Jakethemildlyunusualsnake
75913
1037
45
Just finished my last day as an intern with a machine shop to complete my degree bio mechanical systems engineering. Figured I would share a few stories.
Mills and lathes are some of the messiest things I've ever worked with. Spend a full swapping out parts to be machined and you will be soaked in coolant and covered in metal chips. Biggest rule though is too clean up spilled coolant on the floor, which amounts to throwing absorbant on it and then forgetting to sweep it up.
Being an engineer I am pretty good with modelling software. Well as soon as my manager got wind of that, I was at a computer putting the hundred of parts into CAD (computer aided design). Fun at first, but got pretty tedious after a while.
Even my mentor would go out for "smoke" breaks. One month in a drug test announced, it was then promptly forgotten about and never done. Everyone always was functional and did their jobs though.
Maybe not the best for precision or overall efficiency, but easily the best interface and controls. It's an old Cincinnati Arrow 500 if anyone is interested. In order to transfer programs to it you have to use a floppy and hope your files aren't too big. Perfect size for doing prototyping or making little clamps or fixtures for the other machines.
About a month before the end of internship period and after designing multiple new products and showing the usefulness of 3-D printing, I was offered a full-time position with a nice sized salary, assuming I stuck around for at least another 2 years.
I've got plenty more stories if ya'll are interested. Oh and Happy Halloween!!
FP Edit: send butts, guys and gals!
Cat tax
forelle
Please tell us that the Windows 95 machine is detatched from the internet : )
AnonoMouser
We used to call it a "quality control break".
KrilatiVoin
Idon't see much positive stuff on here. My fellow machinists, be off and make your works of art!
jubajuice
I would happily do horrible horrible things just to work as a machinist. I had my Y1 ticket, but haven't so much as seen a lathe in 3 years.
jammer909
So, did you take the job?
Adrian271
After working 12 years on Haas CNCs, Solidworks and Mastercam, I can confirm all of this, even the pot smoking.
OB34731
I'm a journeyman machinist. Worked one of the first numerical control machines for Saturn V. My stuff went to the moon. Loved that work!
kmaz
Are you Kevin "Suck My Balls" Magnussen?
AncientPostNecromancer
If you need someone to pit parts into CAD let me know. I enjoy modeling in Inventor and i do work for several machine shops already!
MagnificentBeast
All of that is so damn true
prfesser
Video of parts being machined seems to make Imgur come.
Jakethemildlyunusualsnake
Sadly though, my only thought when I see them now is "where is the coolant?!?!"
88wut
Interesting stuff. Please post more.
butsir
I enjoyed my short time in the machine shop but it is more fun as a hobby
steelinmyhead
Doers are in short supply. Dreams ain't shit if you can't build them.
boudinthedog
Nobody would remember Armstrong if it wasn’t for John glen or all the engineers who built Apollo you gotta start somewhere
WardSharlow
Yep. If you've ever paid a machine shop to make a part, it's very clear.
Jakethemildlyunusualsnake
Well said
steelinmyhead
Tell ur kids and their friends . Great way to make a living sans college debt.
waspssuckforever
Moar pls. As a machinist student, and prospective mech/mat eng. student, i love theses.
personcav
draftsman here, this is all true
SquirrelBrisket
I've always wanted to do this, how much school does it take to get into this career?
Jakethemildlyunusualsnake
Send me a message if you wanna know more about it
gamlingcs
I went to a 7 month trade school. Gave you some good basics on manuals and CNC as well as CADCAM and some minor inspection/EDM work.
Ka7o
Machining? I started with 0 experience. Two guys I work with took an entry level training course. Around 9-18 months depending where you go
MouseDenton
If you teach yourself manual programming, you'll never have to job hunt.
Jakethemildlyunusualsnake
Honestly, I kinda fell into it, I have a full 4year degree in mechanical. A good 2 year tech school is good enough though
Skyjoker54
Any where from none (on the job training) to two years
quillfreminenti
Gratz on employment.
RandomHero59
1Plebian
I used to work in a machine shop, ended up as night shift manager. Best job I've ever had.
Alex0469
Fellow CNC machinst here.
PhantomCrayon
Ah! My dad owns a machine shop - We have a Cincinnati Arrow as well, best machine. Was it also a horrible shade of Robin blue?
ihateyouandyourstupidassface
"Everyone smokes pot." When i was in high school, my dad tried to get me into an apprenticeship at Konrad in Hudson, WI. 1/2
ihateyouandyourstupidassface
I failed the drug test. I was surprised that anyone was surprised.
JaimePearson
I used to work in a machine shop, our best cnc used windows xp
Morg729
As a biomedical engineer student, I'm interested in more stories and how to get in with a company like that
eihposnostam
I want a nice sized salary :(
TheJudgeHasItBackwards
You want some advice, one biomedical engineer to another? Get the bachelor's in pure mechanical, then do biomedical as a masters or PhD. 1/
TheJudgeHasItBackwards
I love biomedical engineering, but jobs as a BS level are reletivly scarce and pay less. Also, your machine shop experiance will payoff. 2/2
Jakethemildlyunusualsnake
Mine is kind of a mix actually, the majority of my degree was pure mechanical, the bio mechanical came in my last year. It was essentially..
Jakethemildlyunusualsnake
a few classes and labs to help learn how the body worked from a mathematical perspective
ThatDutchPerson
@op Did you take the job?
Jakethemildlyunusualsnake
Yep, better paycheck than I'd get otherwise, plus it's good experience
YourBioAsAComment
LeiserGeist
They should set up a little network share and connect the Win98 machine! Would save SO MUCH headache from fucking with floppys!
LeiserGeist
If you suggest this I think they'll love you even more lol. PM if you want config details
LeiserGeist
I did it with a Pi for my legacy software/hardware W98 machine, so convenient! No size limits! Just needs some auth configs tweaked
Clockworkdancerobot
Did this a while back for a customer who's hardware ran Windows 3.11.
LeiserGeist
I was surprised 98 could connect to modern Samba shares, but 3.11? Jeez!
justwatching
Post a follow up with cool machined stuff you made and grave workplace accidents.
auserwithaname
I worked at an internship for Drones. We had a test that used high powered fans as a load. Guy checked the suction, it was too much, lost1/2
auserwithaname
His finger. He's lucky he didn't lose more honestly, they were powerful fans spinning incredibly fast. 2/2
TheJudgeHasItBackwards
I have witnessed a degloving and a finger crushing in the metal shear. The first one still gives me nightmares. No gloves around rotationals
Spinninquinn
We had a guy stick his hand in a 70 ton punch press. Plates closed without .040". Visions of what was once his hand still haunt me.
TheJudgeHasItBackwards
Yeah the guy with the shear didn't get his fingers cut off, but the set bar that drops brfore the cut. Sprayed like a Tarantino movie.
Spinninquinn
Did his finger tips blow off? That was the worst part of the one I saw. That and the carnage left on the tooling.
TheJudgeHasItBackwards
Sort of, it crushed the to the first knuckle on three of his fingers, Jackson Pollaking the wall in front of him.