Training Your New CNC Workers

Jul 3, 2017

The training of CNC workers is vital to running a shop properly. When your workers are not properly trained, they are not assets but liabilities. With effective training, your operators can get a lot done for you.

The Basic Basics

Often, this involves taking people who have never worked in a shop before. The first part of training comes down to safety in the shop, interpreting tolerances, and using measuring devices. Once those are mastered, you can continue with the reading of blueprints and shop math. After the trainees have gotten the feel for the most basic topics that all CNC workers need to know, you can begin moving on to more specific training related to the machines themselves.

Which Machine They Will Run

What are the various components of the machine that each given CNC operator will be using? The learners need to know about the axes and how these are to be programmed into the machine. They also need to know about the spindle, how to change the tools, how to change the pallet, and every other part the young operator is eventually going to interact with. There should not be a single button or switch with which the learner is unfamiliar by the end of this portion of the training. While it might seem like overkill for the learner to be able to field strip the CNC machine like a soldier can do with their rifle, this level of understanding of how every component in the machine interacts with every other component would be the ideal state.

Compensating Within the Machine

Every part of a CNC machine, as well as every part of a CNC worker’s training, needs to involve compensators, which are also used for the cutter radius. Turning centers intimately involve tool nose radius compensation, offsets for wear, and geometry offsets. The learner must know how to assign program zero, attach the cutting portions of the tools, and determine how much offset is necessary for each given tool length to ensure both an accurate cut and one that will not damage the equipment.

There is a lot to learn in CNC work. Covering every relevant aspect is crucial to an effectively run operation.