Depending on the make, model, and age of CNC Mill you will be running, there are a variety of different control interfaces that you will have to be able to interact with
We will primarily be using machines with Haas Control Panels in our labs, but it is important to familiarize yourself with as many interfaces as possible, throughout your career
It is notable that all control panels are capable of essentially the same base functionality, they just have different configurations and workflows for using them
Typically, the older the machine is, the more "clunky" and less user-friendly the interface is, whereas newer machines tend to be "slick" and intuitive
Some of the most common controls include the Siemens, FANUC, & Haas Controllers, each of which have several generations/models, respectively:
With instructor supervision, go over & demonstrate the following competencies on a CNC Mill in the lab:
Control Panel Overview & Navigation
Spindle Orientation/Locking/Unlocking
Tool Changing via MDI
Safe unloading & loading of a tool in the spindle/toolchanger of a CNC Mill
Selecting a program to run (warm-up routine)
Running a program (warm-up routine)
Reading & understanding basic G-Code while a prorgam is running on a CNC Mill