Metal Spinning

Metal Spinning can be fun and profitable. Sheet metal can be formed, using a lathe, to create the pleasing shapes of rocket nose comes, spittoons, urns, bowls, plates, and cymbals. An example can be seen at this link:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkdr3JKovZQ

One's choice of sheet metal makes a lot of difference in the outcome. A metal spinner at Silver Dollar City said the pewter forms exceptionally well. Because spin-forming tends to harden the metal, many metals require alternating operations of forming and annealing (softening the metal to allow for forming) to achieve the desired results.

Remember the Good Ole Days?

What can I say. Times have changed at NTI, the Machinist School in Springdale, Arkansas. At one time someone said, "A machinist can make anything but money." Today is a kinder and gentler world .... cleaner, moving toward smoke-free ... the machine shop is now a laboratory for surgically removing unwanted material from a substrate. The good thing is that there are fewer machinists. The remaining machinists make big money and are acquiring the title "Surgeons of Steel".

Elbow - Right Angle Drive - Machinist School

Here's a cute item made by our mentor, Marvin Klotz. The quarter provides a frame of reference, indicating size. This "Elbow" demonstrates that there is more than one way to skin a cat. This unique device changes the axis of rotation (horizontal to vertical) without changing the direction (clockwise/counterclockwise) of rotation. Has anyone made this little engine run using compressed air, internal combustion, etc? Check out the video at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZRKNlY7enM

Happy Motoring!

What is CNC?

Sea & Ski is a sun tan lotion.
Sea to shining sea .... that's America the Beautiful.
Scene C, that's like Scene 3, using the alphabet instead of numbers.
At a machinist school or machine shop, CNC means "Computer Numerical Control".
A lot of manufacturing personnel offices are not really aware of what the company does.
You will see employment ads for "C&C" or "C and C" machinists or programmers.
(I have not yet seen an ad for a "C in C" or "C un-C" machinist.)

CNC - Computer Numerical Control - is very much like an Etch-A-Sketch.
A cutting tool is moved along a tool path using left/right and up/down motions.
Instead of calling the directions left/right and up/down .... CNC programmers call the directions "X" and "Y". The cutter moves from one "x" position to another and from one "y" position to another. A given location will have an address (a pair of coordinates ... X,Y).

A computer memorizes all the x and y points, storing the addresses in a file known as a "CNC
Program."

Most people want to know about CNC because they heard you can make a lot of money in the CNC field. For the most part, the ones who make a lot of money in the CNC field .... well .... they are married to the boss's daughter. The boss's son, he makes about the same as everybody else.

Afterall, machinists (for the most part) don't make money. They make doo-dads, widgets, and thing-a-ma-bobs.

Arkansas Machinst School .........NTI.............. The Ability to Get Things Done

College is great. A well-rounded education is great. But sometimes a manager can't find a job. One the other hand, a plumber, a machinist, an electrician, a welder ..... they can always find work at above-average wages.
Imagine calling a plumber to unstop your commode. Do you want the plumber to engage you with lively, well-rounded conversation about Shakespeare and global warming OR would you prefer the individual to focus on the task at hand?
A lot of times, we don't want a well-rounded person. We want a specialist who is willing and able to do the job right now, properly. That's what technical school is all about!
Machinists use lathes, mills, grinders, drills and laser beams to make things - nails, parts for the space shuttle, medical equipment, jewelry, artificial knees - all kinds of things.
If you think paper is for writing on, go be an accountant. If you think paper is for making paper airplanes, maybe machining is for you!

Pythagoras says......

The good old 3 x 4 x 5 triangle is useful for establishing a square corner and for demonstrating the theory of Pythagoras. Is a triangle thinking inside, or outside, the box?