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In 2004, Machinists accounted for approximately 370,000 jobs in the United States. Many of these positions were in small machining shops and manufacturing industries. Other positions were in the production of transportation equipment such as automotive parts and aerospace products and parts.

Machinist positions continue to be good, despite recent decreases in employment growth. This is especially true for maintenance machinists who work in industries that use production machinery. However, due to the increase in productivity among machinist, and because more US companies are relocating overseas, employment of machinists is projected to slow but not decrease. The job outlook for machinist is directly related to economic cycles. As the demand for machined goods increases, so do the need for more machinist and when the demands decrease, machinists may be faced with layoffs or a reduction in work hours. However, machinists who are involved in plant maintenance tend to have more stable positions because of the need to perform proper maintenance and repair on the equipment is constant even when production levels have fallen.

Machinists must have a high school diploma, or equivalent, and study in an apprenticeship program for approximately 2 to 5 years. The US Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training reports Machinists as an apprenticeable occupation and must complete 8,000 hours of supervised machine work that covers: machine shop practices, quality control, drilling, milling, lathe operations, CNC operations, grinding, special work assignments, and tool and die making.

In addition to their apprenticeship, the machinist must also complete 576 hours of secondary education in manual machining processes and theory, advanced CNC programming and techniques, trigonometry, and computer classes.

Individuals who want to train as a machinist must have excellent mathematical skills, be mechanically inclined, and be able to problem-solve, work independently, and produce highly accurate work, which requires concentration and physical effort.

The machinist must also have the ability to read blueprint, and perform drafting. Many times apprenticeship programs consist of both on the job training as well as classroom instruction. While the apprentice machinist is training in the shop, they must be supervised by an experienced machinist while learning to operate the various machine tools. Many times the apprentice will work nearly full time while attending classes.

Classroom instruction consists of algebra, trigonometry, physics, materials science, blueprint reading, mechanical drawing, quality control/ quality assurance, and safety practices. In addition, because the majority of machine shops now operate CNC, the classroom instruction now includes training in the operation and programming of CNC machine tools. Today, many apprenticeship classes are taught through community, vocational, or technical colleges, where the apprentice receives a 2-year associate degree. However, the graduates of these programs must still satisfy the on-the-job work experience before they can be fully qualified as a machinist.

When new automation is introduced, many companies invest in training for their machinists so that they can receive training on the new equipment and technology. The training is usually provided by a representative from the manufacturing company who produced the equipment manufacturer or through continuing education programs at a local technical school. If a employee wished to take a continuing education class on his or her own time, many employers provide tuition reimbursement for job-related courses, as they see this as an investment in the future of their company.

Machinist today, work in relatively clean, well lit, and ventilated machine shops, with the majority of their machine tools either partially or completely controlled with a computer. For this reason, these machines are enclosed either partially or totally, which reduces the worker to noise, debris, and lubricants used in the machining process. However, it is still hazardous to work around machine tools, and the machinist as well as other workers must at all times follow safety precautions.

Machinists must wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including safety glasses, safety boots, and earplugs, in addition many shops also demand that their employees also were protective head gear, such as hard hats. Even though most machine tools are safer than what they were even ten years ago and noise levels have been reduced, machinist must still protect their eyes against any flying bits of metal and their hearing from the constant drumming of the machinery. In addition, machinist must also follow the strict guidelines set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA.

Most of the chemicals, coolants and lubricants machinist use are water-based, the machinists must still use extreme caution when handling them as well as have a full understanding of the hazards each presents.

The machinist?s job requires excellent math skills, problem-solving skills, and stamina. This is due to the fact that most machinists must stand for the majority of the day. In addition, their job may require that they lift moderately heavy workpieces. Most modern factories and machine shops today use autoloaders and overhead cranes in order to reduce heavy lifting by their employees and the risk involved.

The average machinists will work a 40-hour week, which could be divided into standard shifts of eight-hour days/five days per week or any combination equaling forty hours. Recently, evening and weekend shifts have become more common placed as companies attempt to compensate for of expensive CNC machinery, which is needed in order for them to stay competitive. However, it is not uncommon for machine shops to completely shutdown production for the period between Christmas and New Years, as well as for a time during the summer, for re-tooling and maintenance, giving their employees paid time-off. During periods of peak production periods, overtime is common for the average machinist.

Machinist use several tools, which the machinist has to be proficient in their usage. These tools fall into the following categories:

1.Measuring Tools: These include adjustable parallels and plain calipers, rulers, scales, vernier calipers. Calipers have a small movable scale, which slides along a main scale. The smaller scale is calibrated in fractional divisions of the main scale.

2.Hand Tools: Though the majority of the machining is accomplished by machines, machinists do have a hand tools. These include various wrenches, pliers, taps, caliper, and end mills to name a few.

3.Machine Tools: Since World War II, the machine tools have undergone drastic changes as manual machines given way first to Numerical control or NC machines, which used a series of numbers punched onto paper tape or cards to control their motion. Then by the 1960s, computers were gradually added to the machines, which allowed for more flexibility in the process. These new computerized machines were then know as computer numerical control machines, or CNC for short. With the development of the CNC machines, pieces that are more complex could be produced. Then approximately 20 years go, various machine tools were combined and controlled by a single computer. These combined machine tools became known as machine centers, and like their predecessors, have dramatically changed the way parts are created. Today, highly complex machine parts can be finished in a matter of minutes instead of the hours that it used to take. Beside CNC, there are other machine tools including drilling machines, milling machines, turning machines, and grinding machines.

4.Workholders: These include all devices that are used to hold a piece while it is being worked on. These tools can include vises, chucks, pallets, jigs, and faceplates as well as other tools.

5.Tool Holders: These tools are used to hold the actual tool and can include inserts, chucks, adapters, extension, indexable turrets, box tools, quick-change adapters, arbors, and collets as well as other tools.

6.Cutting Tools: Cutting tools include the many different types of milling cutters, various drills, reamers, taps, countersinks, counterbores, as well as the different types of turning tools, and grinding wheels.

Machinists make items by shaping material into a specific part usually by removing part of the material by cutting. This part can be a single unique piece or it could be mass-produced by the thousands. The manufacturing of a part usually requires the use of more than one machine tool, as each tool is specially designed to perform an unique task in cutting away the excess material.

Machinist must have a good understanding of math, for they use geometrical formulas constantly to calculate area, length of side, and radii and tolerances. Machinists also have to have an excellent understanding of problem solving, which is used, daily. For large assemblies or for large numbers of parts, they must map out the most efficient and productive manner in which to produce the lot/collection of parts or assemble. This requires production planning.

Production engineers therefore, must use blueprints in order correctly produce the detailed specifications of the part, while remaining within the allowed tolerances. Some tolerances can reach 1/10,000th of an inch. The machinists then configure the machine tools and begin production. Quality control or the Quality control/Quality Assurance department works closely with the machinist to ensure the original specifications of the product are produced.

Machinists are craftsmen who use machine tools to produce parts or modify parts by cutting away excess material. These parts are frequently crafted from metal but may also be produced from other types of materials, like rubber, plastic, or wood products.

The title machinist covers other areas of expertise, which are designed to better meet the requirements of a specific job position, such as fitter, turning hand, mill hand, and grinder. In addition there are other job titles that are further developed skills of machinists such as tool and die maker, patternmaker and mold maker.

Machinists most usually work with steel, aluminum, brass, copper, and several different alloys including vanadium, zinc, lead, or manganese to craft parts. However, machinists can also work various other materials such as plastics, rubber, glass, and exotic metals like beryllium or molybdenum. Machinist will cut these materials the cutters have to be harder and stronger than the materials they are cutting. These milling cutters machinists uses are often made of high-speed-steel, tungsten carbide, ceramics, Borazon(tm), or diamond.

Machinists have to work with very small tolerances that are within +/-.005″ or 0.25 mm, (0.01″). Some applications even require tolerances as low as 0.0025 mm (0.0001″). In addition, machinists have to manage with all aspects of shaping, cutting and in some instances forming metal. However, machinists do not perform welding, as this is usually a separate trade.

Machinists most commonly perform milling, drilling, reaming, tapping, grinding and gearing as well as other particular procedures such as honing, keyseating, lapping, and polishing.

The machine tool and metalforming industries are both essential for our country?s economical growth. Metalforming is the shaping of sheet metal into useful tools, and products. Metalforming is also the countless industries that use machinery such as stamping presses, CNC, welders, benders, turrets, lasers, as well as other metal fabrication machines to produce metal tools and parts, which effect out daily lives. Individuals who work in metalforming positions must have good basic math skills, problem solving skills, as well as the ability to communicate and work well with others. Machinists and Tool & Die Makers are very skilled operators who put advanced theories into practice. Machinists and Tool & Die makers have excellent math skills, problem-solving skills, and have completed an apprenticeship program.

Manufacturing technology associates are highly trained individuals who offer engineering solutions to problems encountered in manufacturing design and production. Manufacturing technology associates have an understanding and knowledge of engineering principles. These are only a couple of the many job opportunities in metalforming. Many metalforming companies today provide their employees with fair and competitive compensation packages. Many of these packages include health care, pension plans, profit sharing, paid vacations, etc. If you have great math skills, like to work with your hands, and are good at problem solving, then consider metalforming as a possible career.