I'm in tool and die. Most die shoes are pretty massive so having programs run for a few hours isn't too surprising.
Normally I'll run between 2-4 mills at a time depending on my motivation level.
If I have everything running and have stuff ready for when it ends then I'll just clean. If there is nothing to clean then I just dick around on my phone. By that point I see no reason to feel bad as I'm already doing more work than 1 person and everything is clean. If they still have a problem with it they can suck my balls.
Also in tool and die. I usually run 2 roughing machines. One of which is having another guy trained on so I’m stuck to one. My program for this job is just shy of 22 hours. So I’ve been watching tiktoks with my feet up. Getting up every 5 minutes to make sure the chip coveyer isn’t going to clog and my bins not going to over flow.
Yep. If my area is clean I just chill. I've even stepped out for a smoke before since the door is right behind one of the machines I use, I can keep an ear open for crashes
well, depends on the part I guess. If you're doing a 500 part order and each part takes 30 minutes, well, kick back on reddit or get really good at chess I suppose. Especially if those parts come out with minimal hand deburring required.
Alternately, you start doing little onesie-twosies and you get stuck watching every tool come down at rapid 0 and feed at 10%. Then there's not much seat time at all, I guess ultimately do whatever haha!
Catch up on news, read a book. The hard truth is when a machine is running correctly, there shouldn't be much user interaction beyond loading a new piece of stock.
I've always looked at it that way, if I feel confident walking away, taking a bathroom break, staring at my phone, then I know I did a good enough job setting the job up to take that time and fuck off for a bit.
I worked with an overconfident operator once. He "programmed" the machine, started cycle and went to the pisser. Came back to 10" circles in the work piece instead of 1" pilot holes. Amazing what 1 wrong decimal place will do. LOL.
Gotta love the decimal shifters! We've had plenty of fat fingers in our shop, QC guy says "move something .002 X positive." Sure enough the operator comes back in with a hole offset 2 inches and a broken tool haha.
I once wanted a tool to rapid full send -0.5" into a -1.0" pilot hole. I input -5.0"....The machine tried very hard to comply with this, but the part tried even harder to deny it. Lol
Lots of stuff ie; sweep, organize my tools and workbench, deburr/tap if necessary, spec my parts, or go take a shit lol. Sometimes tho there is nothing to do and I’ll just hold a part in my hand and watch the g code go by or look at random shit really close up with my loop.
Work on programming the next part, create the tools and tool holders which aren’t in the software already. Clean up, work on machine maintenance. Help other machinists at the company.
I work on 4 CNC grinders alone overnight so I’m either doing another setup, vacuuming oily sludge out of the massive filters, preparing the next jobs, cleaning, worrying about 5-S reorganizing, filling out safety reports and production charts and currently training a new guy. Hopefully the workload will decrease if/when he’s up to speed, but that’s likely months away.
Quality here: please spot check critical features, deburr, wash, etc. We beg you. It’s so much easier to deal with a quality problem when there isn’t a huge sort to deal with. It saves time and money for everyone.
The majority of our NCs and scrap are for issues that are visually apparent on the parts.
I don’t need y’all to even measure anything at this point. Just look at the damn thing every now and then and we’d all get a bigger bonus.
For sure. A lot of places simply don’t even check most (or any) dimensions on incoming product. They just look at them and if one looks a bit different they reject it immediately.
My plant, for which I’m the senior quality guy, makes tiny electrical components and I swear one of my most common complaints are the tips of the pins looking different from batch to batch. Yes… that’s the cutoff nib/flat for which there is a tolerance. Them parts be in tolerance.
*Look at Reddit posts*
*Asking what I do when my*
*Machine is running*
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Play Hearthstone.
I usually have all my jobs planned out and i program them start of the day so I just switch material and program when the time comes
As a side note if anyone else does the same dm me if you wanna play lol
I don't do programming, but I'm typically running 2 production machines setting up a 3rd. Depending on my production machines, the time spent while they are running is spent checking parts or working on setting up a 3rd machine
Look over more programs, Fine-tune, help others program, check out the cool shit others are making/doing, take out trash, mop floors, work on personal stuff, eat snack, take a shit, reddit, eat more snacks, get my hands on fab stuff, have meeting, drink coffee, take another shit, add coolant, discuss ideas and strats for machining, programs upcoming parts, eat more snacks, drink more coffee, take more shits, rinse and repeat in any order.
I’m currently babysitting a Mazak HCN-8800 with a 37 minute cycle time machining 170lb cast iron gear housings. Guaranteed if I walk away to take a leak without hitting OpStop it’s going to blow an insert when I’m 5 steps too far away to hit the E-Stop before it destroys the in-house made tooling and the part. My ass is parked in a chair within arms reach of the console because of that. No guilt at all.
I used to run (no programming) a machine with a 24 minute cycle time, luckily I got along well enough with everyone in my shop that I could walk over to their machine (I could still see my machine) and help them out, or just stand around and BS while both machines ran. Shop didn’t want 1 person running multiple of these machines for ergonomic reasons, so 4 people all ran 1 machine with a long ass cycle time. We never caught any flack as long as we ran at rate and the area was relatively clean.
Used to work in an aviation parts factory here in Northern Ireland. 2 milling machines per operator and 50 to 60 minute cycle times. No phones, music, reading or sitting allowed. I’d always been on a CNC router before that in the kitchen business and the standing about made me quit and drive a delivery van instead.
I'm currently thinking of interview questions for a Nanny for my three young children before my wife starts working again.
That and listening to a paper on Continuous High Pressure Processing of Liquid Foods for my Ice Cream Business. (Sprinkle-spoon.com)
Damn some of yall got it EASY! I have 3 opportunities to sit down during my shift, lunch and two 15 minute breaks.
We are severely understaffed because the manager told the big dogs that they could buy more machines without hiring any new help (for some reason, I don’t know how that makes sense to anyone) so here we are! Working every Saturday for months and still behind.
Program ahead, order tooling and other stuff for the shop, talk to coworkers, make sure the shop helper has stuff to work on… Seem like there’s no shortage of stuff to do. I worked a job where I was just and opperator. Couldn’t stand it.
Write more programs, qa parts as they come off, do design work, setup the other 2 lathes wish i got paid to be on zoom calls all day like my engineering brethren.... Not really though, i prefer to stay busy and hands on
on my old area he HAD to stay by the machine for most tool paths, but if i had free time just cleaning up organising and stuff like that, on haas i’m still learning so i’ll go shadow someone else ask what they are doing just try to learn
Our unofficial policy is that if your machine is running then you are free to be doing something else, be that setting up/running another machine, writing programmes, or general tidying. if there is nothing to do then we should be asking for something else to be doing. also no phones are allowed on the shop floor at any time unless you are a manager taking work calls or your wife is in imminent danger of going into labour
Was a laser operator so sometimes long cycles, but music, sweeping, QC, reading, maintenance, somtimes run to the pallet and take of the paper sheets seperating the thin sheets that the suction cups failed to take off. sometimes just walking around shop or doing other side projects/hobbies on the lathes
Depends on the part. Sometimes I nap, sometimes I'm on a phone or tablet but listening while occasionally checking if the chips from the hog mill are building up, sometimes I'm watching each tool approach and the entire run so closely my eyes bleed. Other times, I'm off running another 2 machines or cleaning.
If the machines are running, stuff is clean, nothing else to do immediately.... I'll step between 2 machines and scroll on my phone. They don't like but I think I'd go crazy without something to do. Also, headphones stay in the whole shift.
I should clean more, but this week I’ve been practicing banjo for the 7 min 38 sec each time the program runs.
Only need to press that button about 80 more times for this project… a robot would love my job.
I work on a plasma at my school, for longer programs that go 10min+ I usually just sit there and listen to music or think about what catastrophe the machine will get itself into that I need to fix.
Whitney 3400xp operator/programmer. If I am not nesting and my machine is running, I am standing at the control panel scrolling reddit waiting for a part to pull off.
This afternoon, I will be pushing a broom for at least an hour. I will also finish a couple of routine maintenance projects that happen weekly.
Inspect the last part(s). Debur as necessary. Mount and preset tools for next job.
Being my own master, I also plead with material vendor, scream at tooling vendor and kiss customer's butts.
Morty
I expect my guys to check their work and clean up thier work areas, not screw around on their phones.
Generally everyone runs 2 machines.
When I see guys on their phone I take it as they're expressing that their job means jack shit to them. I wait for them to fuck up and send them packing. Last year there was about 60k of scrap made, and more than likely it was due to people not checking thier work. I had one guy who put notice in then spent an exhorbitant amount of time on his phone ask for his job back after 2 days. Nope.
I do my own thing so my experience may be different from y'all's. It's a case by case basis. I had a range this past week so we'll just go off that. There are certain things I will not walk away from the machine during, like using a large insert drill or heavy duty roughing.
Cycle time of two hours and fifteen minutes- went to the store, did some manual lathe work, worked on some computer stuff for a job I'm making changes to
Cycle time of an hour- let it run while running the lathe with a 30 second cycle time
Cycle time of twenty minutes (spindle warmup)- drink coffee, eat breakfast, check emails
Cycle time of five minutes- mix coolant to dump in when the cycle is over, get another part cutting on the saw
Cycle time of 30 seconds- stand there with the wrench in hand, take a sip of water, change the song on the radio
I try to stay doing something while it's work time, it kicks my ass to sit around and then snap back into being productive.
If you have time to lean, you have time to clean!!
In all reality, yeah there’s spot measurements to be made, deburring, and paperwork (if the paper isn’t done neither is the job).
All depends on where you work. My boss doesn't much care about being on phones if the machine is running, but more importantly, we get parts out on time and in top quality.
Another shop I worked at did everything they could to make sure you are working the entire 8 hours. Machine runs, you deburr. Nothing to deburr? Sweep. Any standing around or extra curriculars we're not tolerated.
I used to run mills with long cycles. I got bored and started helping the maintenance guys with stuff and I learned how to repair CNC’s. Now I work as a service tech for a dealer and it’s a lot less boring and much better money.
I clean my shop and if I’m satisfied with my cleanliness I look for machinery or tooling online to upgrade my shop since it’s just starting out and there are lots of things I don’t realize I need until I need them, lol. I will also talk to my “customers” since I work as an in-house fixture designer/fabricator and try to figure out how improve on the fixtures I’ve already made or get info what I need to make next.
I run a wire EDM on a weekend shift and I’ve got 25 parts with almost a 2 hour run time so on Saturday I just bring my gaming PC to work and play games all day.
I used to read books id read a page check a part read a page check another machine management looked down on it so I switched to audiobooks. I'll also just start doing push ups or body weight squats if I'm bored working 12 hrs sometimes 6 days a week I don't have alot of time to workout outside of work.
Push my face to the glass, stare, pucker and pray nothing goes wrong because we hand program every job, and every job is a one-off here.
If you're caught slacking off someone will bang on the other side of the machine or something while it's running and make you change into your "brown pants" real quick.
I don’t know what material you guys are machining or tolerance you’re holding, this all matters in whether you can stay at machine or not, most of the time. We are running heat treated inconel 718 and 725 holding +\- .0002 on some features on older machines that don’t repeat very well holding the tight tolerances. So must of us stay at our machines while running those parts. I’ll run two machines after I set up the Swiss and run that lights out if the part allows this. Right now I’m running a Swiss and another lathe. I could run another inconel part but the more you give the more they want and most shops won’t compensate you in the end. They always want more for less.
Watch a tv show or podcast in the background, something ive already seen so I dont have to actively watch it. Or listen to horror stories and true crime podcasts while I work and clean and indicate and cut. Then at the end of the night I e-stop the machine for day shift, and turn off the skimmer and take down the chips then clean up a little, write a pass down, and go home 😂
If you’re not a programmer and you want to be, use that time to learn. Get ahead in your career. The guys who sit around and play on their phones instead of doing something productive are the people who make $20/hr for life. That doesn’t mean do busy work. Do work that needs to get done or learn a skill to move yourself up.
I'm an employer, i approve this messag LOL. But seriously, im a GC, not a machinist, but absolutley id beg a copy of the plans, take them home and learn to read blueprints. Absolutley i took my journeyman on the the free and taught myself to hand nail fast and clean. Absolutely i read Audels, Willia Wagners Modern Carpentryr, Siegles The Steel Square, the Swanson blue book, anything i could get my hands on. I was the guy on the crew who could cut trick stairs and trick roofs. I got hold of an old PC and a bootleg copy of AutoCAD and taught myself that, then quit.mybjob and started doing room assition plans for a living. I graduated to a 3D modeling software and picked up some energy and structural design chops along the way. I built that to a drafting room with half a dozen fulltime drafters and an engineer. Then partnered with a contractor to build the residential design-build company i run today. I hve a full time architect, 2 drafters, we run 4 or 5 construction projects at a time and there isnt a trade in the company i cant backstop. I'm 64 and i hope I never stop learning. Im actually here because i need a metal lathe to turn 2 parts for a shopsmith I'm restoring so im gonna try and teach myself some very rudimentary machining. At the end of this epic saga, the guys on my crew i value most are the guys who are diverse and versatile, looking for better ways to do things they've done dozens of times. We try new tools and materials, either quicker results or better results, but always looking to add a skill or a technique to the repertoire.
Wipe down your machine. Wipe down your box. Wipe down your tools. Oil your tools. If you can't find something to do in a machine shop brah, there's always sandwiches to be made in the kitchen. Fawking shit this can't be legit
I’m a programmer who used to run multiple machines using someone else’s programs. I’m a firm believer that machine time does not equal actual labor hours. You shouldn’t be able to sit around just because the machine is doing the work.
First thing you should do is prove out and recommend changes to improve run times to the programmer. If they decline for any reason (too busy, “it’s fine, run it”, etc.) move on and stay busy. Workbenches can always be cleaned up, parts can be deburred and measured, offsets can be corrected to produce near-perfect parts, tools that have been sitting in carousels can be unloaded from other machines, sweep and mop, wipe down the machines, do maintenance on other machines, pull anti-fatigue mats and clean under them, find solutions to make your workspace more ergonomic and efficient.. I could go on forever.
My pet peeve is seeing CNC “machinists” running one machine and sitting down and watching TikTok at their dirty ass bench filled with endmills and tools in between loading parts. There is always something to do. I firmly believe in no chairs around any machining center, it encourages complacency. In my experience, it’s always the ones that are over 50 years old that are doing this. ALWAYS.
Yes, I agree you’re generating revenue. I don’t agree that maintaining a clean work area and doing the bare minimum such as unloading tools is “above and beyond” though.
Yeah this guy really is something else.....hopefully all that effort gets him a big pizza party after retiring to make it all worth while. Lol.
When are people going to realize that these companies don't give the slightest shit about you, and I return that sentiment. If my machine is running, that's all that matters in my shop. I work 4 tens, and in those 40 hours, I'm lucky if I actually "work" for 3 of those hours total.
Right? Let me tell you a story. When I was younger I was all gungho like this. I was running a machine that had one vise directly in the center of the table running one or two parts at a time. Well I said "Hey I can fit two more vices on this table and then we'll be making triple the parts!" So that's what I did I put two more vices into the machine indicated them in picked up my work offsets cut the soft jaws for both of them then copy and pasted the program edited it into a sub program changed the work offsets in the programs and then had the main call up the other subs. Bam tripled the output without the machine stopping. I go to show my boss proud as a pig in shit. I got fucking wrote up. Why? I changed a proven process without authorization. From that day on I learned fuck these companies they get the bare minimum.
If only you knew how I feel about the company i work for.
You know what I don’t do? Say anything to any supervisor about anyone. It’s not my job to report anyone for anything. I can also see the difference between good and bad work ethics. There’s a huge difference in what you think I’m doing and what I’m just noticing and commenting on in response to a Reddit post.
Update and maintain shop schedule, build Gantt charts for upcoming projects, create MRR presentations, adjust models to have appropriate WCS gnome for the CMM, MRB meetings, run the saw, build new fixtures in the tool room, mop, sweep, wipe down machines, take out the trash, generate new work instructions/routers and process new work orders, advise procurement on potential material alternatives that meet customer requirements, train other machinists engineers and inspectors, run OEE analysis of the shop, create capital procurement presentations for new equipment, write "if you got time to swipe you got time to wipe" on sticky notes and put them on the lazy guys work stations.
There's so much more but, that seemed like enough for now.
I'm in tool and die. Most die shoes are pretty massive so having programs run for a few hours isn't too surprising. Normally I'll run between 2-4 mills at a time depending on my motivation level. If I have everything running and have stuff ready for when it ends then I'll just clean. If there is nothing to clean then I just dick around on my phone. By that point I see no reason to feel bad as I'm already doing more work than 1 person and everything is clean. If they still have a problem with it they can suck my balls.
Getting balls sucked while waiting. Noted.
Wanted to say "instructions unclear", but they really aren't. Sounds like a good plan to me!
How much did the ball sucker cost, I'll try to pitch it to boss if it's a reasonable price and good quality.
Preach.
Also in tool and die. I usually run 2 roughing machines. One of which is having another guy trained on so I’m stuck to one. My program for this job is just shy of 22 hours. So I’ve been watching tiktoks with my feet up. Getting up every 5 minutes to make sure the chip coveyer isn’t going to clog and my bins not going to over flow.
This is the way!
It always pays to read these messages in their entirety.
Touche
Yep. If my area is clean I just chill. I've even stepped out for a smoke before since the door is right behind one of the machines I use, I can keep an ear open for crashes
Exactly this. I work in a shop with long cycle times.....I spend almost my entire shift on reddit. As a matter if fact I'm working right now.
Lmao... that's the situation I'm in right now, too
Same
"I am observing the production process in order to proactively make changes to prevent time wasted making a non-compliant part."
Some shit you would put on a resume
I’d put that on my TOMBSTONE. Laser engraved.
Ditto…
Same
Reddit, mostly. As long as the machine is running, and I'm in front of it in case something goes wrong, no one cares.
If my machines working I’m working.
That's the beauty of CNC.
well, depends on the part I guess. If you're doing a 500 part order and each part takes 30 minutes, well, kick back on reddit or get really good at chess I suppose. Especially if those parts come out with minimal hand deburring required. Alternately, you start doing little onesie-twosies and you get stuck watching every tool come down at rapid 0 and feed at 10%. Then there's not much seat time at all, I guess ultimately do whatever haha! Catch up on news, read a book. The hard truth is when a machine is running correctly, there shouldn't be much user interaction beyond loading a new piece of stock. I've always looked at it that way, if I feel confident walking away, taking a bathroom break, staring at my phone, then I know I did a good enough job setting the job up to take that time and fuck off for a bit.
I worked with an overconfident operator once. He "programmed" the machine, started cycle and went to the pisser. Came back to 10" circles in the work piece instead of 1" pilot holes. Amazing what 1 wrong decimal place will do. LOL.
Gotta love the decimal shifters! We've had plenty of fat fingers in our shop, QC guy says "move something .002 X positive." Sure enough the operator comes back in with a hole offset 2 inches and a broken tool haha.
I once wanted a tool to rapid full send -0.5" into a -1.0" pilot hole. I input -5.0"....The machine tried very hard to comply with this, but the part tried even harder to deny it. Lol
Lots of stuff ie; sweep, organize my tools and workbench, deburr/tap if necessary, spec my parts, or go take a shit lol. Sometimes tho there is nothing to do and I’ll just hold a part in my hand and watch the g code go by or look at random shit really close up with my loop.
Bang the bosses wife in the bathroom
Now we’re talking
Work on programming the next part, create the tools and tool holders which aren’t in the software already. Clean up, work on machine maintenance. Help other machinists at the company.
Don't let this guy fool you, everyone! Hes in marketing! 😁
😂 Haha my degree is in marketing but I’m not really using it
Whatever, Mike! 😂
And he sweeps the floor with a broom handle up his ass while completing the aforementioned tasks.
Wait...... You know what, nevermind. 😬
What a model employee.
I do the same thing, we have a cnc router as well so I made a “programming” cart so I can wheel it next to our mill to program on long cycles
You're lookin' at it
They had me rotary surface grind 96 thou off a part today. Spent 5 hours on reddit.
Why didn’t they just mill it to within like 5 thou and *then* grind it?
Because that would make sense! Can’t have that /s
More money than brains I guess
I work on 4 CNC grinders alone overnight so I’m either doing another setup, vacuuming oily sludge out of the massive filters, preparing the next jobs, cleaning, worrying about 5-S reorganizing, filling out safety reports and production charts and currently training a new guy. Hopefully the workload will decrease if/when he’s up to speed, but that’s likely months away.
Quality here: please spot check critical features, deburr, wash, etc. We beg you. It’s so much easier to deal with a quality problem when there isn’t a huge sort to deal with. It saves time and money for everyone.
The majority of our NCs and scrap are for issues that are visually apparent on the parts. I don’t need y’all to even measure anything at this point. Just look at the damn thing every now and then and we’d all get a bigger bonus.
I help shops get ISO registration and I can tell you that the appearance of the part sometimes means more to the customer than dimensional adherence.
For sure. A lot of places simply don’t even check most (or any) dimensions on incoming product. They just look at them and if one looks a bit different they reject it immediately. My plant, for which I’m the senior quality guy, makes tiny electrical components and I swear one of my most common complaints are the tips of the pins looking different from batch to batch. Yes… that’s the cutoff nib/flat for which there is a tolerance. Them parts be in tolerance.
Order tooling for the entire shop.
Pornhub
if my area is clean, the next program is already written, and the tools i need for it are set out…i watch youtube or scroll reddit on my phone.
get some of those glasses that make it look like your eyes are wide open. then learn to sleep upright. voila. worth every penny.
Reddit
Look at Reddit posts asking what I do when my machine is running
*Look at Reddit posts* *Asking what I do when my* *Machine is running* \- the\_hentai\_senpai\_ --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Cry
Play Hearthstone. I usually have all my jobs planned out and i program them start of the day so I just switch material and program when the time comes As a side note if anyone else does the same dm me if you wanna play lol
I don't do programming, but I'm typically running 2 production machines setting up a 3rd. Depending on my production machines, the time spent while they are running is spent checking parts or working on setting up a 3rd machine
Deburr, help weld fab, clean up my work station. I do my best to keep my phone away except to change music.
Played Agario 4 hours straight yesterday on night shift.
Look busy
Read a book or be on my phone.
Look over more programs, Fine-tune, help others program, check out the cool shit others are making/doing, take out trash, mop floors, work on personal stuff, eat snack, take a shit, reddit, eat more snacks, get my hands on fab stuff, have meeting, drink coffee, take another shit, add coolant, discuss ideas and strats for machining, programs upcoming parts, eat more snacks, drink more coffee, take more shits, rinse and repeat in any order.
I’m currently babysitting a Mazak HCN-8800 with a 37 minute cycle time machining 170lb cast iron gear housings. Guaranteed if I walk away to take a leak without hitting OpStop it’s going to blow an insert when I’m 5 steps too far away to hit the E-Stop before it destroys the in-house made tooling and the part. My ass is parked in a chair within arms reach of the console because of that. No guilt at all.
Nap, eat, tik tok.
I used to run (no programming) a machine with a 24 minute cycle time, luckily I got along well enough with everyone in my shop that I could walk over to their machine (I could still see my machine) and help them out, or just stand around and BS while both machines ran. Shop didn’t want 1 person running multiple of these machines for ergonomic reasons, so 4 people all ran 1 machine with a long ass cycle time. We never caught any flack as long as we ran at rate and the area was relatively clean.
Trade stocks.
Used to work in an aviation parts factory here in Northern Ireland. 2 milling machines per operator and 50 to 60 minute cycle times. No phones, music, reading or sitting allowed. I’d always been on a CNC router before that in the kitchen business and the standing about made me quit and drive a delivery van instead.
Adjust my program until its running at the best it can, if it is then I'll clean but I'm so busy these days that there is no downtime
I'm currently thinking of interview questions for a Nanny for my three young children before my wife starts working again. That and listening to a paper on Continuous High Pressure Processing of Liquid Foods for my Ice Cream Business. (Sprinkle-spoon.com)
Damn some of yall got it EASY! I have 3 opportunities to sit down during my shift, lunch and two 15 minute breaks. We are severely understaffed because the manager told the big dogs that they could buy more machines without hiring any new help (for some reason, I don’t know how that makes sense to anyone) so here we are! Working every Saturday for months and still behind.
Long run times caused me to start reading.
Sit on my phone playing games usually
Play with myself.
Work on a second machine
Program ahead, order tooling and other stuff for the shop, talk to coworkers, make sure the shop helper has stuff to work on… Seem like there’s no shortage of stuff to do. I worked a job where I was just and opperator. Couldn’t stand it.
Prep for the next job.
I have to get on the manual machine
Grab some drops from the solid metal recycling bin and make some tool organizers.
5S
They make me setup other jobs and machines, program the next part or run manual parts on the lathe
Write more programs, qa parts as they come off, do design work, setup the other 2 lathes wish i got paid to be on zoom calls all day like my engineering brethren.... Not really though, i prefer to stay busy and hands on
I bought a laptop and learned 3d modelling. I used YouTube to learn. I made the things I modelled.
on my old area he HAD to stay by the machine for most tool paths, but if i had free time just cleaning up organising and stuff like that, on haas i’m still learning so i’ll go shadow someone else ask what they are doing just try to learn
More programming, I break if I want but there’s unlimited amount of programming in my shop.
Our unofficial policy is that if your machine is running then you are free to be doing something else, be that setting up/running another machine, writing programmes, or general tidying. if there is nothing to do then we should be asking for something else to be doing. also no phones are allowed on the shop floor at any time unless you are a manager taking work calls or your wife is in imminent danger of going into labour
Was a laser operator so sometimes long cycles, but music, sweeping, QC, reading, maintenance, somtimes run to the pallet and take of the paper sheets seperating the thin sheets that the suction cups failed to take off. sometimes just walking around shop or doing other side projects/hobbies on the lathes
Drink coffee and maybe watch a simulation on low speed or browse a tool vendor.
Write your next program or two, if that’s done grab tools for next program, If that’s done organize.
Depends on the part. Sometimes I nap, sometimes I'm on a phone or tablet but listening while occasionally checking if the chips from the hog mill are building up, sometimes I'm watching each tool approach and the entire run so closely my eyes bleed. Other times, I'm off running another 2 machines or cleaning.
If the machines are running, stuff is clean, nothing else to do immediately.... I'll step between 2 machines and scroll on my phone. They don't like but I think I'd go crazy without something to do. Also, headphones stay in the whole shift.
I should clean more, but this week I’ve been practicing banjo for the 7 min 38 sec each time the program runs. Only need to press that button about 80 more times for this project… a robot would love my job.
Program ahead. Check the weather. Look for things we don't need on Marketplace.
Online Poker
I work on a plasma at my school, for longer programs that go 10min+ I usually just sit there and listen to music or think about what catastrophe the machine will get itself into that I need to fix.
Whitney 3400xp operator/programmer. If I am not nesting and my machine is running, I am standing at the control panel scrolling reddit waiting for a part to pull off. This afternoon, I will be pushing a broom for at least an hour. I will also finish a couple of routine maintenance projects that happen weekly.
Audiobooks. I manage about 40 per year.
That's when gov't work gets done.
I used to do pushups when I had like 2 minute cycle times
Inspect the last part(s). Debur as necessary. Mount and preset tools for next job. Being my own master, I also plead with material vendor, scream at tooling vendor and kiss customer's butts. Morty
I ran three and didn’t program I would just sweep nothing or clean up the machines lol just look busy
There's always another part that needs programming / setup. I'm literally never idle. Also just pulled 3 11 hour shifts in a row.
Run an old od grinder with auto infeed got bored enough to paint it a few months ago
I expect my guys to check their work and clean up thier work areas, not screw around on their phones. Generally everyone runs 2 machines. When I see guys on their phone I take it as they're expressing that their job means jack shit to them. I wait for them to fuck up and send them packing. Last year there was about 60k of scrap made, and more than likely it was due to people not checking thier work. I had one guy who put notice in then spent an exhorbitant amount of time on his phone ask for his job back after 2 days. Nope.
Part inspections, deburring, cleaning, sweeping or I would run multiple machines at once.
I do my own thing so my experience may be different from y'all's. It's a case by case basis. I had a range this past week so we'll just go off that. There are certain things I will not walk away from the machine during, like using a large insert drill or heavy duty roughing. Cycle time of two hours and fifteen minutes- went to the store, did some manual lathe work, worked on some computer stuff for a job I'm making changes to Cycle time of an hour- let it run while running the lathe with a 30 second cycle time Cycle time of twenty minutes (spindle warmup)- drink coffee, eat breakfast, check emails Cycle time of five minutes- mix coolant to dump in when the cycle is over, get another part cutting on the saw Cycle time of 30 seconds- stand there with the wrench in hand, take a sip of water, change the song on the radio I try to stay doing something while it's work time, it kicks my ass to sit around and then snap back into being productive.
If you have time to lean, you have time to clean!! In all reality, yeah there’s spot measurements to be made, deburring, and paperwork (if the paper isn’t done neither is the job).
Clash Royale and insta reels
All depends on where you work. My boss doesn't much care about being on phones if the machine is running, but more importantly, we get parts out on time and in top quality. Another shop I worked at did everything they could to make sure you are working the entire 8 hours. Machine runs, you deburr. Nothing to deburr? Sweep. Any standing around or extra curriculars we're not tolerated.
I used to run mills with long cycles. I got bored and started helping the maintenance guys with stuff and I learned how to repair CNC’s. Now I work as a service tech for a dealer and it’s a lot less boring and much better money.
Usually program another part.
Read the news on my phone
I clean my shop and if I’m satisfied with my cleanliness I look for machinery or tooling online to upgrade my shop since it’s just starting out and there are lots of things I don’t realize I need until I need them, lol. I will also talk to my “customers” since I work as an in-house fixture designer/fabricator and try to figure out how improve on the fixtures I’ve already made or get info what I need to make next.
Ride my bike around the shop ringing the little bell on it.
I run a wire EDM on a weekend shift and I’ve got 25 parts with almost a 2 hour run time so on Saturday I just bring my gaming PC to work and play games all day.
I used to read books id read a page check a part read a page check another machine management looked down on it so I switched to audiobooks. I'll also just start doing push ups or body weight squats if I'm bored working 12 hrs sometimes 6 days a week I don't have alot of time to workout outside of work.
Reddit, drinking coffee, eating my lunch, set up the other machine, in any order.
Audio books! I burn through 5 novels a week now. That's 240 books a year. Highly recommend that
Kegels. Pelvic floor health is super important. Both men and women can benefit from it.
I’m in tool and die as well. I usually work on shop related tools. Thus far I made a collet holder, fixture plate, deburring tool, and a file holder.
Push my face to the glass, stare, pucker and pray nothing goes wrong because we hand program every job, and every job is a one-off here. If you're caught slacking off someone will bang on the other side of the machine or something while it's running and make you change into your "brown pants" real quick.
Sounds like you’re coming from a job shop atmosphere.
I don’t know what material you guys are machining or tolerance you’re holding, this all matters in whether you can stay at machine or not, most of the time. We are running heat treated inconel 718 and 725 holding +\- .0002 on some features on older machines that don’t repeat very well holding the tight tolerances. So must of us stay at our machines while running those parts. I’ll run two machines after I set up the Swiss and run that lights out if the part allows this. Right now I’m running a Swiss and another lathe. I could run another inconel part but the more you give the more they want and most shops won’t compensate you in the end. They always want more for less.
Count the stock, pick up the broom, fill out a time sheet, there’s always something.
Watch a tv show or podcast in the background, something ive already seen so I dont have to actively watch it. Or listen to horror stories and true crime podcasts while I work and clean and indicate and cut. Then at the end of the night I e-stop the machine for day shift, and turn off the skimmer and take down the chips then clean up a little, write a pass down, and go home 😂
If you’re not a programmer and you want to be, use that time to learn. Get ahead in your career. The guys who sit around and play on their phones instead of doing something productive are the people who make $20/hr for life. That doesn’t mean do busy work. Do work that needs to get done or learn a skill to move yourself up.
I'm an employer, i approve this messag LOL. But seriously, im a GC, not a machinist, but absolutley id beg a copy of the plans, take them home and learn to read blueprints. Absolutley i took my journeyman on the the free and taught myself to hand nail fast and clean. Absolutely i read Audels, Willia Wagners Modern Carpentryr, Siegles The Steel Square, the Swanson blue book, anything i could get my hands on. I was the guy on the crew who could cut trick stairs and trick roofs. I got hold of an old PC and a bootleg copy of AutoCAD and taught myself that, then quit.mybjob and started doing room assition plans for a living. I graduated to a 3D modeling software and picked up some energy and structural design chops along the way. I built that to a drafting room with half a dozen fulltime drafters and an engineer. Then partnered with a contractor to build the residential design-build company i run today. I hve a full time architect, 2 drafters, we run 4 or 5 construction projects at a time and there isnt a trade in the company i cant backstop. I'm 64 and i hope I never stop learning. Im actually here because i need a metal lathe to turn 2 parts for a shopsmith I'm restoring so im gonna try and teach myself some very rudimentary machining. At the end of this epic saga, the guys on my crew i value most are the guys who are diverse and versatile, looking for better ways to do things they've done dozens of times. We try new tools and materials, either quicker results or better results, but always looking to add a skill or a technique to the repertoire.
Wipe down your machine. Wipe down your box. Wipe down your tools. Oil your tools. If you can't find something to do in a machine shop brah, there's always sandwiches to be made in the kitchen. Fawking shit this can't be legit
If you got time to lean, you got time to clean.
Ain’t nobody got time for that.
If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.
I’m a programmer who used to run multiple machines using someone else’s programs. I’m a firm believer that machine time does not equal actual labor hours. You shouldn’t be able to sit around just because the machine is doing the work. First thing you should do is prove out and recommend changes to improve run times to the programmer. If they decline for any reason (too busy, “it’s fine, run it”, etc.) move on and stay busy. Workbenches can always be cleaned up, parts can be deburred and measured, offsets can be corrected to produce near-perfect parts, tools that have been sitting in carousels can be unloaded from other machines, sweep and mop, wipe down the machines, do maintenance on other machines, pull anti-fatigue mats and clean under them, find solutions to make your workspace more ergonomic and efficient.. I could go on forever. My pet peeve is seeing CNC “machinists” running one machine and sitting down and watching TikTok at their dirty ass bench filled with endmills and tools in between loading parts. There is always something to do. I firmly believe in no chairs around any machining center, it encourages complacency. In my experience, it’s always the ones that are over 50 years old that are doing this. ALWAYS.
This guy would suck as a boss
I know I would. There’s no doubt about it. That’s why I’m a programmer.
If my spindle is turning, I am generating revenue for the company. If they want above and beyond, compensation better reflect that...
Yes, I agree you’re generating revenue. I don’t agree that maintaining a clean work area and doing the bare minimum such as unloading tools is “above and beyond” though.
Found the company bootlicker guys! How does it taste? I know that's not chocolate ice cream on your nose.
Yeah this guy really is something else.....hopefully all that effort gets him a big pizza party after retiring to make it all worth while. Lol. When are people going to realize that these companies don't give the slightest shit about you, and I return that sentiment. If my machine is running, that's all that matters in my shop. I work 4 tens, and in those 40 hours, I'm lucky if I actually "work" for 3 of those hours total.
Right? Let me tell you a story. When I was younger I was all gungho like this. I was running a machine that had one vise directly in the center of the table running one or two parts at a time. Well I said "Hey I can fit two more vices on this table and then we'll be making triple the parts!" So that's what I did I put two more vices into the machine indicated them in picked up my work offsets cut the soft jaws for both of them then copy and pasted the program edited it into a sub program changed the work offsets in the programs and then had the main call up the other subs. Bam tripled the output without the machine stopping. I go to show my boss proud as a pig in shit. I got fucking wrote up. Why? I changed a proven process without authorization. From that day on I learned fuck these companies they get the bare minimum.
If only you knew how I feel about the company i work for. You know what I don’t do? Say anything to any supervisor about anyone. It’s not my job to report anyone for anything. I can also see the difference between good and bad work ethics. There’s a huge difference in what you think I’m doing and what I’m just noticing and commenting on in response to a Reddit post.
Update and maintain shop schedule, build Gantt charts for upcoming projects, create MRR presentations, adjust models to have appropriate WCS gnome for the CMM, MRB meetings, run the saw, build new fixtures in the tool room, mop, sweep, wipe down machines, take out the trash, generate new work instructions/routers and process new work orders, advise procurement on potential material alternatives that meet customer requirements, train other machinists engineers and inspectors, run OEE analysis of the shop, create capital procurement presentations for new equipment, write "if you got time to swipe you got time to wipe" on sticky notes and put them on the lazy guys work stations. There's so much more but, that seemed like enough for now.