THE FORGOTTEN MACHINE TOOL

In the typical machine shop operation using the graphic interface unit (GUI) on the CNC, you write the program and run the part. This is the way of the world and it works well on medium and long production runs. However, we all know there is another, completely different side to even the most modern machine shop, namely, the one-off, prototype, tool room and repair environments, where operators are often highly skilled machinists who still function with handwheels and go/no go gages to produce precision parts.

Enter the world of manual mode, which we can call the forgotten machine tool for our purposes here. Today?s sophisticated CNC machines, especially the conventional turning centers, actually allow you to run a program using the handwheels and then learn the cycle with complete accuracy and precise repeatability.

A quick example: You need to do thread repair on a series of cutting tools that have all been used on the same machine with similar damage. You set the size, the location, the pitch and then approach the first workpiece using the handwheels on the machine. The CNC recognizes these steps and literally builds the program as you go. You don?t need the big slant bed lathe with C-axis and a full offline program. The skilled operator can replicate his actions or, more correctly stated, the CNC can do it, so that all the steps are repeatable after the next workpiece is aligned and the offsets entered. All contact points and machine functions are captured and reproduced exactly, every time. Jog, incremental jog and reposition steps are all memorized.

In the ideal situation, this is considered one way the skilled manual operator, the one who always said he?d never learn G-code, doesn?t need to do it and can still back into the mode of CNC operation. Without ever seeing a G-code block, he can edit the program using conversational language and machine the same way he made the first piece. Some folks call this semi-CNC or even manual CNC, but it isn?t. It?s simply the way the CNC can be used in its manual mode of operation, to speed the performance on the machine and utilize the skills of the handwheel operator to create a part program on the fly, so to speak.

For the shop owner, this is another avenue to improving the performance of your shop and keeping the workforce very productive. Even those old-timers, who can?t imagine learning G-code, will benefit from this feature. After all, these are the very employees who may have helped you build your company. We know dozens of shops where this manual mode of operation on the CNC has helped ease the transition for many machinists and made them more productive without the need for extensive retraining.

That forgotten machine tool can be the best thing you remembered today, if you learn to use it most effectively. The power of today?s CNC is often emphasized and it certainly has a great ability to run your machines faster, more accurately and much more efficiently on production work. But it also has this subtle side that, if used properly, can enhance the overall performance of your shop and your people. Good to remember.

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Randy Pearson is the sales support manager for U.S. dealers and OEMs of Siemens Energy & Automation, Motion Control Business, 390 Kent Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007, www.siemenscnc.com. As a longtime veteran of the machine tool industry, his special interest is the training aspect on CNC machine tools, through various seminars and classes the company conducts at votech schools and on-site at shops, as well as at Siemens training facilities around the country. If you have questions or comments on this or other CNC topics, call Randy at 847-640-1595 or email him at [email protected].