Women CNC Machinists?

[handlewanker]

Ok OK OKKKKKKKK, maybe I intimated that men don't get on with women in the 'shop, well I never worked in any 'shop where women were working on the same machines or jobs I was working on.

Now here I just have to be realllllllyyyyyyyy carefull what I say.....in my estimation CNC machines are PRODUCTION type machines, well suited for men, women AND children to work ,operate and do what it requires to do whatever it takes, just the size dictates the capability of the operator/worker whatever.

I wouldn't expect a woman to work on a Craven face plate lathe with a 10 foot chuck and with jaws weighing 500 lb each, handling jobs in excess of 10 tons etc.....that's hard yakker....and the CNC lathes and mills are in my estimation preset machines that require more finesse and skill than the manual lathes and mills etc of the latter years, which is where I hail from.

I never EVER wanted to work a capstan or turret lathe, either setting or operating one, and those that did were only lower skilled workers, but necessary for the work oputput, and many women during the war went down that path, and still do, but now the difference is the capstan lathes have given way to the CNC lathes where preset tooling is drawn form a magazine and auto selected by program....easy peasy....press the green button when the red light flashes...if'n you know how etc.

I could not envisage many women desiring (as in "I'd really love to do that") to set up an Index auto to do a job run, or for that matter a Wickman multichucker, but that's horses for courses, I've tooled them up but never worked on them.

Having said that, I would not hesitate to aquire and mess with a current CNC lathe, mill or router, for whatever purpose.....the set-up is more fascinating than bunging together a load of form tools, in an old type Auto lathe, that had to be positioned exactly to do the part and when you finally get the set-up right the machine just clanks away to itself....mindless, gormless repetition metal hacking that would drive you bonkers if'n you had to do it all day long.

The last firm I worked at before retirement had Nakamuras and a few Mazaks amongst others, and I was responsible for the tooling for the various set-ups, but I never lost interest in the Nakamuras when they were humming away hour after hour, and the combination of a few preset tools that could do anything and more than the old Index autos and Wickmans, with the CNC programs to guide them.

Even so, in our factory we never had Women working the CNC Lathes (no mills), most of the women worked on the presses, mills, drills, broaches polishers and other auto machines, which were set-up by the men.

I've never met a female "cowboy" either or a female motorcycle cop, and I bet not many women would like to wreck cars for a living.......the list goes on.

CNC machining is a more genteel art than the old manual lathes and mills, and as I never got to handle a CNC machine of any description I would have to say if'n I were to do my time over again, the Engineering trade would not any more be my first choice, probably because I am a control type of personality and CNC is anything but conducive to that, and gives me no satisfaction, that is why women are able to enter the field of Engineering and apply their talents as they desire, the workplace is now more civilized than days of yore.
Ian.

[FemmeMachinist]

I work specifically on CNC Mills only (because I hate Lathes and refuse to do work on them) and I also happen to work on the largest CNC Mill we have in our shop. My supervisor works on the other one (they're also the two newest machines, so he definitely staked his claim on at least one of them).

Admittedly, the Mill I work on is so large and oddly laid out, that I often have to use a step stool just to take the tools out and put different ones in as well because they're so high up.

However, I'm also nearly 5'7 so I don't know how a man OR woman who is shorter than that would reach them, either. The design of the machine isn't very well laid out (it's a Samsung w/ Fanuc Controls).

They switch around machines a lot where I work, but I seem to be the only person who gets to stay on the same machine or work on the supervisor's machine, for the most part. I don't think it has anything to do with being a woman, though....it's mostly because I organize things in my area in a very specific way, have all of my "girl tools" and such laid out there, and have sort of marked my territory so that no one else would want to work on them for fear they'll mess up my OCD-induced work area. I mostly just like having the new machine that's still relatively clean and has bad-ass high speed tools that aren't used on the other machines.

[DouglasR]

It's a bit more common now than it was say, in the 70s when I started. I've seen more females in the CNC workplace than at anytime since. However, it's still somewhat of a rare site.

[handlewanker]

Having ruffles a few feathers in a topic that borders on His/Her capability and not preference, I would go so far as to say that Women are now able to contribute far more succesfully on the machinery forum that previously was a Male dominated field, simply because Males always were the only "prime movers" in a domain designed with the Male physical characteristics for utilisation.

Take away the gender aspect and we have the CNC mode that makes gender only attributes a non requirement.

In the factory I last worked in, a woman working a production Milling machine only had to press two buttons to initiate the cycle and at the end of the predetermined cycle, remove the part, load another part and re-initiate the cycle again......so boring, it makes me cringe to think anyone could be enticed with money to actually do this job day after day without undergoing a mental outlook problem, but many women did (do the job).

Some men did too, but we always found the male workers to be totally unreliable to actually stay on the job without constantly sloping off to have a fag (cigarette, smoke) or go to the toilet.

There is a school of thought that implies that Women have the ability to utilise both sides of their brain independently, which means they are able to focus each side on different topics without losing concentration of each, (multi tasking).....Men have a one tract mind....LOL.

Actually, now that CNC has made machining a more modern way to process metal, the ability to multi sex a workplace is now totally achievable, since the muscle power that once went to working a Capstan Lathe or Milling machine etc, has been superseded by the stepper/servo motor and NC logic.

This does not mean that double sided brain capable Women or single focused Males are the only ones suitable for the new technology, as in years gone by, but the introduction of the computer logic via stepper/servo motor control to do the manoeuvering of the work functions enables ANYONE who is not actually brain dead to become a totally highly skilled machine worker, producing parts, no longer in huge batch quantities on preset machines by skilled setters to make the machining operation pay, but in single complex patterns with the ability to change the part dimension at a moments notice without having to rework the part should a machining "mishap" or design requirement occur.

This opens up the field to engineering capabilities and career paths hitherto unheard of, and the "invasion" of the workshop by Females is not really an occurence but a reality, and only has to encouraged for the better good.....Women are more creative than Men, and men are more adventurous than Women, but in the CNC workshop adventurism and creativity are melded into one.

I would go so far as to say that the early encouragement of Females to CNC processes should be in the schools with the common knowledge that CNC is a creative force and Women are as much part of that field and as capable the Males are.
Ian.

[Hennessy]

Meh... I think it has nothing to do with manual vs cnc ... it is more of a change in the social dynamic. In my generation there arn't vary many "Real Men" any more... There a lot of men who act like girls. Most of my friends cant understand why I wont go the bar on a Wednesday night and stay out till 2 am... My roommate is a good example ... I have known him scene high school and he dosent have the skill to do the most basic bit of home repair. I had to show him how to get the lawn mower started. living with him is the same as living with my last girlfriend .... In the bath room I cant plug a dam thing in ... what man has a hare dryer and 5 things of stuff for his hare? He go's out to the bar ... gets 4 hours of sleep and goes to what he calls work ... the last time I did that was 6 years ago ... I spent 4 hours in the emergency room after I got my hand caught in the lathe I was working on... But he swears that he can do my job... LOL ... He answers the phones!!!! ... Didn't that used to be called being a secretary?

Any more being a "Blue collar" isn't cool ... Most girls dont like it so alot of guys dont do it... That leaves a big void in all the trades, but I feel that Machining is the hardest hit by this. The plane lack of anyone to do the job is ridiculous.. we cant even find an operator where I am at.

My dad once toled me " It takes more than what dangles between your legs to make you a man "

I honestly think this is what has been lost with my generation.

Real men are few and far between ...... so if you can hang with me ... I dont care who you are.... we got parts to make.

[neilw20]

Henessy,
Just wondering. Do you have a spelling problem? (14) or is this a lack of attention to detail? If you have a dyslexia, you are excused.

[handlewanker]

Nahhh. his spell checker is off...who gives a rat's anyway, 'longs the message gets a cross.

BTW, my granny had a dyslekseea many years ago, but the back wheels fell off...LOL.
Ian.

[Hennessy]

My English teachers never could figure out what was wrong with me... I still catch my self writing backwards but I never have had that problem with numbers.

Hennessy

[neilw20]

OK. Looks like you are excused.

[rosieofthenorth]

RE- Women in machining: The only people who tried to deter me from entering into the machining trade were other women. I enjoy working in the male environment, and not to rub shoulders. The attitude is different. It's about the work. We work as a team. They help me, I help them. From the day I started in the precision machining apprenticeship course not one man batted an eye or thought anything of it. I'm from a family of skilled tradespeople. It's what's expected. I used to go with my father to the factory on PA days when I was kid (obviously before the strict days of Health and Safety regulations). I love working with metal. You do what you love. Some men are nurses. Some women are welders (I do that as well). I've worked as a receptionist/administrator and hated every waking minute of it and hope to God I never have to return to that field. During the week I'm in jeans, t-shirt, work boots and covered in metal dust and shavings. Now that being said, do we still walk a fine line in that field? Absolutely. The guys talk about all sorts of things that would make your hair curl. I ignore it (comes naturally just by being over 40). The guys think it's hilarious that I can tune them completely out. They will be talking about female body parts and ask me what I think, and of course they know I'm not listening and I always just nod in agreement. I'm the deaf aunt who just smiles and nods on command and keeps working away. You leave your feminist handbook at home. Burn the dinner, not your bra. Just do your job to the best of your ability, and ignore the little peeps you might hear and you'll discover that the guys respect you for the fact that you just want to get along and get the job done so your company does well and your job remains intact. Save the "princess" persona for the days off and you will have a great life. Keep on chucking... ha ha (k I thought that was funny)

[handlewanker]

I could not imagine a fate more worse than death than working in a team, not in 50 years have I ever worked in a team, but that's just me.
Ian.

[neilw20]

And me.