Machinist Jobs | Machinist Careers | Machinists Jobs
Machinist Jobs - What is the Job of a Machinist? What does a Machinist Job Involve?
Machinist jobs involve using machine tools such as lathes and milling machines in order to create metal parts, with precision machinists often producing small batches of metal objects. Machinist work is mostly needed for specialty machinery or automobile products that require a high degree of quality and exclusivity.
Before creating a metal part, a machinist will review blueprints for the job, and then they will cut into a work piece and shape it. Machinists will determine where the cuts and holes should be made in the piece, and the machinist job is to determine how fast they should feed it into the machine and how much metal should be removed in order to create a finished product.
After completing the layout, a machinist will position the metal peace in front of a drill press, milling machine, or lathing machine, setting the controls and then making the cuts. Machinists have to make sure that the machine they are working with the is lubricated as cutting metal generate a great deal of heat. Metals also expand under heat which can create an imperfect cut.
While the cutting machines are operating, a machinist will detect any problems in its operation by listening for sounds such as vibration. Vibrations can decrease the accuracy of the machine and there are methods that machinists can use in order to ensure the integrity of the finished product.
Production machinists will produce large quantities of a single part, and they will frequently use machines called CNC machines, which follow a computer program which will determine cutting speed, and perform all the requisite cuts in order to obtain a great number of finished metal products. Most machinist careers are trained in CNC technology, as the equipment has become more affordable in recent years.
Maintenance machinists have the responsibility of repairing broken machinery or upgrading existing parts. In order to replace the broken part or to perform an upgrade, a maintenance mechanic is to check blueprints and to try to troubleshoot the error.
Machinist jobs involve keeping up to date with the latest technologies, as the industry is rapidly evolving, involving lasers, water jets, and electrified wires in order to cut work pieces.
Working Conditions for Machinist Jobs - How is the Working Environment for Machinist Jobs?
Most machinist jobs are cleanly and well ventilated, and most CNC machines are completely enclosed, which will minimize the risk to machinist workers of noise and flying debris. Machinists will wear protective eye and ear gear in order to protect themselves from workplace hazards, and the work itself usually involves a standard 40 hour workweek.
Machinist overtime is common during production periods or high demand, such as during the holiday season or an economic boom.
Machinists Education - How to Become a Machinist - How to Receive Your Machinist Tool Training
Machinist training is usually learned on the job, although unions may offer additional classroom training at a vocational or community college. Machinist apprenticeship programs will last about four years, combining classroom experience with on the job training, and classes will usually involve CNC programming and CNC machinery, as machining processes become increasingly automated.
Machinist Training Requirements - How to Become a Machinist
Machinist certification is available from the National Institute of Metalworking Skills, which offers varying accreditations to those who completed machinery education training and you can pass a machinery exam. Unions will offer their own certifications upon graduating from a machining program.
With additional training, and on the job experience, a machinist may become a CNC programmer or a tool and die maker. Machinists may also become shift supervisors or open up their own machine shops.
Machinists Employment - What is a Machinist Job?
Over the next decade, machinist employment should decline by about 3%, due to increased productivity and foreign competition for manufacturing goods. CNC machinery which adds computer automation to the metal cutting process is revolutionizing the industry, allowing fewer machinists to accomplish a large amount of work.
Job prospects for machinist careers are good due to very few entrants into machinist programs and baby boomer retirement over the next decade. A recession can cause unemployment for machinist jobs, due to a slow down in production cycles.
Machinist Pay Scale - How Much Do Machinists Earn?
In 2006, machinist jobs had hourly earnings on median of $16.71, with those in the aerospace industry earning the highest wages at $18.46. Those machinists working for temporary agencies earned the lowest median salary at $11.98.