In Part 1 of this blog series, I talked about the types of CNC machines that make sense for educators teaching their students to make widgets or parts.
In this post, I’d like to talk about the other side of the coin – programs that train actual machinists. Here are some tips to consider as you’re looking to select an industrial CNC machine for your training program.
Look for interchangeable controls.
Unfortunately, the large majority of industrial machines don’t come with any training programs whatsoever, and the ones that do, only teach one set of controls.
That’s a huge problem. The industry as a whole does not operate on a single brand of industrial control.
It’s important to look for well-rounded machine tooling solutions that are more representative of what your students would experience on the job. EMCO offers a line of concept machines with interchangeable controls that include Siemens, Fanuc, Heidenhain, and Fagor.
The great thing about interchangeable controls is that students can train on all different controls on the computer, then move to the actual machine where they can switch out the controls quickly and easily. This gives them the experience they need setting up and working on different controls. For instructors, this makes it easy to teach Siemens controls to one group of students, Fanuc to another, then have the two groups switch – all within one class period.
With different controls training, your students are much more employable after graduation because they can prove that they’ve received a more robust machinist training compared to other applicants.
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Size isn’t everything.
A robust machining program will teach machine setup, tool offsets, programming, tooling, fixturing, feeds and speeds, and multiple controls.
While this sounds like a lot (and it is), you don’t need a huge industrial machine to accomplish this. You can just as easily use a smaller machine that is equipped to cut steel, and accomplish the same set of objectives.
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The key here is to make sure the machines you’re considering are industrial quality. Industrial quality does not necessarily equate to a bigger size system.
Consider educational safety features.
In my last post, I mentioned that enclosed machines are safer in educational environments because they protect students from flying debris.
While most industrial machines are enclosed, they don’t necessarily all have the same safety features. For example, EMCO machines have a guarded enclosure that won’t allow the machine to run if the door is open. Other machines on the market simply don’t go this far to keep students safe. In educational environments, safety is of paramount importance, so these types of features should be at the top of your list.
