How to Achieve Machine Tool Zen

Have you ever had the impression that a CNC machine has its own will? As if it can see, understand and go against you every time it can? Well you’re not alone! I think that machine tool operators, setup guys, CNC machinists and CNC programmers, have all had this impression at least once (most likely more than once!). If you’re interested in how to get along with machine tools and be happy (the Zen bliss of machining!), keep reading.

Is There Anything Worse?

Let's start with a classic situation. It’s the end of the day, you’re already preparing to go home and you’re told there’s an urgent job (like 20 pieces in stainless steel). So you have to stay as long as needed to make it happen (I will never understand why these requests always seem to come in at the end of day!). Of course, the right machine for the job has the wrong workholding and the set of tooling isn’t quite what you need. There’s a machine next to it with the right workholding already on it, and the set of tooling is about what you need, but the tools are for aluminum and the machine isn’t quite the right one (too light, low power, not so rigid). Your brain is now jumping between spending an hour setting up the right CNC machine for the job, or just clamping the first part in the other machine and starting to write the program. You look around and your coworkers are leaving and they’re making fun of you because you have to stay. At this point the decision is easy: the other machine! Let summarize: urgent job, stainless steel, why me? why didn’t they tell me this morning? And your inner laziness kicks in and you decide to use the wrong machine with the wrong tooling set. Is there anything worse? Yes, there is…

Now It Gets Ugly

You write the program, start testing it and the tools just can’t take it. The roughing tool breaks right away, the surface finish is ugly, and the noise from the cutting action is painful. You start changing tools while exercising “creative” programming, trying to make miracles. You’re now more than one hour into the job and you already have some broken tools and a scrap part. Time goes by faster in this situation (is this the relativity that Einstein was talking about?) and this adds to your frustration. You start thinking that you need to use the right machine and you’re just wasting time. But no, you keep going because now you’re challenging yourself, you want to show yourself that you can do it anyway. You start rushing, you make many errors in the program, which raises your frustration, and now your phone is ringing. Your wife wants to know where you are and why you’re not home yet. You lose it! And then you don’t see that what’s supposed to be a feed move is actually in rapid – and the machine didn’t like that!

Getting It Under Control

Do you see yourself in this situation? I’ve been there too. And I realized a long time ago, there must be a better way. And, trust me, there is a better way, but you have to control some of the natural human weaknesses that are characteristic of all of us. Let see what you’re up against:

• Laziness. This is your worst enemy, and not just in a machine shop. Laziness is in all of us and this is not necessary a bad thing. Laziness is the underlying motivation for many technological advancements and science discoveries. Unfortunately, laziness doesn’t help in a machine shop. Producing good parts requires the right machine, the right setup, the right tools, the right process, and the right program. That’s it, no discounts, no shortcuts, no easy way. The sooner you accept this, the better off you are.
• Your emotional status. The machine tool doesn’t care if you’re angry or hungry, if you want to go home, if you’re tired, if you had an argument with your wife, if it’s late, if it’s Monday morning or Friday afternoon, if it’s cold or warm, or if someone disliked you on Facebook! All of these are emotional triggers that we humans endure in daily life, but they’re just a distraction when you’re in a machine shop. Machine tools require your full attention. That’s it, you must be 100% psychologically and mentally “in the zone” when you’re on a CNC machine.

How to Get Along with Machine Tools and Be Happy

Let’s go back with same situation of the urgent job at the end of the day and see how to properly manage it:

1. First, you call home and explain that you will be late. This will remove part of the outside world distractions.
2. Next, go outside, take a deep breath of fresh air and when you go back in, leave your inner laziness outside!
3. Put down your watch and your phone somewhere far from the machine. More sources of distractions are eliminated.
4. Use the right machine, do the right setup, and spend extra time cleaning every mating surface and mounting the right tools. Use the right jaws, the right parallels, and don’t look at and think about the clock.
5. Take your time in writing the program, keeping it simple. If you have close tolerances, add a semi finish tool, and don’t be afraid to add that extra minute in cutting time to stabilize the process.
6. Eureka! Enjoy watching the CNC machine making parts and, as a reward, you can now use your phone and dislike someone!
7. The next day you will enjoy compliments for the good job and you’ll look like a hero just for having done your job.

So, here is the Holy Grail, this is how you get along with machine tools and be happy: do the right things, which you already know. This allows you to operate in Zen with your machines, in a state of total and intuitive harmony. Soon you’ll discover the only downside – you’ll be the one called in for every difficult situation. But that’s another story…

Have you achieved machine tool Zen? Comment below and share your tips for getting along with machine tools, we welcome your thoughts.

Germano Zerbini is Applications Engineer, Okuma America Corporation.