Machining.Blog® is a weekly blog focused on manufacturing career development. It features blog articles on the fundamentals of manufacturing for aspiring machinists. Our goal is to create an interest in manufacturing in the USA. Our writer Matthew Schowalter has worked in manufacturing for 24 years, and he covers the topics that matter to someone starting their career in manufacturing.
“The soft skills the machinist uses are the unseen tools in their box and can directly impact the success or failure of a dreamed after machining career.”
All tagged Manufacturing Careers
Adapting to the worker shortage in manufacturing is difficult. Some shops may choose to search more aggressively for employees, while others might invest in technology that helps streamline the manufacturing processes. Then there are other manufacturing facilities that may buy another machine shop to gain capabilities. Those are all ways to overcome the worker shortage, but this article will focus on how to introduce manufacturing to the younger generation to help fix the worker shortage.
When you ask what machining means to me, I could go on for hours with stories about how I made complex parts on machines that are even more complicated than the parts themselves. Machining is by far more interesting than what most people know. From the challenges of implementing new complex equipment in the shop, to CNC programming, or even making complex parts in one setup. It is a career choice that most do not know how advanced it can be, especially the machining of today. Now, we can make parts in one setup that were once made in many setups on multiple pieces of equipment over a long-time frame. My career is a success story in manufacturing technology as I have embraced the technology of today and here is how I made it happen with six simple steps in career success.
The community support of the technical education program at Eleva Strum High School is impressively large and there are several reasons why. The technical education program operates as a student-run business that fabricates and machines parts for customers. The business is called Cardinal Manufacturing. The money made by the business is used to buy raw materials, upgrade equipment, marketing, cover the operating costs, and to pay the student employees.
In my twenty-four years of manufacturing experience, I have discovered that manufacturing can be a great industry to work in. I started as a youth apprentice in machining and then served a registered apprenticeship as a Tool and Die Maker. Over the course of my time spent in manufacturing, I was a team leader and a manufacturing engineer.
Do You Have the Important Qualities for a Career as a Manufacturing Engineer?
Do you have critical-thinking and problem-solving skills?
Do you excel at math?
Do you have excellent communication skills?
If so, consider a career as a Manufacturing Engineer
Mathematical Skills -Use trigonometry functions and calculus for troubleshooting and analysis
Communication Skills - Write documents and explain issues clearly. Must fully understand ideas while listening and working in a team
Mechanical / Technical Skills - Must be able understand how manufacturing devices operate and understand the optimization of computer networks for manufacturing processes
The manufacturing engineers job is to focus on the automated aspects involved in the manufacturing process. They design and optimize manufacturing systems and are also involved with process flow and other aspects of production.
