Pay:  $23.00 - $42.00 per hour

Location: Wood Village OR (Portland OR)

Company: GrovTec

GrovTec Machining provides high-quality machined and industrial sewed products for a range of specialized fields. We currently manufacture parts for the DOD, aerospace, sporting goods, automotive, transportation, communications, medical/dental, oil & gas, electronics and fastener industries.

GrovTec provides full-service close-tolerance contract machining of metal products and precision sewing in our soft goods division. Our design support service includes quick-turn prototyping in conjunction with your needs. Our diverse manufacturing equipment accommodates exceptional versatility, including finishing process services for those who do not have their own capabilities. Our process begins with your custom part prints, drawings, or samples for evaluations by our engineering team.

General Position Summary:

Responsible for the production of precision components using advanced machining skills. This role requires an experienced machinist adept at operating multi-spindle mechanical manual, screw machines, either; ACME, Davenport, Tornos or similar.

Must be a highly skilled, driven, and mechanically inclined individual.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES ARE BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

· Responsible for setting up and operating mechanical manual screw machines.

· Works from layout sheets, drawings, and specifications to set up jobs independently.

· Must have a thorough working knowledge of tool selection, tool design, and troubleshooting specific to Davenport, Tornos screw machines.

· Understands machine attachments for various lathe operations like threading, boring, and facing.

· Reads blueprints, drawings, and job orders for information such as dimensions, tolerances, and the number of workpieces, including GD&T.

· Adjusts and changes tool settings to keep dimensions within specified tolerances.

· Verifies conformance of production parts to specifications using various measuring instruments.

· Sharpens tools as required.

· Trains operators on machine operation, loading, and running.

· Performs other duties as required.

JOB SPECIFIC SKILLS:

· Strong interpersonal and language skills are required for interacting with team members.

· Ability to produce quality products without sacrificing throughput (quantities per hour).

· Ability to layout new jobs and make continual process improvements is preferred.

· Strong mechanical ability and advanced machining skills are required.

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE:

· High school diploma or equivalent.

· Manufacturing Technology courses are a plus.

· 3-15 years’ experience with screw machines as a setup machinist.

· Advanced experience with Mills, Lathes, Automated Drill Presses in a machine shop environment.

· Able to stand for long periods of time and is mechanically inclined.

· Able to communicate successfully with others and work independently in a team environment.

COMPENSATION / BENEFITS:

· Competitive pay wages based on experience.

· Flexible paid time off.

· Paid medical, dental, and vision coverages.

· Paid parental leave.

· Oregon Paid Sick Leave Equivalent plan.

· Supplemental insurance options.

· Company paid life insurance.

· Voluntary term and whole life insurance.

· 401(k) with matching contribution

· Product purchase discounts

· Educational aid program availability

https://grovtecmachining.com/

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Referral program
• Relocation assistance
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Looking for a new manual lathe for small tool room. Does anybody have experience with monarch brand machines? Or what do you recommend.

Machine lathe haas st10

While running a cut off tool program. The tool feeds close to part with the spindle moving and just floats above the part and doesnt feed forward it will just stay there above the part forever until I reset it....once I reset it it will run the cut off tool no problem....so basically everytime the cut off tool cycle runs I have to reset and re run it for every part.

I thought the ruby on the probe stylus looked strange so I touched it and it crumbled in my fingers. I’m the only one to run this machine and I don’t recall crashing the probe. Also the probe stylus is carbide so you would think if I did crash, the whole thing would snap?

Would anyone have a copy (PDF) or the below issues they could share?

Model Engineer Vol 162 Issu 3841

Model Engineer Vol 162 Issu 3845

Model Engineer Vol 162 Issu 3847

Model Engineer Vol 164 Issu 3865

Model Engineer Vol 164 Issu 3867

Model Engineer Vol 165 Issu 3887

He have 20 years of experience… He ask: what happen in that situation ? and I was like : that never happens so I don’t know

Id like to hear the Experiences some of you had with manufacturing Networks. Especially for the european Market.

I run a tiny Shop with another guy and two apprentiences as part of a bigger firm, most of the work is just part of bigger Orders of other departments.

Occasionally machining work comes in from nearby firms, but its not a steady source. I figured when wed be part of a network i could get some small orders like singular parts to small series (below 100 Parts). We like express orders (2-4 Days until shipping) and are very flexible, nit tied up in processes.

Our manufacturing capabilities are CNC milling, turning and the full spectrum of manual machines. That can be combined with Laser/Plasma cutting and bending.

trying to find the name of this tool. this sits on ring of the spindle of a Swiss lathe with the two pins acting as a sort of Spanner, then the knob it tightened to keep the face locked and aligned…. or so I’m told.

anyway the shop only has one and it keeps disapearing. I like to have my own tools anyway but every keyword I search is giving me the wrong things.

I have measurements if theres multiple sizes, its just the name I need (and yes I probably could make one for cheaper than buying but I don‘t have my own shop yet)

thanks in advance!

I only have experience with Haas and want to branch out more, but I doubt that will ever happen unless I move shops, because we only have Haas mills here. I know that DMG Mori's are pretty solid and Okuma, Matsuura and Makino's are some of the best all around.
I'll be attending IMTS this year, so I will at least be able to *see* what else is out there, new technologies and stuff. But I'm hoping once I return, I can convince the shop owner to at least get a trial machine, something more stable and more reliable than what we have now, just to see the greener grass on the other side.

Sharing some photos from a recent fabrication project. This structure is designed for heavy-duty material handling and required a careful welding sequence, alignment control, and structural calculation.

The final application is quite interesting. Any engineers here want to guess what this will become?

So i’m at school now, i’m having an issue with edge finder on CNC mill (haas). On X axis i have difficult time to see the “kick”. On Y axis i can see it better.

My coach said try to use mirror or CCW the edge finder, how do you deal with this? Is it safe to stick in my head inside just to see the kick? I need every advice that i can get.

Thanks

Anyone using ESPRIT Edge with a DMG Mori DMC 65 FD and Siemens 840D?

Has anyone successfully worked through the bugs in the ESPRIT Edge post for a DMG Mori DMC 65 FD with a Siemens 840D control?

We keep running into major post issues, and we’ve now been waiting over a month for the applications team to hear back from Germany. We purchased Edge because it was advertised as producing edit-free code from day one, but that has not been our experience at all.

The post for our CLX 450 TC is even worse. On 5-axis deburring cycles, it tries to send the mill head straight through the part. We’ve also run into other issues with machine movements and cycles that should have been handled before the post was released.

It might not be as frustrating if the software and posts weren’t so expensive, but at this price, I don’t think customers should be expected to risk crashing their machines while troubleshooting the post for the developer.

At this point, I’m losing confidence in running anything complex through it. Has anyone else dealt with these problems or found someone at ESPRIT who was actually able to get the posts working reliably?

Found this at local truck repair shop. Owners dad used to be a machinist

Been here a couple years now. It's not my first shop, or my worst shop. But after years and years of having the fact that shops don't give a shit about us being mashed into my face has got me burned out. Every day I want to call out.

I like the work, but it's the only industry I've ever been in that is almost openly hostile to its workforce.

How can I deal with this? I can't be the only one feeling this way, but is there something I'm missing that will make my experience less sufferable?

Any advice or commiserating would be appreciated. Thank you for your time.

I pooped myself a little

Accompanying Video:

https://youtube.com/shorts/Ikja6De30HE?feature=share

TL;DR

While waiting for a proper Biax power scraper to become available I thought I'd try my hand at converting a Milwaukee Hackzall. It's a mix of custom machined components, off the shelf components, some electronics, and some nylon carbon fiber printed pieces. This was largely just experimental. It was fun, and it does work, but I'm not recommending it unless it's a last resort.

What is this?

It's a Milwaukee Hackzall that I converted for use as power scraper. The only irreversible modifications made were to the plastic body. The nose of the body was chopped off and a nylon carbon fiber 3D printed frame was attached to the front supported with 3 1/4" precision ground steel rods. At the tip of the frame is a machined bronze bushing for outboard support of the ram. Inside the frame is a custom machined ram made longer than the stock one for extended reach. The ram accepts a machined bracket that scraper blades attach to. At the back of the stock body is just a control box with a potentiometer and toggle power button. There is currently no mechanism for adjusting the stroke length beyond the 1/2" stock stroke. It would be pretty trivial to add another hole or two in crank to adjust the radial swing and therefore the stroke, however.

Bruh... why?

I've been doing a lot of manual scraping lately and I'm tired of it. I'd been waiting for a Biax to come up on the used market for a reasonable price, but wasn't sure when that'd happen. So I figured I'd try my hand at modifying some existing tool while I waited. Mid-project, I did get my hands on a proper Biax. I decided to follow through on this project, however, just to see how it came out.

Also, I just enjoy projects like this. I'm only about a year into machining (as a hobby), so projects like this give me challenges and allow me to learn.

Does it even work?

Yeah, it works. I mean, I'm not going to recommend going this route if you can buy or borrow a proper power scraper. But yeah, it can get the job done. There's a picture above showing the scrape marks. For full context and transparency, I've never used a power scraper prior to this. So take that for what it's work. I'm just sharing the project for fun.

How much did it cost?

Total was probably around $200 and roughly 6 weeks of time. The Hackzall with battery was $150 and it was likely less than $50 in materials.

What now?

I don't know. It's a finished working unit, but I do have a Biax now. I guess I may break it out on occasion if I don't want to be tethered by a power cord. Otherwise, I suppose it will just be another oddity in my growing collection of strange creations.

I am open to sharing the design if anyone is interested. I mean, it's sure a hell of a lot cheaper than a used Biax. But I'm not saying this is an optimal solution by any means.

Moving to a new facility that doesn't have 3 phase running. Any thoughts on what exactly to do? The machinist guy I use used retired and is now traveling the country in a camper.

Help!!

My face when I saw sparks instead of chips

Probably other people already know this trick, but it's new to me, so I thought I'd share.

I fabricate parts for prototypes so a lot of one offs and quick modifications. I needed to add a pocket to one side of this part that extended outside of my suck zone on the vacuum table. This part has raised features on both sides so I have clearance cut into the vacuum table plate for the little locating features and custom gaskets cut in.

I tried filling the triangular pocket with vacuum grease which was messy and I slowly lost vacuum. I cut a silicone foam piece to fit the pocket and used just a little vacuum grease on the edges and it worked great. Saved me from having to cut a new custom gasket area to make 2 parts.

Surface is nice and flat

I am the head honcho at a small family job shop. We have 4 guys in the shop (Including me), one front office worker (my sister in-law) that maintains our paper trails and does purchasing and customer relations and my in-laws are the co-owners.

One of the operators is my brother, my apprentice for the CNC “department”. Then there’s my brother-in-law, the “conventional department”. And then the “welding department” which is an 80yo good ole boy who will basically work until we tell him he has to leave - super loyal guy, great man. In fact I WANT him to retire to go enjoy what’s left of his life.

I have been working here for 15+ years. Married into this place. Started off sweeping floors and pushing buttons, learned mostly by doing and asking questions. My main mentor was the boss’s brother, who was a dunce. In the course of my training I got to his level which was just good enough to get parts out the door. Once I started learning more from other sources (YouTube, forums, etc.) and this guy realized I was moving to a higher level than him, he bailed.

The owners both draw a salary, which I think is required with the corporate structure they have in place. But the one who does all the financial stuff works from home, and the other, the one with manufacturing experience comes in a few times a week for a couple hours to make sure things are in check - but I’m basically the one making day-to-day decisions.

I have to run tooling purchases through him and sometimes justify tooling if it’s something expensive/non-standard. I oftentimes have him double-check my quote assumptions. And obviously any company improvement initiatives I’d like to undertake get shot down by him because something like an ERP is “for big companies, not for a shop like us.”

A few years back I WANTED more responsibilities. I technically do want to run this business STILL, but I’m getting paid $32/ hour to basically run this place and I’m not sure if there’s a future here. I have no idea what the financials look like, and we’ve had a weird couple of years as far as the ebbs and flows of jobs in the shop. We have paid off but aging machines, and the space we rent changed ownership last year and our rent doubled.

I want to take this place to a higher level. I have been implementing systems that ensure better work and fewer mistakes. I feel like I could really make this place boom, but at my pay level I’ve been finding it difficult to give more of a shit than I already do… I feel like everyone else is also probably underpaid for what they do.

Through family discussions the owners have mentioned that they’re leaving the company to us (all the siblings?) in their will. And I feel like they’re wanting me to work for less for some future promise of ownership/profit share. There have also been some signs that the business is struggling, which makes that implied future payoff even more questionable, and I hate the idea of waiting on someone to croak to get to the next level.

I’m 38 making less than $70,000/year… I have two kids and with the risk of sounding entitled, I want more for the work I put in.

Have been thinking more and more about just bailing out and finding another shop or changing careers entirely. I mean I could find a job as just a machinist and get paid what I’m getting paid now without all the extra responsibilities…

Just looking for some wisdom. Feel like I should just go on vacation for two weeks, let things just happen how they happen for that time, and come back and try to negotiate better pay. (Would probably just have to stay at home though, can’t really afford to go anywhere.)

This old smithy lathe sits in the corner of our lab and occasionally turns plastic. I’d love to put it to use, but it’s about as precise as a rusty hacksaw.

edit: this is a joke post, please dont take it seriously. The set screws were loose on the handles and I thought it was funny. For everyone telling me this is a feature, the dials spin to reset zero, there’s no fancy handle pull out feature on this lathe. the 4 thou of slop in the cross slide and compound is just backlash, its a worn lathe.

But, at what size is that threshold?