A true CNC master (metal cutting) should have both a rich theoretical level and superb practical experience and hands-on ability. Generally speaking, after graduating from a CNC major and entering a factory, it will take at least 6 years to become a true CNC master. There are absolutely no quick skills in this industry! Nowadays, the division of labor in factories is becoming more and more detailed. You must not think that you have mastered a certain skill and do not want to make progress. Only by constantly pursuing technological progress and pursuing excellence can you establish yourself as a master in the enterprise.
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Must be an excellent craftsman
CNC machining integrates drilling, milling, boring, reaming and tapping processes, which requires high technical literacy of craftsmen. In fact, when we choose the profession of mechanical cutting, it means that the early stages of the career are difficult and boring. The basic knowledge learned in school is pitiful when faced with the needs in the factory. Mechanical processing engineers are experienced engineers to a certain extent. Therefore, they must spend a lot of time with workers on lathes, milling machines, grinders and machining centers. Then in the office, I compiled the craftsmanship, estimated the material consumption, and calculated the quota.
In this way, after 2 to 3 years of practice, you can basically become a qualified craftsman. Young people who have just started working must learn from the master workers with an open mind. Once they can pass on their decades of experience to you, you will save yourself a lot of detours. Because these experiences cannot be learned in books, the choice of process is a comprehensive consideration of equipment capabilities and personnel technical capabilities.
After such a long period of study and accumulation, you should reach the following technical levels and requirements:
1. Be familiar with the structure and process characteristics of drilling, milling, boring, grinding and planing machines;
2. Be familiar with the properties of processed materials;
3. Solid basic knowledge of tool theory, master the conventional cutting usage of tools, etc.;
4. Be familiar with the company's process specifications and guidelines and the general requirements that various processes can achieve, the process routes of conventional parts, reasonable material consumption and working hour quotas, etc.;
5. Collect a certain amount of information on cutting tools, machine tools, and mechanical standards, especially be familiar with the cutting tool systems used in CNC machine tools;
6. Be familiar with the selection and maintenance of coolant;
7. Have a common sense understanding of related types of work, such as: casting, electrical machining, heat treatment, etc.;
8. Have a good foundation of fixtures;
9. Understand the assembly requirements and usage requirements of the parts being processed;
10. Have a good foundation in measurement technology.
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Proficient in CNC programming and computer software applications
CAM programming software requires learning about modeling, but it is not difficult for people with a good CAD foundation. Scholars are most adaptable to learning this knowledge.
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Proficient in operating CNC machine tools
This requires 1 to 2 years of learning, and the operation is all about the feel of the hand. Beginners, especially students, know what to do, but their hands just don't obey the instructions. In this process, you need to learn: the operation method of the system, the installation of the fixture, the alignment of the part reference and the tool setting, setting the zero offset, setting the tool length compensation and radius compensation, loading and unloading the tool and the tool holder, and the cutting edge of the tool. Grinding, measuring parts (be able to skillfully use vernier calipers, micrometers, dial indicators, dial indicators, inner diameter lever gauges), etc.
The practice of operation requires understanding! Sometimes there really is an artistic conception of "taking a leisurely approach to understand something, but it's hard to tell you the beauty of it"! In the CNC workshop, just calm down and practice hard! Generally speaking, the process from the processing of the first part to the qualified processing accuracy requires CNC programming craftsmen to complete it in person. If you are not proficient in operating machine tools, you will not be able to pass this level.
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Good tooling and fixture foundation and measurement technology level
I list tooling fixtures and measurement technology separately here because it plays as important a role in the quality of parts processing as the accuracy of machine tools, and is one of the signs that reflects the level of craftsmen.
Accurate measurement level is one of the basic skills for machining. You must be proficient in using vernier calipers, micrometer cards, dial indicators, dial indicators, inner diameter lever gauges and calipers. Sometimes when parts are processed, a three-dimensional coordinate measuring machine cannot be counted on and must be measured manually. Just imagine, if the parts are not measured accurately, which master would trust you?
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Proficient in the maintenance of CNC machine tools
First, you must be familiar with CNC machine tools. It is recommended to seek advice from the masters in the equipment maintenance department. I won't go into details about the maintenance of machine tools. Each company has its own experience and standards. The focus of machine tool maintenance is "maintenance", which should be paid attention to in daily life.
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Develop good habits and adapt to the characteristics of CNC machining
A master suitable for CNC machining should be someone who is humble, rigorous, calm, thoughtful, organized and independent-minded.
1. The processing of some large parts requires not only a lot of processing content, but also the conversion of three-dimensional coordinates in space. The calculation of the machining trajectory is very complex and difficult to determine. If the problem is not considered carefully and comprehensively, the calculation is not accurate, and the more the program is modified during debugging, the more chaotic it will be, and the probability of errors will be high. "Think before you act" is most appropriate here.
2. The parts debugging process is a collaborative process involving many people, including operators, inspectors, fixture designers and fixture assembly personnel. When problems arise, seek their opinions more, do more experiments, and avoid making arbitrary conclusions. Don't blame employees who make mistakes too much, and have a "compassionate" attitude.
3. The work of CNC machine tools is controlled by instructions. During debugging, you must be very clear about the trajectory of the machine tool before pressing the "Start" button. Be rigorous and meticulous, and never let the machine tool move first. Once the program is wrong, the compensation parameters are incorrect, and the wrong coordinate system is selected, parts may be scrapped, or safety accidents may occur. Those who have a bad temper, are clueless, and refuse to change despite repeated admonitions are not suitable for operating CNC machine tools.
4. If a problem occurs during debugging and processing, be calm and do not panic. If misoperation occurs again, you must have a good psychological quality.
5. When parts fail to pass the test many times, the analysis must be organized and the responsibilities must be based on basis. Some relevant departments will give various explanations for various reasons. At this time, you need to be assertive. Remember: it doesn't matter if you do something wrong, but you can't choose the wrong way to do it.
6. Any craftsman's technical ability will always have limitations due to environmental constraints. Coupled with the rapid development of technology, there is always room for improvement. After all the internal technologies in the factory have been digested, the company should look outward and keep up with the advanced processing technologies at home and abroad to learn and digest them.
The above is the ideal CNC programming master in my mind. In fact, in the final analysis, there should be programmers at the level of senior craftsmen and senior technicians.
