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How does your CNC person stand while running the Machine?
Arms Folded
Hands On the hips
Coffee Cup balanced on the Gut?
One hand scratching his head the other nervously tapping his Hip?
Just wondering.
I was in a family owned woodworking business a couple years ago. The owners son, who was the cnc operator was actually sitting playing Ghost Recon on Playstation…. now that is multitasking 🙂
We run an AXYZ machine that has a hand-held controller. Our guy stands there with the contoller in one hand and his eye on the process unfolding. I never really thought about it until I saw this post. If I had a guy (son or not) thinking about PlayStation instead of my $ 2000 material being cut on my $ 100,000 machine…well it would cost me about $ 5.00 to write up his pink slip. I’ve never been more proud of my CNC operator than I am this very moment.
he actually had many small pieces, each getting some routing on. Not sure how long start to finish, but I imagine about 30 minutes to put in new parts.
If our normal operator is running the CNC, he will stay at the control while profiling and machining of small parts are done. Other than that, he sits in a chair near the machine while it is running.
I occassionally operate the CNC and do the same as far as the profiling and small parts, but don’t think you buy a couple hundred thousand dollar machine to have to babysit it full-time. If the parts are large enough that I don’t have to worry about them moving, I glue-up seams, clean up, or find something else useful to do. I wouldn’t recommend going off to the bathroom without having someone keep an eye on things, but a lot of times, CNC’s move too fast to be able to catch a crash. That is what a trustworthy programmer and load sensors are for, not to mention an operator that knows how to touch off tools properly. All of our programs are written so that Z0 is the top of the spoilboard, and they are tested in notepad to ensure that there are no -Z values. As long as the operator has the tools touched off correctly, there is a very low chance of a crash. I know the CNC routers we are using are not built quite as sturdy as metal-working CNC’s, but I have seen and heard a 1″ Dia. carbide end mill get plunged into a machine vise on rapid feed while at school. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but didn’t damage the spindle – just someone’s pride and an expensive tool. I broke off a few end mills and drill bits too, but I guess that is what school is for. I saw once on Monster Garage where Jesse James was machining a wheel. He let it run when he left at night, and it was finished in the morning.
Have a nice evening,
Seth
I sit with it in my hand. I got a Staron folding chair at the EXPO a few years back and I love it. Every time I leave the machine, something goes wrong. If I sit and watch it, no problems.
I refuse to have a chair out there. Not cool in my book.
My operator generally loads two sheets at a time, and lots of time is tagging parts with notes from drawing, cleaning up and unloading small parts and dust, router shavings etc while the other sheet is cutting. It rarely needs constant observation, there are small tasks to be done while cutting. Check the tables where parts are going to be unloaded to, etc.
Chair == bad.
Our CNC guy stands with hands near the e stop and the speed control. Like Andy said as long as he is there watching, nothing happens.
John
Chair == bad.
Jeez,
Poor Andy gets hammered on by Dave about the crumb crunchermobile, now we’re on him about his Staron chair.
Those kids grow real fast, Andy, you won’t have to put up with that for long.
The chair on the other hand…
Tom
I generally stand near our machines. As has been said, if I stay nearby nothing bad happens. It really does depend on what I am doing though. If I am confident in the machine and the operation going on I will walk away to help someone else or whatever. Someone did get me a chair but I am too embarrassed to sit in it. It just sits next to me and I use it more like a desk than a chair.
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