O/T Years experience

[specv]

I was just wondering how many years everyone had under their belts(mastercam or machining in general) i my self only have 5(2 of which were in school) years total, and less than a year of programming exp.

 

anyone else?

 

pete

[MachineSMMC]

I have been machining for about 6 years and programming/designing for the last three of them.

 

 

This should prove to be an interesting thread!

 

[ 07-07-2003, 05:17 PM: Message edited by: MachineSMMC ]

[TeccBoxx]

I have had one 4 month semester with mastercam, with 8 months of machining experience. I guess you can say I am the baby of the group.

[Guest]

I have been a machinist since 1983and have been using MC since V5.5 I think that was around 1996.

[Slixmix]

I was fortunate enough to get thrown into a system that you programmed, set-up, and ran your own parts from the get go. Started on a DOS based version of Mastercam 4.0 back in 1992

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

quote:

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I was fortunate enough to get thrown into a system that you programmed, set-up, and ran your own parts from the get go. Started on a DOS based version of Mastercam 4.0 back in 1992

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+1

[Rekd™]

I started machining plastics in like '82 or '83, (I was in high school). Manual machines for a couple years, then CNC. I was doing my own setups within the first year, and teaching the foreman how to do some stuff after another year. After 3-4 years of CNCing I lernt Virtual Gibbs, and have been programming ever since.

 

I still look forward to coming to work (most) days.

 

'Rekd teh B.U.M.A.

 

[ 07-07-2003, 05:53 PM: Message edited by: Rekd ]

[MACHINEMASTERG]

i was a manual machinest since 1983 when i graduated vo tech high school for machining ..learned manual cnc programming in 1986 and got into cad cam in 1989 still enjoy work also most days

[Nominal]

Began making chips around 1974 in J.M Wright Technical school Stamford CT. We used to alternate solid weeks between machine tool and related ( normal high school classes ). Once we reached 11th grade we could go into the elite tool and die shop. After trade school I wound up in an 8,000 hr. tool and die apprenticeship, which I finished in 1981 at Pitney Bowes Inc. (skipping ahead a few years) wound up working for Pratt & Whitney aircraft for a dozen or so years. Left there as a senior systems analyst, after having written and maintained Fortran and C postprocessors for 1400+ machine tools from North Berwick Maine to West Palm Beach Florida. Now working for a small (35 people) aerospace supplier in Connecticut. Here I do everything ie..

engineering/programming/costing/production control/etc... Looking forward to retirement. I'm glad I'm not just starting out in this business in today's environment. God bless the rest of you that are.

[A-ron1286490684]

Remember, years in hard metals are like "dog years" -worth about seven for every one in aluminum. I started programming CNC mills on ver 3.22 I think it was. I was fortunate enough to get exposed to a variety of different materials with a variety of different approaches while at a tender machining age back in ’91 -but it was still primarily an aluminum shop. We also cut our own material, programmed, set-up and ran all our own fixtures and parts and even did some limited first article inspection. Since then I have tried a couple different programming systems none as good overall as Master Cam and ultimately I’m sorry all that time wasn’t spent on Master Cam as I still marvel at what I don’t know about it. At the last shop we did a ton of 316, 17-4PH, and some titanium. Milling hard metals on linear guide ways is truly an art form, especially with inferior software. 6AL4V and the 17-4PH were tricky with large hog-outs but overall the grey hairs were worth it… I think?

[Hardmill]

Machining since 84

Mastercam since ver 3

PEACE

[Trevor Bailey]

Does "years experienced" take into account all the nights I was having a nightmare about getting the "hot" job out the door? Or how about when I wake up for some reason at night to take a note on a thought I had while I was sleepin' as to how it could help the job I am working on during the day.

 

To all my fellow ZOMBIES

[Brendan P]

quote:

---

Does "years experienced" take into account all the nights I was having a nightmare about getting the "hot" job out the door? Or how about when I wake up for some reason at night to take a note on a thought I had while I was sleepin' as to how it could help the job I am working on during the day.

---

Or having to explain to your boss why you need "Work Offsets! (I couldn't resist Trevor)

 

Been in the trade since 1984. Started as a "Deburrer"

Bought a 0-1" mic. and a toolbox (hoping this would persuade the Company to train me on ANY machine. (didn't happen)

Left that place after 6 months....

Got another job...Yup,you guessed it...Deburrer again.

Left that place after 6 months....

 

Got another job and within a week was running a Bridgeport Now I was happy as a pig in $h!t!

Learned manual lathe and mill.

Than the company bought Cnc's. I learned them (Lathe/Mill) and within a year was doing my own basic programming on paper.(Believe me ..nothing fancy)

Not being enough,learned how to program on a computer using software.

That being said,I get to do all of our cnc mill/lathe programming on a daily basis.Also I get to engineer new products as well as engineer the tooling to build our product.

 

I have been with this company for over 18 years,and I know that there is a lot more that I could have learned had I kept moving around,but I make damn good money and love going into work everyday.

 

PS. It also helps when you build your boss special custom harley parts for his mule.

[Trevor Bailey]

Why don't you just rub it our face Bucket . Sounds like a great place to work. I was not fortunate enough when I started to even be a deburrer. I was handed a broom and pointed to the bathroom. MAN, I loved that job!!!!! After a day of that, which lead to many more, I said there is definetly more to learn than this stuff. I stayed with the company. Took home every manual I could get my hands on and never took breaks until I learned milling manuals first. Then manual lathes. Then an old Hardinge Chucker . God that was a dirty job. Then Aniliam controls. After all that, I bounced around for a while learning everything I could.

 

Then one day, I met this guy named REKD. Boy, was that a mistake. Ever since the first day I met him, I would turn around to grab something and it would slip out of my hand because it was covered in grease. Its been love ever since.

 

I still like working in the industry a little too.

[Hardmill]

quote:

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and love going into work everyday.

---

Thats what i'm talking about Bucket. Most people

don't understand what its like to enjoy your

job. I feel bad for them.

PEACE

[cadcam]

If I remember right it was 88 and I got a job with the help of Scott Bond from this board as a mold blocker for the wax investment Ind.

 

Scot started showing me MC when he brought it home. (Ps I was living with him and my sister at the time) this was I think V1 of MC.

 

About a year later Scott opened his own mold shop were I went of course to finish learning to be a wax tool maker and to start my use of Mastercam being V2 by this time.

 

Don't worry Scott made me do a whole lot of manuals first be for I got to program and play with the CNC all the time.

 

I stayed for a while then moved on to a Wax foundry and so on.

 

Now it's 14 to 15 years later and now I am Scott’s dealer.

How Ironic is that...

 

Hey Scott thanks for getting me in

 

[ 07-08-2003, 11:14 AM: Message edited by: cadcam ]

[gcode]

I started machining in the USMC in

1976. All the machines and technology were WWII

vintage. All the lathe tools were hand ground

HHS toolbits. The first time I saw a carbide lathe tool was in 1978 when I got a part time job

off base. I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I saw a CNC lathe turning steel at 500SFM!!

My first CAM program was Anicam 1.0.

The computer had a 10in 4 color screen, (2) 8in floppies, no mouse and no hard-drive. I think it had 64K of memory. I've been told that Anicam 1.0 was also Mastercam 1.0.

I upgraded to Anicam 2.0 which ran on the first IBM XT/DOS machines. It even had a mouse!! ( and a huge 10MEG hard-drive)

I used Tek Soft for about 4 years and studied Mastercam 5.0 at the local community college. I bought a copy Mastercam towards the end of V7. and have been a beta site since V8. I'm looking forward to v10.

When I look at the advances in computer and machine technolgy over the past 20 years its hard to believe.

 

[ 07-08-2003, 01:43 AM: Message edited by: gcode ]

[Fig sign]

In machine cutting from 1984 , in cnc from 1993,

operator, machinist ,programmer from 1994,in molds from 1996,with mastercam from 1999.

My first Cad I learned Autocad 10 .

My first Cam program I learned -NCTOOL .

First program I worked as programer Auracad -Auramill, and afterwards used Cimatron,NCTOOL,Solidcam and now I use Mastercam and I think it is the program ,I always dreamed about !

My first Cnc Machine was Mori -Seiki MV43 (if i remember it propper )with Fanuc6.Loved it and love it today !

Afterwards big Okuma mill center with 3 geared spindel ranges (the best macine I ever worked ),Numericon850 retrofit and Deckel-Maho DMC63v .

I love my job and don`t wish to retire ever !

I like to make molds .

But the younger generation not regards our profession much and soon we will disappear like dinosaurs !

[Elad]

Machining since 96.

And Mastercam is also new for me.

Using Mastercam since V8

[John King]

Started running machines in 1973 and I have been using Mastercam for 4 years.

John

[Keith Graydon]

Oh Boy I've been around for a long time.

 

I've allways likes to make things. I was ~4-3 yrs. old and I remember my Grandmother mentioning that fact to my mother. aiplanes,cars rockets,,,anything. bows and arrows, slingshots, Bazookas....

I started in the trade in about 1976 in a local protoype shop. I worked there for 5 yrs. and completed my 8,000 hr. journymans course while employed there. We had a Sheldon CNC 2axis lathe. hydraulic axis drive motors! They baought a new Bridgeport about a yr before I left.

I left there and worked for Princeton University for another 5 yrs. Mostly working with Grad Students persuing their Phd. in Chemistry. Very fun.

I've been Working at Sarnoff Corporation for the past 17 yrs. I started in the "MAnuel" side of our shop but quickly moved into the CNC group. THe first CNC machines were purchased here as a project to write CNC code!. 2 "spindle Wizards" with "bandit" controllers. We ran our own propreitary code for a few more years. It was Very powerful 2 1/2 axis stuff. built-in macros, matrices. run from Textronics unix workstations. We went thru a variety of software pakages, Computervision, Medusa, stuff from ICAM untill we finally settled on MAstercam 3.3 DOS as our CAM solution. Ver. 8.1.1 but we're still waiting for 9.x

 

sound like a damn resumé

 

-Keith

[chris m]

Wow, a lot of experience in here.

 

I started in the metal trades in '95 while in co-op programs in college and haven't looked back. Most of my contemporaries are into electronics or some other 'clean' stuff but I was always interested in loud maufacturing. I started out with welding and precision sheetmetal fab (not HVAC ducts), then moved into short-run stamping and deep-drawing for a couple of years, now into CNC (and 'manual' if you can call ProtoTRAKs manual) machining for the past 3 years+.

 

Its great to see the career paths of some of you other guys; don't let Brendan fool you, even with a handle like "Buckethead" he's a pretty sharp guy...

[lynnz]

I started in 72 in a machine shop and til 77 worked aircraft machining and a machine shop for an iron foundry. In 77 caught a break and transferred to the patternshop where I've been ever since. In the early 90's, I got involved with CNC and Smartcam. Finally about 1996, we got MasterCam 5.5. Life has been great ever since. I started a home patternshop as a 2nd job in 1996 and in 2000 got a CNC for that shop. We got a seat of MasterCam 8.1 for my home shop at the same time.

Sometimes life can get rather hectic doing the dayjob and the 2nd shop, but Mastercam does make things a lot easier than it could be.

[Marty A]

i have you beat keith

i started around 1974 in the tool and die trade. my first job was running a stamping press.then i got to be an apprentice tool and die maker. finally got my journymans card and moved on to different jobs.i got my present job here in 1981 as a die helper then moved up to die leader. i then took over the milling department.we then got our first cnc machine and was asked if i wanted to learn it.well something new so yea what the heck.we since have gottentwo more machines and i ran them for almost 8 years. this past october i had a chance to program using mastercam so here i sit. started with 8.1.1 and am still learning the software that's why i can,t help much on the forum.so i'm an oldie and a newbie on here.

marty

[Keith Graydon]

Sorry Chris,

 

quote:

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and 'manual' if you can call ProtoTRAKs manual)

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ProtoTraks dont count

 

Dammit I STILL count backlash when I roll the windows up in my car!!!!! LOL

 

 

-Keith