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Thread: New member

  1. #1
    Hi, I'm from Birmingham in the UK. at my place of work there will be openings in the CNC milling department in July and im looking
    to learn as much as i can by then, im looking to get a desk top CNC miller to help me learn more on the subject.

    if anyone has some advice on what machine i should but / make i would be very interested

    Thanks Rob

  2. #2
    Rob,

    Off the top of my head...

    Learn the jargon so you can talk the talk in an interview. Watch some videos on using software like Fusion 360 and pick up the processes involved in turning an idea into a real part even if you don't learn how to actually use the software for real. Watch some videos from Tormach and other professional machine manufacturers as well.

    If you know someone already in your employers CNC dept find out what machines and software they use and study those. Don't get bogged down in the minutiae of an amateur desktop router using amateur software if that's not what you'll be expected to work with.

    Kit
    An optimist says the glass is half full, a pessimist says the glass is half empty, an engineer says you're using the wrong sized glass.

  3. #3
    thanks for the info, they use FANUK controls and im learning g code as we speak. do you think i should learn g code and Fusion 360 together or should i
    drop the g code for now?

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Robert View Post
    thanks for the info, they use FANUK controls and im learning g code as we speak. do you think i should learn g code and Fusion 360 together or should i
    drop the g code for now?
    The first thing I would do is go speak to the CNC department and guys running the machines to ask how they program parts. You might find they have someone who does the code and your just a machine operator who sets up the tools etc and runs the part.
    They could also program the parts from a drawing at the machine control using conversational Cam which doesn't need any G-code knowledge and is proprietary software to the control so learning other Cam is a waste of time.

    Speak to them before wasting time learning something that's not relevant to your work or there needs.
    Also, you'll find that a lot of what you learn at DIY level regards controller etc and working the machine doesn't transfer over to Industrial machines or controllers. Yes, learning G-code will help to some degree but that will greatly depend on the controller your using and the standard it supports, Fanuc is a common standard of G-code controllers use but there are several flavors of Fanuc which are tweaked for controllers, etc. It's not as simple as One G-code fits all.!

  5. #5
    Rob,
    I don't pretend to be a great expert on either recruitment (though I've done some interviewing in the past) or professional CNC work but I'd sugest that for an interview you need a broad knowledge covering something about everything they may ask rather than detailed knowledge of one bit they may only gloss over. Being able to write a complete G-code job off the top of your head is less important than understanding the key concepts like the different co-ordinate sytems involved, what's a pocket v a profile cut, depth of cut, tool engagement, feeds and speeds, that sort of thing. Other people will be better able to advise you on the details of FANUK and how a commercial operation works and I only mention Fusion 360 as it's a commercial quality product but available free to hobbyists so you can play with it at home.

    NYCNC on YouTube have a series of video tutorials about F360 and making parts with Tormach machines which are interesting and based on commercial rater than DIY machines and procedures.

    One thing I realised during a career in technical work is that every different job and every different employer has their own jargon when discussing things which you may already be familiar with under a different name. If you don't speak their language they (especially the HR people who don't actually understand it either) will assume you know nothing at all about the topic so the more you can get out of people who are already in the local CNC dept, the better. It also shows you are genuinely interested in working there and are thinking ahead. Make sure to discuss the importance of correct health and safety procedures at the interview.

    As an example, I 'once moved from 'Lecturer' to 'Senior Lecturer' at a well known broadcasting corporation by simply re-reading the textbook from an educational theory course I had taken years before. What impressed the boss was my ability to spout crap about 'Maslow', 'pedagogy' etc. at the interview which none of the other candidates aparently did.

    Sorry if that sounds cynical but the aim of your campaign is to pass the interview and get the job. THEN you can look at which specific software packages and other areas of knowledge you will need to study in real depth.

    Good luck

    Kit

    PS Jazz replied while I was typing. That's all good advice. Find out as much as you can about the actual job you'll be applying for.
    Last edited by Kitwn; 11-12-2019 at 02:09 AM.
    An optimist says the glass is half full, a pessimist says the glass is half empty, an engineer says you're using the wrong sized glass.

  6. #6
    thanks for all your advice, im already a general machine operator so i get a lot of the jargon they talk about already (or i pick it up real fast)

    you are right about learn a little about a lot of different things thats why i got 2 udemy courses to at least pick up the basics. when im back at work ill ask more questions about the specific machines so i can learn more about them

    they do coding in house and i think machine operators do the 'tweaking' at the machine. i know the guys that do the 'tweaking' gat paid more than the guys who cant do it so im hoping to learn that part also. ill go to work and ask more specific questions when i get back now i know what i need to know

    thanks for your help

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