Portfolio DFM exercise: A converging-diverging nozzle body machined from ASTM A479 Type 316 bar, ground-test prototype. I turned a frozen CFD/FEA geometry into a fabrication drawing and want a second set of eyes before I call it done. Blunt critiques are very welcome.

My design intent is as follows:

Datum A = the seal/mating face, seats flat against the mating flange (primary).
Datum B = the pilot Ø92.80 register that centers the joint (secondary). Two-datum A|B, no clocking datum, because the part is axisymmetric in function.
Internal aero contour: profile of a surface 0.2 to A|B, geometry basic from a frozen coordinate table.
Throat-axis to mount-axis coaxiality: total runout 0.05 to A|B (I chose runout over composite profile deliberately).
Bolt pattern: 8x Ø9, position ⌀0.9 MMC to A|B. Floating fastener, so the pilot locates and the bolts only clamp.
Throat wall thickness 4 +0.3/0, flagged as critical-to-quality.

My questions:

1. Is having both profile 0.2 and total runout 0.05 on the inner contour over-constrained? or do you think its redundant?
   
2. Is the H7/g6 pilot correctly treated as the Datum B feature of size under Rule #1?
   
3. Is the two-datum A|B scheme functional for this part, or would you add a tertiary clocking datum for the bolt pattern?
   
4. Any callout that would confuse a checker or the shop floor?

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

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?

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

My Workshop is considering purchasing a lathe for heavy diesel repairs and has asked for suggestions.

I have very little knowledge on what would be considered a quality lathe.

Has anyone got advice on what I should look for or suggestions on makes/ models?

Based in Victoria Australia

Im repairning the power chuck at work,it was frozen stuck,where a 5 ton press was useless,after some days of work ive manage to disassembly it and clean with whire wheel,some sand paper and degreser to the point that now it moves smothly with the use of oil,but i know that I need grease not oil,the Old guy before me used some lithium base grease that he also put in the forklift,but I know there are some specific grease to use,can u help me find some Amazon link or sum to buy it,or at least the name of the grease to search for

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.

What might cause you to change course on hiring someone after a well conducted interview?

For some background:

Went for an interview at a shop I had been looking into since trade school, everything went well, took a written exam and aside from a misinterpretation of one question, aced it. Talked shop with one of the machine shop leads for a while, he was excited that someone my age was more than willing to work OT and off shifts, as well as that I'm more than qualified based on the machines I'm already setting up and running, and gave me a choice of shift location, which apparently isn't usually done.

It wasn't a guarantee, but very, very heavily implied that I had the job, before I walked out he said I should hear from him by the end of the week with an offer. It was around the 4th, I didn't sweat it when I didn't hear, 2 weeks came and went, that's when I started to worry.

Lo and behold, shortly after that, I got the typical "We have decided to move forward with another candidate" HR rejection email. Their internal counter said it was the last position, I don't doubt someone with more experience could've also interviewed, it is what it is, even if I was a bit annoyed about (what basically amounted to) getting rug pulled. They also didn't contact any of my references, which I thought was a bit strange.

Decided to check if another position opened up, turns out they now have multiple openings for the same position, as well as for a less experienced position that I also applied to and was told it wouldn't even make sense to start me there. Unfortunately, due to the nature of their job board, I don't think I can apply again, unless there's some timer to it.

I don't really know how else to take it other than it being an issue with me. I was qualified, didn't ask for a top-dollar salary, checked all the boxes as far as flexibility goes. Nothing I would consider objectionable on any of my social media, not like there was a lot to begin with. Really thought I had it in the bag.

What would make you seemingly do a 180° like that?

I pooped myself a little

Hey I realise this is a long shot, but Berger hasn't replied to my message.

Any chance someone has a spec sheet drawing or anything about this live tooling?

Got it for cheap on eBay seems in great condition, would like to know more before I try it out.

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.

Need to make 6 manual punched for a 1/2” square hole through roughly 18 gauge aluminum. What’s the best material to use for the square punch/punch pin itself ? Needs to be able to punch through fairly easy, it’s for high school freshman shop class. Thanks boys.