OT: Survey

[Tom Flyer]

We're a part of the Smiths Group in Aerospace Machining. We make rotating and non-rotating jet engine parts for GE, Honeywell, a smattering of Pratt & Whitney pieces and several European engine manufacturers, mostly notably Rolls-Royce.

60% lathe work with 4 & 5 axis Okumas and Mori-Seikis.

30% milling with Monarch 75s & 150s, Maho and Kitamura.

5% EDM work, both wire and sinker, primarily for Honeywell.

Remaining 5% devoted to dynamic balancing, riveting, and piercing vane slots.

I spent 12 years on the shop floor in production and Q.C. work, moving into prototype machining for the next 18 years. Got 'promoted' to Tooling Engineer last year, designing the fixtures, gauges and tools we need.

I know roughly 5 things about programming, and I use MasterCAM to design what we need. All of the fixturing we produce is fabricated using conventional machines, unless the parts are too big or complicated for them.

Only thing I don't miss about "getting my hands dirty" is getting them bloody.

[John King]

What type of work do you do?

We mainly do work for the Truck industry. Motor parts such as compressors & turbine housings.

 

What type of programming do you do?

2D milling and lathe work

 

Do you run the machines also?

Every once in a while I go out and run machines. I have been here over 30 years and sometimes there is a problem they need help with.

 

How many machines do you keep going?

We have 38 CNC mills & 43 CNC lathes and I help keep them all running. The only thing that kinda bugs me is that they all have different controllers. Simumerik, Fanuc OM to Fanuc 21i, Acramatic 850SX to Acramatic 2100 and OSP 5000L.

Regards,

John

[Oppiz]

What type of work do you do?

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Tool & die (stamping and deep draw), fixturing, Thermal form tooling.

 

 

What type of programming do you do?

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VMC:

85% 2D milling

15% 3D milling (due to machine capability)

Wire EDM

Sinker EDM (at control)

CNC lathe (at control, couldn’t fit MC lathe in budget)

CNC grinder (at control)

 

 

Do you run the machines also?

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Just the EDMS everyday

Other machines when needed

 

How many machines do you keep going?

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2 VMC mills

1 lathe

1 wire EDM

1 Sinker EDM

2 CNC grinders

[Jack K]

We are a die shop mostly automotive work.

 

I program 80% 2D

10% Lathe

10% 3D

20% of my time is operating a machine

 

We keep 2 to 4 machines running.

 

Jack

[mayday]

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What type of work do you do?

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job shop stuff, anything the salesmen get there hands on. small to big, automotive to areospace to military

 

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What type of programming do you do?

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2d, 3d, and wire

 

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Do you run the machines also?

 

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not for a few years,no time. I do a few setups about it anymore. some training

 

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How many machines do you keep going

 

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anywhere from 1 to 8, depends on the type of work.

all large machines.

[lynnz]

What type of work do you do?

Design and build pattern equipment for sand foundries-ductile and gray iron, brass and aluminum. Also build machine tooling from time to time and some aircraft prototype models and tooling for aircraft layup molds.

 

What type of programming do you do?

mainly 3d surface machining, but some 2d. A bit of lathe programming also.

 

Do you run the machines also?

Sometimes, maybe about 10-15% of the work that goes through.

 

How many machines do you keep going?

3 machines and a lathe when needed.

 

Lynn

[Zero]

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What type of work do you do?

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We're a prototype shop. We build "works-like" prototypes and bread-boards, and "looks-like" models, and once in a blue moon we'll do very limited production runs.

 

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What type of programming do you do?

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Whatever needs to be done. I'd say it ends up being about 90%-95% 3d surface stuff and a little 2d thrown in now and then.

 

 

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Do you run the machines also?

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Yup. I'm the programmer, the setup guy/machinist, the IT guy that keeps the network up and all the computers running smoothley as well as a ton of other things....

There's another guy here who I've taught to set up the machines that can run them every now and then when he's free. He can do 2d programming on his own, his 3d programing consists of "how do I set this?, how do you do this?, is this how this goes?, ok what next?" and "hey take a look at this would you?". And I've started "training" a third guy to set up t he machine, he's very green though, only done it 2 or 3 times so far (and not by himself).

 

 

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How many machines do you keep going?

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2

 

[ 12-10-2003, 09:20 AM: Message edited by: Zero ]

[MATT Q]

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What type of work do you do?

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1.)R&D, pre-production machining of thermoformed plastic parts, machining of fixtures, molds, die models, design work of parts and molds, quoting

 

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What type of programming do you do?

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2.) 100% 3-d

 

 

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Do you run the machines also?

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3.) Yes to get the first part approval and then someone else runs the parts out and running lights out on mold work.

 

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How many machines do you keep going?

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there are 18 in the plant that I'm in and I have my hands full when we implement new jobs into the machines but when that isn't happening 2

[specv]

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What type of work do you do?

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Jobshop:

Aerospace

Medical

Computer components

Defense

Marine

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What type of programming do you do?

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3 and 4 axis, and lathes

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Do you run the machines also?

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Sometimes, when i am setting them up.

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How many machines do you keep going?

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3 MAKINO A66's

1 MAKINO A51

2 MAKINO A77'S

1 MAKINO FNC106

2 MAKINO FTS65'S

5 IKEGEI LATHES

1 MORI SEIKI LATHE

1 TAKASAWA LATHE

2 CELL-CON HORIZONTALS

 

I might be missing a few.

 

Pete

 

[ 12-10-2003, 10:20 AM: Message edited by: specv ]

[chip]

+1 on the machinery Specv

[SLJ]

What Type of Work?

 

Mostly small aerospace. Boeing, Bombardier, with Gulfstream getting started. The rest Cobalt Boats.

90% Alumn.

80% 2-d

20% 3-d

No lathes

 

do you run machines?

If I have time, but more often do fixture work.