I guess the company is tring to compete by having us run more and more machines at once.
Sometime up to 4 machine centers at one time, boy its hard to measure the parts, running this much stuff a day
thanks Brad

15 cnc's 24/7 for the last 8 years.....
14 more coming before january is done.....
4 millwrights 2 electricians
I don't need a gym membership, I jog from breakdown to breakdown......

I'm not production, I'm maintenance.

2 Maintenance techs per shift.....1 Machine.

Oh.....This machine is a quarter mile long, four stories high, a hundred feet wide, and takes twelve production people to run it.

My life long dream as a Maintenance man is to work in a comletely automated mill.....No production people.....No opperators.....Just one great big green start button and a whole lot of maintenance men :stickpoke

Millman, 4 machines running isnt too bad, I'm alone for about 4 hours everymorning with 5 cncs. I don't just run them in the morning, I set them up and program them also, now that is abuse. Try setting up 2 machines at the same time, while running 3 others, add in a bandsaw and some paperwork and invoicing, and by 9am when I get an employee or two(two is a good day), I'm toast.

Usually just 1-2 machines for me.

One multitasking Mori Lathe....If they don't like it they can kiss my butt goodbye.....I am a job shop machinist...not production operator....The owner doesn't know a thing about these machines...neither does anyone else at our shop....If they can FIND someone to replace me...bring them on..I'll sit at home all day and do Ebay...While my machine is running I sit and read and smoke all day...I've been working in Machine shops since 1975...Programming since 1982...all Job shops...anyone who runs more than one machine is a fool.....Find another place...compete my butt...greed is their first and middle names....All the small job shops should start a Union...If the owners don't like it they can close and open a McDonalds..Then see what kind of workers they will have.

Forum Rules:

Please resist the urge to curse, flame, degrade, insult or embarrass someone in your post.

1 engraving/milling machine (Mecanumeric Mf 1525) , perhaps another one more until January.Sorry if my english's not very good... :)

Mattmachinist,

Sounds like you need to become an entrepeneur. If you can run more than one at a time, you surely would. So does your boss also think. What do you think he buys you your toys with?

used to set up, program run 4 lathes at once....thats when I was young and stupid.
I get paid more running one now

Sometimes two machines but usually just one. We have VMC that we use making one off stuff and machine times are short. Then we have an older mill that we use in production machining and I operate it when I have enough time.

I use non at work. It's missing the "0" in the poll field. It would be interesting to see how many professionals and amateurs here are at cnczone.
/jan

1 Single Point Diamond Turning Lathe, there are two in my lab, but there's absolutely no way you can run two at the same time. There's only me that does this here. I get a drawing from some fool "designer" (last one I got rquired a tool with a 0.5mm shank lol no WAY!), order raw material, programme the machine (aspheric lenses) do some big sums- tell the machine to do somethign else (which it invaribly ignores lol) then make some more corrections, then clean inspect and package, do the inspection report then collapse. I live on ciggaretes and coffee hehe!

Oh! I do quotes too and my customers are always screaming 1 day after they place the Purchase Order.

By 5 pm my brain is fried.

Still that's why they call it work hehe :)

I need the "0" option. All hobby for me.

I run 2 lathes, progam and setup and run them. I also help with any issue they have in the mill department concerning Mastercam. They use an old program called Image also because the primary mill guy sucks at mastercam. Some of the harder parts I program with mastercam.

The number of machines someone is able to run can change a lot depending on the material being machined and how it's programmed. The department I work in runs mostly 316. I've run a couple of jobs with 303 or brass. With 303 or brass you can almost set it and forget it. As for the programming, it depends on what the shop is looking for. You can crank up the feeds and speeds to get a part off quicker but have to pay more attention to the tools. On the other hand, you can slow them down and run them all day and need to pay less attention to one machine, leaving more time for another machine.

2 cnc lathes... 1988 Hitachi turn 20 SII and a 1997 Hitachi 23J
1 cnc mill... 1993 Matsuura RA IIF

I Program/setup/run them

And i love it!!!

I Set-up, Program, and operate one HAAS VF-3. When I was young and stupid I Set-up, Programmed and Operated two Lathes and one Mill. The Lathes where a Dainichi BX45 Slant Bed 10 inch Chuck (Fanuc 10T), Ikegai FX25 10 inch Chuck (Fanuc 6T), and a Matsuura SV1000 CAT40 (Yasnac MX2). Now that I'm smarter, I do it all for one machine for more money. Before that a 6 axis Tsugami B012E II Panther (Fanuc 1LE) Swiss Screw CNC, two Lathes (Mazak), and a Hitachi Seiki (Fanuc 6M). Why is it that some people think they can get blood from a rock, for too long? Just a matter of time, 2years max. :cool:

tobyaxis :cheers:

Primarly only one machining centre at a time. That is, setup, program, and do the job. Mostly short series, 2 - 100 parts. If each part takes a long time to produce, i might be asked to run another machine, mostly just feeding it. Often ask to look after the automatic saw as well.

Currently 0 but 3 envisioned for the future. :)

Running multiple machines is pure gravy for a boss. The usual result is that no good deed goes unpunished! At one time I was running an EDM department. I had 6 machinists under my supervision. I was also expected to setup and run 2 machines. When I made a mistake and was too harried to catch it I was fired! The simple truth is that in this trade just as in other endeavors people will push you until you break if you let them. The way to do well in the trade is to constantly upgrade your skills and also seek out employment with companies that are willing to pay an honest day's wages for an honest day's work. However if you are young and energetic you can own your own shop and then you have many bosses not just one! If you are willing to take the risk you get the reward. I've had it both ways and being your own boss is very good if you can handle it! I think that where some bosses go wrong is that they work very very hard and take total responsibility for their business outcomes, and then they feel the guy that they hire should be made to work that way and only get wages. This just doesn't work in the long run. I'm not saying that a shop owner should'nt get the rewards for his efforts. I'm saying that pushing your workers too hard creates more problems than it solves.
All that being said, there are legitimate situations where running more than one machine is reasonable. In most shops if your machine has enough cycle time you are expected to deburr and check your work. If you have a long cycle time and another machine is running well and you have enough time to mind both without having to neglect checking or deburring the parts, you may be able to do it without too much strain. Also you should consider that running a horizontal machining center is just like running 2 machines. While one pallet is running, the operator is loading; checking and deburring the other pallet. It can get rather busy but you're only running 1 machine aren't you? I guess the adage "All things in moderation" applies here.

2 vert - Yang, Akira-Seiki
1 horizontal - Saeilo Mach3

I programm/setup/run
Mostly Alum, rarely 303, 304sst

2 or 3 machines, every day. Reason number one why I am starting up my own shop very soon.....

I thinking about start up, but need some money for beginning

2 or 3 machines, every day. Reason number one why I am starting up my own shop very soon.....

Why? So you can run four or five for less money?:D

ha ha. No, so I can charge $60 an hour, per machine, like my boss. And pay myself accordingly. Seriously, I've been doing this gig for almost 10 years, and I'm tired of working for people who have no regard for their employees, and have no interest in new ideas or methods

ha ha. No, so I can charge $60 an hour, per machine, like my boss. And pay myself accordingly. Seriously, I've been doing this gig for almost 10 years, and I'm tired of working for people who have no regard for their employees, and have no interest in new ideas or methods

You wouldn't live in FL would you? :) lol

Iv'e been beating that horse for a while now. I am in the process of a startup, things are starting to come around. All I can say is good luck and have at it!!

I operate setup and program a haas super mini mill. But I got started on a VF-4. I got in a small job shop because I knew the Haas "It was BRAND NEW and nobody had a clue." The owner is Hardinge loyal but the Haas makes me look sooo good. He tells me of how wonderful they (Hardinge) are and all I can do is muttle to myself something about not being able to find the character I want on a Fanuc control. ( Sorry, It's all I know. " Haas" )

We have 14 CNC machines in the shop.

On daily bases I operate:
Okuma Mx-40, 2 pallets, 60 tools, 4axis, OPS7000M
Mazak Variax 500, 5axis Matrix

Sometimes
Viliam Petersen 2000, Siemens
DMG mill with Siemens 810D
Mori Seiki, Fanuc 16M

Best...
Leon
----
try and learn !

Grew up in a family shop, so running more than one machine had a direct incentive...

Get one screw machine up and running, then start on a second, a third, ....the challenge was to get all 6 of our Traub A-25's, the Hardinge ASM-5C ( a genuine POS) and the Davenport running at the same time. It didn't happen often, but when it did, I was making upwards of $100+/hr for the shop. Not bad in 1970 dollars, and my wage of $3/hr.

We could bid machine time low, get lots of jobs, and make good money.

The advent of CNC has changed things in a lot of ways, but a lot of things stay the same. My philosophy is that the boss needs to offer incentives for a skilled machinist to run more than one machine at a time, that way you've got a symbiotic relationship.

If I've got a cycle that takes more than 6 or 8 minutes, I don't mind working on a second machine.....shorter than that, I'll spend my time bothering you guys here!

It all depends in my shop usualy there are a couple machines running bar so all they have to do is load and check parts ever so often and they can run other machines so they just kinda tag team the others but for the most prt they run one at a timei have 5 guys 7 machines and a new mill that will be here tomorrow so i have to hire two more, 2 guy runs 10hr on one mill one on days and one on nights and the new mill will be the same about 10,000 to 15,000 parts a weak per machine.

...anyone who runs more than one machine is a fool.....Find another place...compete my butt...greed is their first and middle names.....

Anyone who thinks for one minute that the lose of manufactuing jobs to countries like China dosn't warrent companies to become more competative is the real fool. (chair)

We defenetly have to do something to keep jobs here

Running multiple machines is fine under the right conditions. Therefore it can't usually be done all the time. What we do is have "machine loaders" what these people do is simply change parts. when the machine runs out of parts they move to the next machine or machine cell while a setup person sets up the the next job.

Anyone who thinks for one minute that the lose of manufactuing jobs to countries like China dosn't warrent companies to become more competative is the real fool.

I work in the UK. Our customer in the States decided to pull the contract and send the job the China. I was dissaponted since we did a good job but could understand their gain in margins.

Three months later the customer was back on the phone "erm... can we give you the contract back? the Chinese can make them, but not right".

LMAO... needless to say I had to "renegotiate" the contract (ie add on more costs). They're still with us :)

I work in the UK. Our customer in the States decided to pull the contract and send the job the China. I was dissaponted since we did a good job but could understand their gain in margins.

Three months later the customer was back on the phone "erm... can we give you the contract back? the Chinese can make them, but not right".

LMAO... needless to say I had to "renegotiate" the contract (ie add on more costs). They're still with us :)

Just be careful they may still be shopping!!!!!!!!!!!!

I operate 6 CNC lathe and 2 VMC

Haas SL20
2 Takisawa EX108
2 Takisawa TW20
Takisawa TW30
Haas VF2
Haas VF3

Currently 2.

My dream is to build a robot to replace me.

The only problems I forsee are:

1) I'll probably have to drive him to work ( darned motor vehicle laws )

2) The IRS. ( Would that be earned income ?)

3) He'd probably get lonely, being the only robot...

4) If he cracks under the stress and does bodily harm to my idiot boss, am I responsible ?

5) How long will it be before HE decides to build HIS replacement?

Well, the problems seem minor enough.
Things to do:
Finish router
build robot

:)

We have 18 Mori lathes in 3 cells, and I have run them all...not at the same time, of course...the most I have had to run at once was 5, but I average 2-3 on a regular basis. Not including the CMM, of course....and then there is trying to hold grind tolerances on many dimensions (+/- 0.0003 in certain cases) on a lathe center....and lets not forget the specialty tooling that requires being removed from the machine to be set. My inspection desk looks like a guage crib. OK, Ill stop whining now... :)

Mike

Dear Sir,

We have one Dainichi BX45 CNC Machine with Fanuc 10 T F Control with AC Servo spindle & AC Servo Axis. Our this machine is under breakdown and we are facing problems in its parameters.

As you are already using the said machine in your plant, hence we shall be highly obliged to you, if you please send us its Parameters at our e-mail ID so that we may able to solve our problem accordingly.

We hope your kind co-operation in this matter at your earliest.

Regards
Puneet Gupta
Long Life Industries,
E-295, Phase-IV, Focal Point,
Ludhiana-141 010 (PB.) INDIA.

1 Haas Minimill (2007)
Old Bridgeport CNC VMC
Centroid/Hardinge Retrofit lathe
2 bandsaws
1 Manual Bridgeport
Clausing Lathe
Manual Lathe

I run 30 machines a day all by myself.... haha. Before everyone or after everyone is done calling names and making claims of "just replace me" How long are your runtimes... if you had a part that had a thirty minute runtime, as a supervisor, should I let you stand around and read a book... I dont think so, at the same time I agree with having incentives. We are talking about paiyng by the part for every part you run on your other machine as an incentive, Different jobs would of course be different prices per part.

On the 5 machines I have to run, the longest cycle time is 3 min 42 sec. The shortest is 51 sec. and the 51 sec mach is a finish op, so there is a 100% visual inspection for finish and defects in the casting, as well as 100% dimension gauging on 7 dimensions. And the only incentive is that you lose your job if you cant keep up your rate.