plastikdreams
Diamond
- Joined
- May 31, 2011
- Location
- upstate nj
Lately there have been a bunch of threads on how to break into the machining industry. Here is how I did it seven years ago, almost to the day. I will put things in BOLD that should be taken note of. It's gonna be kinda long, but if you are really interested in being a machinist you will read it and understand what you need to put into it.
I was at a company for 10 years, my official title was technical sales but I also did product development and fabrication. My machining experience was on a bridgeport and leblond lathe...no dro's even. I also had a lot of welding experience and some 3d cad experience. I finally had enough and decided to leave. There was a cnc shop in the same complex that I had used for some jobs and they had mentioned they were looking for an operator. I was working there a week later, knowing nothing about cnc work. The journey began!
I was at that shop for 2 months before being laid off, in that time I got a lot of hands on experience with haas mills, and a bridgeport with a dro. Also I was introduced to MasterCAM. I was intrigued by the programming aspect and saw that in order to be viable I would need to learn it eventually. The guy I worked with was very adamant about learning g-code before MasterCAM. His reasoning was "anyone can program a part, you need to know what your program is doing and how to fix it before you can actually program well." I also got experience with sinker EDM and hole popping (fast drill EDM)
I was unemployed for a few months, in that time I found a place that offered both g-code programming and MasterCAM certification classes. Just like anywhere, the instructors know who is there because the government paid for it so they can stay on unemployment and who is there to actually learn. Few months later I had my certificates.
In the time I was in the classes I found a job as an operator at a place that dealt in only plastics, small parts, 100's at a time. I called it a filler position, I wasn't interested in staying there but I wanted the experience, plastics are a totally different animal and really takes a lot of concentration and skill to machine properly. After I was done with the MasterCAM class the teacher asked what I wanted to do, I mentioned tool and die. He knew a company near me that needed help. He made a few calls and a few weeks later I quit the plastics and started at a mold shop.
At the mold shop I learned a lot about using bridgeports to make some really accurate modifications to mold cavities. I also got hands on experience using MasterCAM in the real world. The 2 programmers there were excellent in helping me develop my programming. I was introduced to wire EDM and also got more sinker experience. I also learned a TON about hand finishing. It was a small shop, maintenance was up to the machinists pretty much. Another great experience was getting to work with their first high speed machining operations and program streamlining. It was a great experience but after 8 months I was again laid off.
I have a good friend that was a tool maker at a well know stamping company for over 40 years. His advice to me was They don't teach machining like they used to. Don't be afraid to move around to different places that do completely different things. Get a job at a place, even if its not where you want to be, and learn all that you can. After a year or so, move on. Once you get 4 or 5 places under your belt you will have the experience and knowledge to get into places that do medical or aerospace work...where the money is. I was on my way to doing that.
After the mold shop I went to a job shop/prototype shop. Lots of lathe and cnc'd bridgeport work as well as MasterCAM programming a mighty viper vmc. No one knew how to operate that machine so I had to figure it out from the ground up. At that point I was comfortable enough to do so. I learned a lot about using what you have to complete a job as well as adjusting a bridgeport to vastly oversized parts. After about 9 months I was laid off, notice a pattern here?
After a few months I was able to secure a position as lead machinist in a small internal machine shop for a large company. There I was able to get experience on Okuma cnc turning centers and also vmcs. They did a fair amount of plastics but also metals as well. At this point I was tweaking programs for speed and efficiency sometimes knocking hours off machining cycles. After a little over a year...wait for it...I was laid off. Seems the shop manager was threatened that I was making changes that made him look bad.
Again, after a few months I started at a place that did mostly aerospace work. Small shop, owner was very abrasive. Lots of MasterCAM with exotic metals...17-4 mostly and even Carpenter C465, nasty stuff work hardens to glass at the smallest hint of rubbing. After about a year...I got a call from a headhunter for a job at then Zimmer as an EDM operator, 3rd shift. I was fairly happy where I was and put them off. Well, they came back and matched my "asking price". It was closer and much cleaner. So I jumped ship and went there.
I started at Zimmer (medical implants), now ZimmerBiomet, in march of 2015 and am still there. for a year and a half I operated wire and sinker EDM's. I learned their maintenance, how to program them, and how to fix them. Last September I was offered a position in their prototype shop, I am now in charge of repairing and making fixtures all 17-4. I also work on new products and custom parts and tools. I also work in the cnc machining and EDM department doing production work (gah, I hate that).
I didn't discuss monies as your mileage may vary but I can tell you I started at 17/hr and am now making well over double that with the overtime I get working EDM and cnc production. I always increased my pay at each place, sometimes by 4-5 bucks an hour.
Here are some things you should know:
1) Old machinists are a grumpy bunch, if you mess up they will let you know often that you did. Their advise is usually solid, but don't be afraid to develop your own way.
2) MAKE YOURSELF VALUABLE, I can't stress this enough. Learn everything you can about everything. From machine maintenance to programming. Don't be the guy that isn't willing to go out of your comfort zone.
3) You will get knocked down a lot. Get back up, and keep going. If you mess something up, learn from it. Figure out what went wrong and move on.
4) If you borrow someones tools, make sure they get it back exactly as you got it. If you borrow it twice, it's time to buy one.
You can get into this industry but realize, its tough. Start from the bottom and work your way up. Listen but don't be a drone, experiment. None of us here were born machinists.
I was at a company for 10 years, my official title was technical sales but I also did product development and fabrication. My machining experience was on a bridgeport and leblond lathe...no dro's even. I also had a lot of welding experience and some 3d cad experience. I finally had enough and decided to leave. There was a cnc shop in the same complex that I had used for some jobs and they had mentioned they were looking for an operator. I was working there a week later, knowing nothing about cnc work. The journey began!
I was at that shop for 2 months before being laid off, in that time I got a lot of hands on experience with haas mills, and a bridgeport with a dro. Also I was introduced to MasterCAM. I was intrigued by the programming aspect and saw that in order to be viable I would need to learn it eventually. The guy I worked with was very adamant about learning g-code before MasterCAM. His reasoning was "anyone can program a part, you need to know what your program is doing and how to fix it before you can actually program well." I also got experience with sinker EDM and hole popping (fast drill EDM)
I was unemployed for a few months, in that time I found a place that offered both g-code programming and MasterCAM certification classes. Just like anywhere, the instructors know who is there because the government paid for it so they can stay on unemployment and who is there to actually learn. Few months later I had my certificates.
In the time I was in the classes I found a job as an operator at a place that dealt in only plastics, small parts, 100's at a time. I called it a filler position, I wasn't interested in staying there but I wanted the experience, plastics are a totally different animal and really takes a lot of concentration and skill to machine properly. After I was done with the MasterCAM class the teacher asked what I wanted to do, I mentioned tool and die. He knew a company near me that needed help. He made a few calls and a few weeks later I quit the plastics and started at a mold shop.
At the mold shop I learned a lot about using bridgeports to make some really accurate modifications to mold cavities. I also got hands on experience using MasterCAM in the real world. The 2 programmers there were excellent in helping me develop my programming. I was introduced to wire EDM and also got more sinker experience. I also learned a TON about hand finishing. It was a small shop, maintenance was up to the machinists pretty much. Another great experience was getting to work with their first high speed machining operations and program streamlining. It was a great experience but after 8 months I was again laid off.
I have a good friend that was a tool maker at a well know stamping company for over 40 years. His advice to me was They don't teach machining like they used to. Don't be afraid to move around to different places that do completely different things. Get a job at a place, even if its not where you want to be, and learn all that you can. After a year or so, move on. Once you get 4 or 5 places under your belt you will have the experience and knowledge to get into places that do medical or aerospace work...where the money is. I was on my way to doing that.
After the mold shop I went to a job shop/prototype shop. Lots of lathe and cnc'd bridgeport work as well as MasterCAM programming a mighty viper vmc. No one knew how to operate that machine so I had to figure it out from the ground up. At that point I was comfortable enough to do so. I learned a lot about using what you have to complete a job as well as adjusting a bridgeport to vastly oversized parts. After about 9 months I was laid off, notice a pattern here?
After a few months I was able to secure a position as lead machinist in a small internal machine shop for a large company. There I was able to get experience on Okuma cnc turning centers and also vmcs. They did a fair amount of plastics but also metals as well. At this point I was tweaking programs for speed and efficiency sometimes knocking hours off machining cycles. After a little over a year...wait for it...I was laid off. Seems the shop manager was threatened that I was making changes that made him look bad.
Again, after a few months I started at a place that did mostly aerospace work. Small shop, owner was very abrasive. Lots of MasterCAM with exotic metals...17-4 mostly and even Carpenter C465, nasty stuff work hardens to glass at the smallest hint of rubbing. After about a year...I got a call from a headhunter for a job at then Zimmer as an EDM operator, 3rd shift. I was fairly happy where I was and put them off. Well, they came back and matched my "asking price". It was closer and much cleaner. So I jumped ship and went there.
I started at Zimmer (medical implants), now ZimmerBiomet, in march of 2015 and am still there. for a year and a half I operated wire and sinker EDM's. I learned their maintenance, how to program them, and how to fix them. Last September I was offered a position in their prototype shop, I am now in charge of repairing and making fixtures all 17-4. I also work on new products and custom parts and tools. I also work in the cnc machining and EDM department doing production work (gah, I hate that).
I didn't discuss monies as your mileage may vary but I can tell you I started at 17/hr and am now making well over double that with the overtime I get working EDM and cnc production. I always increased my pay at each place, sometimes by 4-5 bucks an hour.
Here are some things you should know:
1) Old machinists are a grumpy bunch, if you mess up they will let you know often that you did. Their advise is usually solid, but don't be afraid to develop your own way.
2) MAKE YOURSELF VALUABLE, I can't stress this enough. Learn everything you can about everything. From machine maintenance to programming. Don't be the guy that isn't willing to go out of your comfort zone.
3) You will get knocked down a lot. Get back up, and keep going. If you mess something up, learn from it. Figure out what went wrong and move on.
4) If you borrow someones tools, make sure they get it back exactly as you got it. If you borrow it twice, it's time to buy one.
You can get into this industry but realize, its tough. Start from the bottom and work your way up. Listen but don't be a drone, experiment. None of us here were born machinists.
