A well-trained machine tool operator can be a manufacturing plant's best asset, and a first line of defense against inefficient operations, low productivity and reduced quality. And like a high-performance racecar driver who needs to know what's under the hood to get the most from his or her machine, so too does a machine tool operator need to grasp the basics of the equipment in order to make that system hum.
Basic operator training for computer numerical control (CNC)-equipped machine tools should focus on the four key areas of CNC-machine tool operation: components, direction of motion, accessories and programmable functions. In this installment, we'll cover the first two of those.