Category Archives: Beginners

CNC Beginner Where To Start

Category : Beginners New Stuff

CNC Beginner

CNC Beginner, at the CNC Training Centre we get emails every day from people trying to get into CNC Machining and programming.

All our courses are still only £300 per day plus VAT

A two day course in total s £720 including VAT

They ask how to start as a CNC Beginner.

CNC Beginner

The idea of the beginners courses at the CNC Training Centre is to get you started on your CNC career path.

It takes years to become a skilled engineer the clues in the title “skilled”. The good news is no one is going to stop you.

CNC Beginner

CNC Beginner

What I mean is, that although it may be hard to get that foothold, once you’re in all you need to do is work hard, learn and progress.

At the CNC Training Centre we can help you do this.

Because companies are desperate for good people they want you to succeed. All you have to do is perform.

You already have the most important requirement:

  • You’re flexible.
  • You are friendly.
  • You’re never late.
  • You don’t phone in sick Monday morning cos you’ve been on the piss all weekend.
  • You listen and you want to learn.

This is you isn’t it?

Hope I’m not talking to the wrong person here.

So if you already have all the above qualities then all you need is an opportunity.  My advice is quite simple get into the environment.

In other words find a small engineering company with CNC Machines and get any job they have on offer even if your just cleaning the shit-houses.

That way you have a good chance of getting started on a machine. Even if your just making the tea it’s a start.

Bullshit Never Works

Recently almost everyone I train has a story about this bloke who started at their company. CV looked amazing, in practice he knew Jack Shit and two weeks later he either walked out or was slung out.

Please don’t let this be you. Everyone including you becomes very pissed off. Your confidence takes a massive knock, not to mention that you look a twat.

Tell the truth but show confidence and a willingness to learn. Be honest about what you can and can’t do. You’ll be surprised your good looks and magnetic personality will get you the first step on the steep CNC ladder.

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How do you become a CNC machinist?

Category : Beginners

For On-site CNC Training
David: 07834 858 407

Contact CNC Training Centre

How do you become a CNC Machinist ?

For On-site CNC Training Contact David: 0783 858 407

 

Every day at the CNC Training Centre we get calls from people wanting to get a job as a CNC Programmer or CNC Machinist .

We can’t get you a job but we can get you started on the path.

That’s why we put these courses together.

These courses are designed to get you started on CNC Machining.

If you are a beginner and want to do a hands on course that teaches you to become a setter operator then try these two courses. These are ideal if you think you can get a start on the ladder and don’t want to jump in at the deep end.

Setter Operator Beginners Turning

Setter Operator Beginners Milling

For absolute beginners with no experience at all. Looking to start a career in CNC Machining..

Beginners CNC Machining

If you work on a CNC machine already and you want to advance by learning some programming skills then look at these two courses.

Learn to Programme Basic Milling 

Learn to Programme Basic Turning

I’ve read enough just let me Apply Now

 

It’s important to realise that there is absolutely no guarantee that you will get a job at the end of this training.

Or a company car.

Read to the end of the article for the good news.

These are two day courses but it will take years to become a skilled machinist.

Beginners CNC Turning

CNC Machinist

Beginners CNC Milling

CNC Machinist

These courses are for people who have little or no experience and the idea is to get you on the first rung of the ladder.

Starting with moving the machine around in Manual Mode.

CNC Machinist

To creating simple programmes.

 

CNC Machinist

 

You’ll learn some basics about measuring equipment.

CNC MachinistCNC Machinist

And we’ll teach you about the common materials used in manufacturing.

Well maybe not gold but steel, brass, aluminium and stainless steel.

I served my time at Rolls Royce as an apprentice circa 1971 (do the maths I’m a real old git).

Well maybe not that old.

It took four years before you could even start as a proper engineer. Even then there was a kind of unwritten rule that you still needed a fair bit of time before you actually would be any good.

In them days there weren’t many people who could call themselves a CNC Machinist. That technology was in its infancy.

There were over 200 apprentices at Rolls Royce then. If you add to that all the other companies in Coventry alone. The pool was massive.

Manufacturing was destroyed in the UK in the 1980’s. Let’s not get political. But it isn’t any better now.

 

 

Before I put you off all together and you start looking into hairdressing let’s give you the good news.

The Good News

There is a huge demand for CNC Programmers, Machinists, Setters and Operators. That means it’s a good trade to be in.

Employers are inclined to take more of a risk as a result.

More Good News

There are no filters. Engineering is still old school if you can do it you’ll more than likely get the job.

In the smaller companies no-one cares too much about what qualifications you have if you can do the job.

Please don’t quote me on this it’s just an observation.

So that means if you’re a quick learner and you study hard you got a good chance.

Suggestion To Become a CNC Machinist

Do anything you can to get started in a small CNC Machine shop.

Cleaning up, making the tea anything. There is a good chance if you keep getting in the way, one day when they are really busy you’ll get a chance to run a CNC machine.

Mine is a single-shot-caramel-soya-latte in a Chevron Denby cup.

The number one criteria is to be reliable!!

Of course you need to keep reading the articles on this website.

Colleges are a good place to get the basic training as an engineer but you’re probably not in a position to go to full time college.

You may well have to take a drop in salary to get started but try not to think about the money.

That’s easy for me to say. What I mean by that is if you get any opportunity to learn then grab it. It may mean working over or coming in at the weekend but….

The learning is yours forever.

We offer onsite training and before I start working with my students I always talk to them about their own personal development.

The company they work for is spending a lot of cash to train them and will gain massively from the training. The student will be a lot more valuable as an employee.

That student may even get a pay rise.

The real gain

Knowledge is power.

Now I don’t mean you can go and invade some rich oil state or become a judge on the X Factor.

(Yes that is me) but I ‘m not trying to sell records today.

Your value on the job market is now much higher so every opportunity to learn you need to take. Don’t get me wrong a pay rise is lovely and not to be sniffed at but it’s only as good as it lasts. When you lose your job there is no guarantee you will get paid as much in your next position.

What I always say to students is that if they get made redundant they will gladly pay for college courses or training courses. They will in fact expect to pay.

So when offered any kind of training in the workplace keep this in mind. That is if you want to become a CNC Machinist.

When you get a chance to go onto a new machine or learn don’t hesitate. Yes you are helping the company but even if they don’t realise that think if your own personal development.

Remember knowledge is power.

Beginners CNC Turning

CNC Machinist

Beginners CNC Milling

CNC Machinist

So what you waiting for? Apply Now

Thanks for reading

 Contact Us

Siemens Sinumerik 840d 828 training

 


CNC Programmer How Do You Become a CNC Programmer

Category : Beginners

CNC Programmer

CNC Programmer Salary, what do they earn?

In 2025 it’s around £32,000 a year but it can be a lot more.

When I am training engineers to become CNC Programmers I always say programming is the easy bit. The programme is the tool that makes the CNC Machine do what you want it to do.

When the cutting tool starts chattering and squealing you will need to draw on experience to know why this is happening.

Tooling Knowledge

So you need a good knowledge of tooling.

CNC Programmer

In small companies you need to wear many hats

When a company asks us to programme parts for them these are the questions we ask.

  • Do you know what tools you want to use?
  • Do you have a machining method?
  • Do you have work holding?
  • Do you have feeds, speeds and depth of cut you want to use?
  • Do you have any tips for The Grand National?

More often than not the answers to the questions above are No No No No and “One For Arthur”

Anyway enough of Horse Racing.

Learn Now

Here are two courses that can get you on the right track.

Turning Learn to Programme

Milling Learn to Programme

It is all about experience and unfortunately I have come across quite a few programmers with none.

When you get there it’s not a bad job.

We would love you to come to us to learn to become a CNC Programmer but you will need a whole lot more skills before you will be able to produce good CNC Programs. Being able to program is just another tool and another skill.

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CNC Programming Running Order

CNC Programming Running Order (CNC Basics)

CNC Programming Running Order

CNC Programming Running Order, the order of your CNC code within one block does not matter (see below)

Or does it?

O0001(G81 DEMO)
G21 G90 G40
(G90 G40 G21) Works the same
T01 M06 (20.0 MM DIA X 90 POINT SPOT DRILL)
(M06 T01) Works the same
G90 G0 G54 X12.64 Y88.0 S2546 M3
(S2546 M3 G90 G0 G54 X12.64 Y88.0) Works the same

However it is best to keep the order the same. Create your own convention and stick to it.

G90 G0 G54 X12.64 Y88.0 S2546 M3


So if you always put the speed and M3 (spindle start clockwise) at the end of the first position line try to always stick to that.

It Could Save You

If one day you miss out the speed for example. You will look at the code and it will look strange. You will immediately realise what is wrong.

It’s like the time my cooker got pinched, I looked in the kitchen and their was an old pince of cheese and a dirty floor where it used to be. Whilst I was thinking of a recipe to use the old cheese in I thought “something is wrong”.

Anyway

You will get used to the order of your programs and they will be easier to read, so the CNC Programming Running Order is important.

This helps not only you but your customer, the machine operator or setter.

CNC Programming Running Order

Imagine you have not seen this program for a while. How long will it take you to realise how it works and what it does?

When you look at any code that I write, in any of my articles, I always use extra end of blocks to space out the code.

Compare CNC Programming Running Order to paragraphs in a book, that is how we visually can jump around the pages.

If for example you were looking at an old program,  you would quickly be able to scan the program and see what’s going on.

So although the order does not matter to the machine it matters to you, try to make your programs consistent and to a regular pattern.

Anyone using your programs, including you, will find them easy to read and to fault find.

Summary

  •  Try to keep XYZ in that order to save confusion.
  •  Make your first three or four lines of each tool always follow the same pattern.
  •  Turn on the coolant in the same place (if it’s not there you will notice).
  •  Start the spindle in the same place and the same when you switch them off.
  • Produce an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) documenting program layout.
  • Bunch code together in meaningful blocks.

Please contact me if you require:

  • CNC programming training.
  • Want to learn CNC programming.
  • Fanuc control training.
  • Yasnac programming training.
  • Any type of CNC course.
  • Fanuc training courses
  • CNC lathe training
  • CNC Vertical Machining Centre training

Services offered at CNC Training Centre

Edgecam training.

Classroom programmer training.

Onsite CNC Machine Training.

Siemens Sinumerik Training

CNC Training on all controls and machines.

Mazak Training Fanuc Training

Don’t forget we offer training on all types of Mazak Machines and all Fanuc Controls 6m to 31i Oi old to young.


Haas Search Brackets (Find Code in Brackets)

Category : Beginners Useful Stuff

Haas Search Brackets. Everyone knows I am a fan of Haas machines I can often be found in the kitchen at parties boring the ass off of everyone talking about all the exciting things that they can do.Haas Search Brackets

Most people don’t have a clue what I’m on about as most of my friends are hairdressers, taxidermists or pornstars.

Anyway today I’m going to bore you with what I consider another master stroke from Mr Haas.

Be honest have you ever wanted to search for something that is in a bracket? Admit it you have haven’t you.

It’s a bit like searching for your phone when you left it in the fridge.

O0001 (David’s CNC Programme)

T05 M06 (20mm Endmill)

G90 G00 G54 X50. 50. S1500 M03
G43 Z3. H05 M08

G81 G98 Z-20. R1. F100.
X0
Y0
G80

T06 M06 (50 mm Face mill was T07)

ETC
ETC

M30

If your answer to the above question was no then you are on the wrong website go buy a new car or something it’s way more exciting.

Anyway it’s easy. If you wanted to find the T07 in the code above, see it there hiding away in those brackets?

T06 M06 (50 mm Face mill was T07)

Haas Search Brackets Here’s How

Anyway all you need to do is type (T07) then press your lower cursor. In other words parenthesise the T07.

Just showing off to my younger readers, or just plain thick readers, parenthesise means put it in brackets.

Haas Search Brackets

Sorry about the shit picture but I’m on a very tight budget here.

How easy is that?

Authors Note

I’ve been thinking about this one and I can’t really think of where you might use it. Sorry for wasting your time.

Thanks for watching and reading

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this post or need CNC Counselling then contact me.

Siemens 828 840 Sinumerik Training

Or call us on : 07834 858 407

If you want to learn to programme CNC Milling Machines

Look no further Contact CNC Training Centre

 

 

 


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Call David: 07834 858 407