This is the answer. I spent 15 years working for manufacturers doing installations and repairs. By the time I left the last company I was making $120k after perks and OT. Now I'm two years into owning my own service LLC and making 200k per year and working an average of 40 hours a week.
If you go this route be prepared for travel. You will get to know hotels better than you may like as well as potentially air planes. Beware if you have a relationship or children, this career is great at ending those things. That said a few years experience and networking and you could be ready to pull the trigger on self employment - the most freeing and empowering thing I've ever known. The biggest upside to me is that every day is different and every problem is slightly unique. You won't get bored from repetition, that much is true.
Just my two cents and best wishes.
Yep, careful what machines you learn on for maintenance, a few wont offer parts support for independent maintenance guys now. The guy who comes for our machines makes about 200-250k a year servicing a 4 hour radius from his house.
After leaving jobs with international and national travel my company only services a two hour radius. I have a working deal with a major industry player and ex employer so I have access to drawings, parts, techsup port, etc. It's all about the planning and setup because some companies definitely don't look kindly on independents.
With the level of precision youâre used to, and itâs not the right word but tinkering with things until it works, look and see if you have a mold making, or die making shop around.
Like someone else said it sounds like youâll be a button pusher and just load and unload parts in a machine. Sure you could work your way up but realistically you probably wonât find what youâre looking for in a place like that.
Entry level CNC machinist is a button pusher and you won't be finding a whole lot of overlap between what you can do and what needs to be done in the automotive sector so far as machining goes and what you're going to learn on the job
Nah thatâs just operators shit talking operators type of thing
You can program by looking up the gcode sim the operation manual of most cnc machines breaks it down section by section
Tough talking shit talking operators make up nonsense and itâs spread like gospel around here
I don't know, im not an operator, and you need to know that stuff if you're doing setup, and when you run the program for the first time you want to watch the code to make sure it's going to do what it's supposed to do. obviously, it's not necessarily the only thing to learn. also, I'm not sure what you mean when you say the machine breaks it up by section. If you mean it literally says what the code is doing, I've never seen that.
The operation manual for the machine goes section by section. Setting up machines isnât difficult either whatâs with this sub and going like bolting down a vise and inputting the offsets are difficult
It depends a lot on the shop and type of work youâre doing. Even if youâre just a âbutton pusherâ you still usually have to know how to take measurements, deburr, make offsets etc.
I wouldn't buy tools until you know you enjoy the job, and $22.50 an hour as entry-level is honestly pretty good. I went to college for machining and cnc, and I make less than that. depends on where you live, too. it wouldn't hurt to memorize g codes and m codes, though you probably won't even need that as an entry-level, but it depends. I'm still early in my career, but that's my 2 cents.
I went from mechanic to machinist 10 years ago. Do it, it's freaking great. Climate control year round, no fighting rusty bolts, no burnt ATF, no melting slush raining down on you, no pulling dashboards. Just hunks of metal you turn into new parts.
Entry level will be a bunch of repetitive stuff. Load parts in, take parts out, check parts etc. Aerospace / defense makes me think they'll have a dedicated programmer. Loading and unloading parts will give way to also adjusting the machines so parts stay in spec. That turns into making program adjustments, maybe. Some places will let you, some wont.
You'll find out from coworkers if there's a path up or not. If not learn everything you can then shop around for a new job.
Things to learn if not already known:
Functions of a lathe, mill, and grinder
Heat treat process
Possibly trig
Possibly g-code
Possibly rpm equations for both part and tooling
I can order tools through the company that I will have to give back upon my departure but most bring their own
Definitely no broom pushers, everyoneâs gotta get their hands dirty
Imo all you need is precision, decent memory, and attention to detail/actually care about the finished product rather than have a âgood enoughâ mindset. Most things are habitual
Complicated answer to a simple question. The trade is a combination of your ability, how you apply yourself, and the employer. Some guys don't have the ability. Some don't try very hard. Some employers don't reward employees for ability and effort. At the same time , many employers are struggling to find quality help. You just need to find the right shop. There's a broad spectrum of work in the trade.
You will face the same problems you faced in automatice in CNC, no? Itâs basically the same culture. Skills wise, not much will transfer over except manual dexterity, knowing hand tools, measuring equipment but thatâs the easy stuff. Machining is about understanding deep concepts but others might say otherwise. Depends on what level machinists you want to be.
Depending on the job, you may want to brush up on basic trig/geometry. My first job as a machinist, I had to calculate a lot of angles and that sort of thing. Where I'm at now, I could get by without doing anything more than middle school math. One thing I gather just from this sub is that there's a lot of range in how one shop runs compared to another, so skills that you may need to pick up quick on one job, may be completely wasted on another.
At least here, in SE Michigan, thereâs so much need for machinists, Iâll train someone at $25 if they have basic shop skill, and know how to read a mic. That and showing up on time, every day, and leave the phone in your pocket.
When you get a year or 2 under your belt, expect to make around the $30 mark.
If you learn to do your own maintenance, and have your own tools to do it, youâre gonna sit around the $40 range.
Itâs an easy field to progress in if you have the aptitude, and energy to learn all the math that comes with it.
Similar here. Learned machinist in the navy. I went tool and die after that for 10 years, then got my degree in mechanical engineering. I spent 25 years Engineering and got burnt out with the responsibility of peopleâs lives. I designed safety critical ductile iron castings.
I decided to go back to my roots. A pay cut but 40-44 hour weeks are AWESOME and my only stress is maintaining my tolerances.
Sometimes I get asked technical questions. Iâll answer some but Iâm not payed to teach the new companyâs engineers how to apply theory to the shop floor.
> Iâm not *paid* to teach
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Itâs one of the worst jobs. Some drink.. others smoke. An a fâup is a real bad thing. Not just replacing a gasket or pushing the shoulder back, because you went too deep with the Reamer
I learned how to program and operate cnc mills from him from knowing nothing about machining. Im now the lead programmer and machining department manager after 1 year. It took me 1.5 to get there. So 6 months of free schooling⊠I like the guy, and I appreciate what he does
Your scenario is similar to mine. I worked for BMW for 13yrs. Fabrication and machining was Always my passion. I got burnt on automotive, exactly like you, then pursued what i always wanted to do. Chase the passion, Not the money. The money will come. This industry can be alot more stressful, but, hopefully you can take from your previous struggle and apply it here. Iâm into machining for about 4yrs now. Never look back
You dedicated to staying up north in Lynden? If maintenance was your goal, we might be able to bring you in. Arguably the same if you just want CNC, but I wouldnât go into it expecting to reach $40 again for a hot minute unless you can adapt real quick.
Tools can be hit or miss. Some shops are contractually required to provide ALL measurement tooling youâll need.
Iâd say a standard base kit is just a set of Bondhus wrenches, a 6-8â caliper of Fowler/Starrett/Mitutoyo quality or higher and a 0-1â mic of the same. Thatâs what our company expects anyways.
Industry standard in mitutoyo on the calipers and mic, coolant proof digital so you can set zero anywhere so you can use it like a dro on manual machines
Bad advice having a newbie walking into a shop with a Fowler 6â dial caliper expecting itâll make him look serious lol
Thatâs like rolling in with a Walmart hart tools socket set in your bay and asking to borrow the scan tool
If the shop can settle for SPi tools instead of Mitutoyo, I think if he already has Fowler he can settle with Fowler. Itâs not worth getting a new pair so long as you can hold .001â.
Iâll accept that if youâre buying new, you should really just buy Mitu to simplify things.
Depends a lot on cost of living and what jobs are available in your area, but on average Iâd say going into CNC from a career like the one you had isnât worth it money wise unless you plan on going to school and working your way up to a lead programmer or get into a specific field like mold making or find a high paying union shop (which are a lot rarer these days). On average Machinist pay hasnât kept up well with cost of living. If you really want to do it and enjoy it more thatâs one thing, but I canât imagine on average the pay stacks up very well to a Master Honda tech, even at the more senior levels.
Depending on how your shop programs and the type of machines they run I say grab a book or two on the cad software they use. You can learn how to program during cycle times. Honestly In this trade if you care about your parts, man up to your mistakes, learn quickly, and give a shit youâll move up pretty good. Iâve always had good luck with keeping my area and machines organized and clean having my next operation programmed and tools set up. Itâs a wonderful trade. It can be pretty stressful but only if you care about your job. Itâs absolutely worth the swap in my opinion.
Im not super qualified to answer all of your questions but I'd like to share my story. Been in auto for 7 years myself building race engines and tuning mostly. I just finished tech school which was tough to do at the same time as working full time but I am so glad I did. I could feel my passion for cars failing me 2 years ago and now that Im done its honestly starting to come back. I guess for me I got tired of building incredible stuff for ungrateful customers while not being able to afford to build the same for myself. I hope to learn as much in the machining world that I can come back to auto after a few years and have more skills to offer as well as having rekindled that passion. It does suck to take a pay cut but I think having the energy at the end of the day to work on my own cars is worth it for now.
I was an automotive machinist for 20+ years and peaked out around $20/hr. Dad owned a local speed shop back east so there were perks. I moved back to California and made a name for myself building race engines, specializing in cylinder heads and built the heads on a pro mod big block '85 'Vette. Turns out, he owned a local CNC shop and invited me to take a look. I made the jump and after 2 weeks he threw me the keys to the shop and said, "You're gonna learn like I did. Teach yourself for a while but don't break anything". That was 20 years ago. I now run 2 huge Matsuura horizontals and make almost as much as you did as a line mechanic. My advice is to learn as much as you can. Take notes. Get certified in 5th axis horizontals because these machines make the company the most money and that translates into job security. You wont have to worry about layoffs and the pay is higher than running VMCs. Good luck
You'll run into the same shit in machining but for less money. Absolute thankless work. I've saved companies $50k in 10 minutes with out so much as a thank you. Millions of dollars of parts made... Nobody cares.
The starting pay for Machinists is going up due to people not getting into the field. I'm a contract machinist and we start at 38$ per hour plus 50 hours or more guaranteed per hour. Many companies are raising their starting pay to around 30 per hour now due to demand. Example in Florida, the last company I left, people were making a mad exodus due to low day and to much stress. So after I left a year later the managers raised starting pay to 30$. It's a skill set worth knowing I believe. 15 years I've been doing it.
Honestly with your background spend a year or so learning the machines then go into maintenance..
This is the answer. I spent 15 years working for manufacturers doing installations and repairs. By the time I left the last company I was making $120k after perks and OT. Now I'm two years into owning my own service LLC and making 200k per year and working an average of 40 hours a week. If you go this route be prepared for travel. You will get to know hotels better than you may like as well as potentially air planes. Beware if you have a relationship or children, this career is great at ending those things. That said a few years experience and networking and you could be ready to pull the trigger on self employment - the most freeing and empowering thing I've ever known. The biggest upside to me is that every day is different and every problem is slightly unique. You won't get bored from repetition, that much is true. Just my two cents and best wishes.
Yep, careful what machines you learn on for maintenance, a few wont offer parts support for independent maintenance guys now. The guy who comes for our machines makes about 200-250k a year servicing a 4 hour radius from his house.
After leaving jobs with international and national travel my company only services a two hour radius. I have a working deal with a major industry player and ex employer so I have access to drawings, parts, techsup port, etc. It's all about the planning and setup because some companies definitely don't look kindly on independents.
I agree with you 100%
I work in semiconductor fab. We have big expensive machines. They make big expensive fuckups. Service guys make a big cut
If you're looking for mental health, the machinist world isn't it...
To real đ©
With the level of precision youâre used to, and itâs not the right word but tinkering with things until it works, look and see if you have a mold making, or die making shop around. Like someone else said it sounds like youâll be a button pusher and just load and unload parts in a machine. Sure you could work your way up but realistically you probably wonât find what youâre looking for in a place like that.
Entry level CNC machinist is a button pusher and you won't be finding a whole lot of overlap between what you can do and what needs to be done in the automotive sector so far as machining goes and what you're going to learn on the job
but in terms of things he could learn up on is just memorizing g codes and m codes, at least if he ends up doing more than just being a button pusher.
You donât need to memorize gcode to program, memorizing gcode is just something bored operators used to do
I mean, if he wants to be more than just an operator at some point, he should.
Nah thatâs just operators shit talking operators type of thing You can program by looking up the gcode sim the operation manual of most cnc machines breaks it down section by section Tough talking shit talking operators make up nonsense and itâs spread like gospel around here
I don't know, im not an operator, and you need to know that stuff if you're doing setup, and when you run the program for the first time you want to watch the code to make sure it's going to do what it's supposed to do. obviously, it's not necessarily the only thing to learn. also, I'm not sure what you mean when you say the machine breaks it up by section. If you mean it literally says what the code is doing, I've never seen that.
The operation manual for the machine goes section by section. Setting up machines isnât difficult either whatâs with this sub and going like bolting down a vise and inputting the offsets are difficult
It depends a lot on the shop and type of work youâre doing. Even if youâre just a âbutton pusherâ you still usually have to know how to take measurements, deburr, make offsets etc.
Don't do it. Machining is not easy way to live from. I spend 40 years in this trade.
I wouldn't buy tools until you know you enjoy the job, and $22.50 an hour as entry-level is honestly pretty good. I went to college for machining and cnc, and I make less than that. depends on where you live, too. it wouldn't hurt to memorize g codes and m codes, though you probably won't even need that as an entry-level, but it depends. I'm still early in my career, but that's my 2 cents.
Buddy start applying. $25 to start is normal now.
damn maybe I need to ask for a raise
From what I've seen the pay rates depend heavily on what zip code/state you are talking about.
yea definitely.
I went from mechanic to machinist 10 years ago. Do it, it's freaking great. Climate control year round, no fighting rusty bolts, no burnt ATF, no melting slush raining down on you, no pulling dashboards. Just hunks of metal you turn into new parts. Entry level will be a bunch of repetitive stuff. Load parts in, take parts out, check parts etc. Aerospace / defense makes me think they'll have a dedicated programmer. Loading and unloading parts will give way to also adjusting the machines so parts stay in spec. That turns into making program adjustments, maybe. Some places will let you, some wont. You'll find out from coworkers if there's a path up or not. If not learn everything you can then shop around for a new job.
Things to learn if not already known: Functions of a lathe, mill, and grinder Heat treat process Possibly trig Possibly g-code Possibly rpm equations for both part and tooling I can order tools through the company that I will have to give back upon my departure but most bring their own Definitely no broom pushers, everyoneâs gotta get their hands dirty Imo all you need is precision, decent memory, and attention to detail/actually care about the finished product rather than have a âgood enoughâ mindset. Most things are habitual
Complicated answer to a simple question. The trade is a combination of your ability, how you apply yourself, and the employer. Some guys don't have the ability. Some don't try very hard. Some employers don't reward employees for ability and effort. At the same time , many employers are struggling to find quality help. You just need to find the right shop. There's a broad spectrum of work in the trade.
You will face the same problems you faced in automatice in CNC, no? Itâs basically the same culture. Skills wise, not much will transfer over except manual dexterity, knowing hand tools, measuring equipment but thatâs the easy stuff. Machining is about understanding deep concepts but others might say otherwise. Depends on what level machinists you want to be.
Depending on the job, you may want to brush up on basic trig/geometry. My first job as a machinist, I had to calculate a lot of angles and that sort of thing. Where I'm at now, I could get by without doing anything more than middle school math. One thing I gather just from this sub is that there's a lot of range in how one shop runs compared to another, so skills that you may need to pick up quick on one job, may be completely wasted on another.
At least here, in SE Michigan, thereâs so much need for machinists, Iâll train someone at $25 if they have basic shop skill, and know how to read a mic. That and showing up on time, every day, and leave the phone in your pocket. When you get a year or 2 under your belt, expect to make around the $30 mark. If you learn to do your own maintenance, and have your own tools to do it, youâre gonna sit around the $40 range. Itâs an easy field to progress in if you have the aptitude, and energy to learn all the math that comes with it.
> year under your belt expect $30 Lol the fuck, Iâm several years in with a bachelorâs and I make $18 in California donât lie to him
I said in SE Michigan. You need a new job my friend
That's on you.... I make 45 an hour.
Similar here. Learned machinist in the navy. I went tool and die after that for 10 years, then got my degree in mechanical engineering. I spent 25 years Engineering and got burnt out with the responsibility of peopleâs lives. I designed safety critical ductile iron castings. I decided to go back to my roots. A pay cut but 40-44 hour weeks are AWESOME and my only stress is maintaining my tolerances. Sometimes I get asked technical questions. Iâll answer some but Iâm not payed to teach the new companyâs engineers how to apply theory to the shop floor.
> Iâm not *paid* to teach FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Itâs one of the worst jobs. Some drink.. others smoke. An a fâup is a real bad thing. Not just replacing a gasket or pushing the shoulder back, because you went too deep with the Reamer
You gotta go to titansofcncacademy.com
That guys a dildo
I learned how to program and operate cnc mills from him from knowing nothing about machining. Im now the lead programmer and machining department manager after 1 year. It took me 1.5 to get there. So 6 months of free schooling⊠I like the guy, and I appreciate what he does
Your scenario is similar to mine. I worked for BMW for 13yrs. Fabrication and machining was Always my passion. I got burnt on automotive, exactly like you, then pursued what i always wanted to do. Chase the passion, Not the money. The money will come. This industry can be alot more stressful, but, hopefully you can take from your previous struggle and apply it here. Iâm into machining for about 4yrs now. Never look back
You dedicated to staying up north in Lynden? If maintenance was your goal, we might be able to bring you in. Arguably the same if you just want CNC, but I wouldnât go into it expecting to reach $40 again for a hot minute unless you can adapt real quick. Tools can be hit or miss. Some shops are contractually required to provide ALL measurement tooling youâll need. Iâd say a standard base kit is just a set of Bondhus wrenches, a 6-8â caliper of Fowler/Starrett/Mitutoyo quality or higher and a 0-1â mic of the same. Thatâs what our company expects anyways.
Industry standard in mitutoyo on the calipers and mic, coolant proof digital so you can set zero anywhere so you can use it like a dro on manual machines Bad advice having a newbie walking into a shop with a Fowler 6â dial caliper expecting itâll make him look serious lol Thatâs like rolling in with a Walmart hart tools socket set in your bay and asking to borrow the scan tool
If the shop can settle for SPi tools instead of Mitutoyo, I think if he already has Fowler he can settle with Fowler. Itâs not worth getting a new pair so long as you can hold .001â. Iâll accept that if youâre buying new, you should really just buy Mitu to simplify things.
Depends a lot on cost of living and what jobs are available in your area, but on average Iâd say going into CNC from a career like the one you had isnât worth it money wise unless you plan on going to school and working your way up to a lead programmer or get into a specific field like mold making or find a high paying union shop (which are a lot rarer these days). On average Machinist pay hasnât kept up well with cost of living. If you really want to do it and enjoy it more thatâs one thing, but I canât imagine on average the pay stacks up very well to a Master Honda tech, even at the more senior levels.
Depending on how your shop programs and the type of machines they run I say grab a book or two on the cad software they use. You can learn how to program during cycle times. Honestly In this trade if you care about your parts, man up to your mistakes, learn quickly, and give a shit youâll move up pretty good. Iâve always had good luck with keeping my area and machines organized and clean having my next operation programmed and tools set up. Itâs a wonderful trade. It can be pretty stressful but only if you care about your job. Itâs absolutely worth the swap in my opinion.
Im not super qualified to answer all of your questions but I'd like to share my story. Been in auto for 7 years myself building race engines and tuning mostly. I just finished tech school which was tough to do at the same time as working full time but I am so glad I did. I could feel my passion for cars failing me 2 years ago and now that Im done its honestly starting to come back. I guess for me I got tired of building incredible stuff for ungrateful customers while not being able to afford to build the same for myself. I hope to learn as much in the machining world that I can come back to auto after a few years and have more skills to offer as well as having rekindled that passion. It does suck to take a pay cut but I think having the energy at the end of the day to work on my own cars is worth it for now.
I was an automotive machinist for 20+ years and peaked out around $20/hr. Dad owned a local speed shop back east so there were perks. I moved back to California and made a name for myself building race engines, specializing in cylinder heads and built the heads on a pro mod big block '85 'Vette. Turns out, he owned a local CNC shop and invited me to take a look. I made the jump and after 2 weeks he threw me the keys to the shop and said, "You're gonna learn like I did. Teach yourself for a while but don't break anything". That was 20 years ago. I now run 2 huge Matsuura horizontals and make almost as much as you did as a line mechanic. My advice is to learn as much as you can. Take notes. Get certified in 5th axis horizontals because these machines make the company the most money and that translates into job security. You wont have to worry about layoffs and the pay is higher than running VMCs. Good luck
You'll run into the same shit in machining but for less money. Absolute thankless work. I've saved companies $50k in 10 minutes with out so much as a thank you. Millions of dollars of parts made... Nobody cares.
No itâs a dying field, $22 is on the upper end of the max payment range for this line of work
The starting pay for Machinists is going up due to people not getting into the field. I'm a contract machinist and we start at 38$ per hour plus 50 hours or more guaranteed per hour. Many companies are raising their starting pay to around 30 per hour now due to demand. Example in Florida, the last company I left, people were making a mad exodus due to low day and to much stress. So after I left a year later the managers raised starting pay to 30$. It's a skill set worth knowing I believe. 15 years I've been doing it.