Machining has been around for years, and some of the earliest machinists in the business did everything by hand to create precise parts and components, but the time involved was considerable. In today's high-speed world, finding a way to replicate that precision at a much faster pace has opened the door to CNC machining in many industries.
CNC Machining
CNC or computer numeric control machining is a process of machining parts and products from a solid block of material without removing it from the machine. The CNC machine process uses a computer-driven machine with many different cutters, drills, and work heads that can be brought into position to work on the material, one after the other.
If the machine's program is written correctly, it can do each cut or bore made in the material at the right time to optimize the production of the item you need. The computer-guided CNC machine can repeat the program repeatedly to constantly reproduce the part or item many times with a level of precision that is not achievable at the same speed when making the items by hand.
For a busy machine shop, this can be an excellent opportunity to speed up the production time on items that clients are waiting for, but it is imperative that the shop has a programmer available to write the code for the machines. CNC machining is fast and accurate, but one small mistake in the code can destroy the item you are making. Busy shops may have several programmers creating code to ensure it is correct and the machines keep running without delays.
CNC In Manufacturing
Many manufacturing companies have adopted CNC machining practices in-house. Once the CNC machine is in place and the code is written, training a person to run the machine and look for problems is an excellent option.
The operator does not write the code for the machine, but they will monitor the way the machine is working, spot-check parts for precision and accuracy, and work with the programmer to correct issues as they come up. The operator will also load and unload the machine, so they must know how to properly set up the material before starting the machining process.
The CNC operator may quickly become the expert on that machine and process, so keeping them involved in the production process is beneficial to the manufacturer, and over time they may help streamline the process further if they see an inefficiency in the way the machine completes the tasks.
CNC machining has not taken the machinist out of the work, but it has changed the way they work and modernized the process to become dependent on the operator and the machine working together to do things never before imagined. For more information, contact a local company, like MGM plastics.