CNC Machinist Training

Congratulations on choosing to start a career in CNC machining. With appropriate training or experience, candidates can pursue machinist roles across the manufacturing industry.

What Is a CNC Machinist?

A CNC machinist makes parts according to engineering drawings. In both small job shops and large production facilities, machinists operate computer-controlled equipment—most commonly CNC mills and lathes—to produce parts within the tolerances specified on a blueprint.

Some employers recruit through staffing agencies, including temp-to-hire arrangements. Workers who demonstrate reliability and efficiency may later become direct employees with access to the employer’s wages and benefits.

CNC Machinist Job Description

Machine shops produce parts for industries such as medical manufacturing, aerospace, government contracting, and aftermarket products. A machinist’s responsibilities vary with the type of shop and production work.

In a production shop, machinists may load dozens or hundreds of parts onto fixtures and deburr completed pieces. Production jobs can have long cycle times and may continue for several months.

Smaller shops typically perform more setups and shorter production runs. A machinist might run a different part each day and, depending on experience, set up jobs or correct machine programs.

Typical responsibilities include:

• Loading and removing parts
• Inspecting parts to confirm that they are within tolerance
• Solving machining and production problems
• Editing programs, feeds, and speeds
• Deburring completed parts

CNC Machinist Jobs

Both large production companies and smaller job shops employ CNC machinists. Candidates improve their employment prospects by developing the skills and meeting the experience or training requirements specified by employers.

CNC Programming Training

After gaining experience as machine operators, some machinists move into CNC programming. Programming requires deeper knowledge than loading and setting up parts. A programmer needs a strong understanding of CNC codes and should be able to write programs for machined components.

Programming skills may be learned on the job with help from an experienced machinist or through machining and CNC programming courses at a technical school.

Learning to write programs and use CAD/CAM software effectively takes time. Programming roles generally require more knowledge and experience than machine-operator positions.