with the operation. If after drilling one of the holes, you forget to include the commands to retract the quill before moving to the next hole, the machine will move from the completed hole to the next hole position without retracting. So stupid that no one would ever do such a thing. Right? Well that is typical of the mistake that beginners make when learning programing on CNC. That is the reason you need to be familiar with machine tool procedure and also what the big red button is for. Administrative people are not willing to let the untrained person use the equipment. You must first be certified as a machinist.



On doing the peon time. If you have the time for classes, I think you will enjoy the machinist training and find it useful as well. I did. There were many talented and capable people taking the classes at the same time. I was in a group of like minded folks. There IS some wasted time with stuff that is not really much benefit to the student but is designed to fill classes and budgets. But all in all, in Georgia there is a good faith effort to give the student training that will put them on a job with the skills to fill the needs of the employer. Overall, what I am seeing is that not many young people are willing to take courses of this nature. No one wants to get their hands dirty.



1stgen4evr

James

 

[Torque King Jay]

Spooled-up



What are you looking to learn? CNC programming? Machine tool theory and construction? Repair and maintenance? I work for a large machine tool builder and I live here in the Cincinnati area. Let me know if you need some help finding information.



Jay R.

 

[Spooled-up]

T.K.J.,

I am basically just looking for information to see if it's possible to learn to operate a CNC machine in my "spare" time. I'm an airline pilot and I ususually work nights and some months I can have most of every day off.



I'm frustrated by the lack of some parts for our trucks and was thinking - why not just learn to build my own? Specifically, wheels.



I know I could make money building parts and wheels and the like, and I was looking to get into starting up a business on the side. This industry I'm in is not the most stable in the world.



The question is, is it economically feasible to do such a thing? I think the first wheel I made would be the most expensive wheel ever produced in terms of time and money spent to get to that point. Over time though, I could have custom parts and any wheel I could dream up whenever I wanted.



I'll accept donations toward the CNC machine and make wheels for all supporters at at significant discount!!

 

[Spooled-up]

1stgen4ever,

Very informative post! Do you think there is such a thing as afternoon classes or night classes for this type of thing?

 

[Andy Perreault]

Re: CNC Machines

Originally posted by 1stgen4evr

Overall, what I am seeing is that not many young people are willing to take courses of this nature. No one wants to get their hands dirty.

I enrolled in a local community college here in the Seattle area and took aircraft maintenance classes to get my Airframe and Powerplant license. Right nextdoor to the aviation building was the machine shop. I walked in there out of curiosity one day to check it out, and I was impressed by all the CNC machinery. There was only one student in there, running a lathe. I decided that after I finished up the aviation program I would take a few machine shop classes because it's something I've always wanted to learn. In my last quarter of aviation, I stopped by the machine shop to talk to an instructor. He told me "There won't be anymore classes after this quarter. The machine technology program is being eliminated due to lack of enrollment. "

Andy

 

[Torque King Jay]

Spooled up,



If your that interested I can give you a tour of our facility. We have about 350,000 square feet of space and plenty of equipment on the shop floor to check out. We're on the north side of Cincinnati in Mason (just accross the highway from Kings Island). Depending on how deep you want to get into making wheels will depend on how much you will need to spend. We have equipment at very large well known wheel manufacturer and they cast the wheels, turn the fronts and backs of the wheels on a large lathe and then use a horizontal mill to do the wheel lug holes and valve stem holes.



This is one way to make wheels. There are other different methods to do it some more expensive than others. Many of the wheels you buy from places like Boyds are two piece wheels some are one piece cut from forged blanks. As far as cost effectiveness, cutting wheels from one solid billet of aluminum would be very pricey as well as requiring a significant amount of machining time.



I'll PM you and you can give me a call if you want to talk more about what's involved and what you can do to pursue some classes in CNC operation.



Jay R.

 

[1stgen4evr]

CNC

"The machine technology program is being eliminated due to lack of enrollment. "



NOT A SURPRISE TO ME ANDY. The situation is much the same all over. It is not only the mind set of youth but the success of CNC. There is not nearly as much demand for machinist now days along with the fact that so much is done in some other country.



Jay and Spooled up. Keep this on the forum if you don't mind. I am particularly interested in the wheel project. In fact I have some ideas that I would like to explore. I was talking with Alcoa a month or so back and they have little interested in my ideas. NO SURPRISE THERE.



I think that prototyping would be best $$$ done on conventional equipment. I am well aware of the benefits of CNC but I also have seen it in action where cost go through the ceiling.





--------------------------

I know I could make money building parts and wheels and the like, and I was looking to get into starting up a business on the side. This industry I'm in is not the most stable in the world.

--------------------------



You can definitely make money in maufacturing. I do. I have a product that weighs 100 pounds and sells for 700 dollars. But you can also make scrap out of new material. As to wheels, I suppose you are thinking aluminum wheels for the trucks. There are formidably requirements for the testing of wheels for highway use. There are formidably competitors as well. This post is in the "other" forum so you have all the CTD owners and browsers along with others that are looking at this thread. I posted on aluminum wheels recently and didn't even get a blip. I am watching ebay and have gotten a couple of wheels and will eventually get a set. I will have only half price in them. Around 75 dollars. Now if you can build, test, certify, warranty and sell an aluminum dually wheel for 75 dollars, I will buy three sets. That said on the negative side I will also add that if you build enough of anything, you can make it for 1. 50 a pound. The alcoa wheels weigh about 19 lbs and are stronger than steel. I was told that the tooling for the blanks would be in the 30k dollar range. You will need a big volumn to recover startup.



SO what bubbles up? I am listening. Or go PM. I am still listening.



1stgen4evr

James

 

[Spooled-up]

1stgen4evr,

Just tossing around ideas.



I know absolutely nothing about the machining industry. It looks like it will take considerably longer than I thought to get trained to use a lathe. My wife has a friend that owns a machine shop in PA. He is looking to upgrade his equipment to more modern stuff and will be selling his old equipment.



I didn't think of the certification and testing end of making wheels. Kind of makes you feel better about spending 300-400 dollars for a good quality wheel.



If I were to buy a used lathe, how long would you guess it would take to learn to use it competently using wax etc. ?



What kind of machine would be required to make something the size of a wheel? I assume it could be done with something a little less advanced than the state of the art.



Thanks for the info guys.

 

[1stgen4evr]

How long

Don't know where you are currently so it would be openended as to result. Boy, just thinking about a class of adults who want to learn sets me on fire. Some of the best hours of my life.



Can you file a true square corner on a work piece. Can you lay out a series of holes in a plate and drill them correctly to . 001 accuracy (with resrect to angularity and spacing) with a common drill press?Can you lay out a bolt circle that has an odd number of holes. If yes to all the above, you are ready for the second quarter where you may touch the school lathes. We will allow you to cut some aluminum round stock where you must cut a series of steps that are correct in length and diameter. We will have you do this till it is right. Otherwise we will train you to use the drill press and try to get you a job in manufacturing somewhere----



OOps. I drifted back a ways. The result is really up to you. I have considered for some time that there might be a market for a video series on the lathe. I might even have access to some of the old training slides that would be useful. If one were to market such in todays environment, that person would certainly be asking for a law suit when the 'student' ripped off a finger or worse. Lathes are not inherently dangerouse. They can damned well hurt you.



Get the lathe. A small one is completely adequate to learn on. Get some one inch aluminum stock. Learn how to sharpen your cutting tool. Make the step shaft I mentioned with the work between centers. When you can do the aluminum correctly advance to steel of a 1018 catagory. Get some of the home machinist books and make a working steam engine or something of the sort. The work will either repel you quickly or bind you forever.



1stgen4evr

James