Manual lathe: Category 3 in the Metals lab

A lathe rotates the workpiece against a cutting tool. See Lathe Operations for chucks, work support and turning operations.

Category 3 in the Metals lab. Follow Equipment Categories and Supervision for permission and supervision.

Complete Equipment Operating Procedure and Personal Protective Equipment before this machine-specific check. The general entanglement and stopping rules are in Machine Hazards and Housekeeping. In our labs, nothing that can get caught by the lathe comes near it: no long, untied hair, long sleeves, gloves or rings (see Personal Protective Equipment).

The whole workpiece rotates; chip strings can catch and cut

The chuck, workpiece and any material projecting from the spindle are rotating hazards. Apply the entanglement rules to the entire setup, including its back side.

In our labs, stop and clear long chip strings when they become a hazard. Never pull a chip string by hand. Use Metal Chips and Swarf for removal and cleanup. If long strings keep forming, have the instructor review the cutting setup before continuing.

If the work shifts or the setup behaves unexpectedly, stop safely

Do not try to steady rotating work or catch a loose part. Use the stopping controls you were shown if you can reach them safely, keep clear, and notify the instructor. Use Lab Conduct and Emergencies for an injury or emergency.

Finish with the shutdown procedure and chip cleanup. A stopped spindle is required before measuring or changing the setup; maintenance requires the isolation procedure in Machine Hazards and Housekeeping.

Manual mill: Category 3; CNC mill: Category 2 in the Metals lab

A vertical mill uses a rotating cutter to remove material held in a vise or clamps. See Vertical Mill Anatomy and Motion for the machine's parts.

The manual mill is Category 3 in the Metals lab; the CNC mill is Category 2 there. Use Equipment Categories and Supervision for the corresponding permission and supervision requirements.

Start with Equipment Operating Procedure, Personal Protective Equipment, Machine Hazards and Housekeeping and Metal Chips and Swarf. For the Tormach workflow, use Vertical Mill Startup, Setup and Shutdown; its controller sequence is not a startup sequence for a manual mill.

A rotating cutter and a moving table create different hazards

The cutter can cut or catch what touches it; the table can close a gap against the column, vise or clamps. Keep clear of both the cutting area and the table's travel. CNC motion follows the program, so a pause in motion is not permission to reach in.

Use Machine Hazards and Housekeeping for stopping before measurements and for isolation before adjustments or maintenance. Use Metal Chips and Swarf for chip removal, including the required controls if compressed air is used.

If a tool breaks or the work comes loose, step away

In our labs, step away if a tool breaks or the workpiece becomes loose. Stop the mill if it is safe to do so; do not endanger yourself to reach a control. Notify the instructor in every case.

If injured, ask for help and follow Lab Conduct and Emergencies. For normal shutdown use the installed mill's procedure and Equipment Operating Procedure; the Tormach sequence is in Vertical Mill Startup, Setup and Shutdown.

Guided holes: Category 2 in both labs

A drill press guides a rotating bit into work held on a table. Bit selection determines the hole it can make; see drill-bit choices for wood.

Category 2 in the Woods / Construction lab and Category 2 in the Metals lab. Follow category permission and supervision requirements.

Complete Equipment Operating Procedure and Personal Protective Equipment. The exposed chuck and bit are an entanglement hazard (see Machine Hazards and Housekeeping). Before you start, check the clothing and hair rules: long hair secured back, no long sleeves, hoodies or jackets near the spindle, no jewelry except a silicone wedding ring, and nothing dangling.

Feed steadily and keep hands away from the rotating work

A bit can catch and turn an unsecured part into a spinning lever. That is why a vise must be secured as well as tightened around the work.

1. Start with the bit clear of the work. Feed steadily so it cuts without being forced.
2. Ease the feed as the bit breaks through the underside. Keep hands clear rather than reaching underneath to support the exit.
3. Withdraw the bit under control, then stop the spindle before releasing or moving the work.
4. Stop before clearing chips near the bit. For metal, use the chip-handling and cleanup procedure; do not pull a stringy chip by hand.

Supporting detail: Addendum 1 — Why larger drills usually need fewer revolutions per minute.

If the bit breaks or the part comes loose: stand clear

Do not grab a spinning part. Step clear and stop the drill press using a safely reachable stop control. For a broken bit, use the emergency stop if safely reachable. Wait for motion to cease and notify the instructor; do not restart until the fault and workholding have been checked.

For injury, follow Lab Conduct and Emergencies. Finish normal work with shutdown and cleanup.

Waterjet: Category 2 in the Metals lab

The waterjet cuts a programmed shape with water and abrasive. See Laser, Waterjet and Plasma Cutting for how abrasive waterjet cutting works.

Category 2 in the Metals lab. Follow Equipment Categories and Supervision for permission and supervision, and complete Equipment Operating Procedure and Personal Protective Equipment.

Keep hands away from the cutting nozzle and clear of its travel. The jet cuts material, and the moving head can trap a hand. See Machine Hazards and Housekeeping for movement, guards and stopping. OMAX safety information is further reading for the installed-machine training.

Prepare the file and toolpath: lab steps 1–10

This is our lab's OMAX operating sequence. Follow it with the machine-specific instruction you received at checkout.

1. Export the CAD file to DXF or DWG, as for a laser-cut part.
2. Turn on the OMAX machine.
3. Turn on the water: the top water line under the sink.
4. Open ProtoMAX Layout software.
5. Click File → “Open file for other CAD software.”
6. Use the move, rotate and duplicate tools to lay out the parts. One square is equal to one inch.
7. Click Autopath to create toolpaths. Check that the path cuts on the correct side of each line and cuts inside items before outside items, so the part is not cut loose before its interior features are cut.
8. Click Post.
9. Select the starting position, normally the bottom left.
10. Save the post. It saves as an .omax file.

Verify settings, follow the prompts and dry-run: lab steps 11–15

11. Right-click on Post and open the .omax file in ProtoMAX Make.
12. When Make asks for cutting parameters, select the appropriate material and enter its thickness. The lab procedure says to oversize the thickness “by just a bit”; confirm that allowance with the instructor.
13. If the machine was just turned on, Make shows a red homing button at the top of the screen. Make sure nothing obstructs the nozzle's movement before clicking it to home the machine.
14. Follow all the on-screen steps. These include, but are not limited to:
    1. Attaching the abrasive hose.
    2. Testing the nozzle for abrasive flow.
    3. Placing and securing the material.
    4. Homing the nozzle to the starting position on the material.
    5. Adjusting the water height if necessary.
    6. Dry-running the program.
    7. Flipping down the splash guard.
15. Run the program.

In step 14, “homing” to the material means the job's starting position; it is distinct from the machine-homing step in step 13. Have both positions demonstrated during checkout.

A dropped part or a fault needs a safe stop, not a reach into the tank

Do not reach into the cutting area to retrieve a part while the machine is operating. If the material moves or the cut behaves unexpectedly, keep clear and use the stopping procedure demonstrated during checkout. Notify the instructor; follow Lab Conduct and Emergencies for an emergency.

The lab sequence above ends at running the program. Have the instructor demonstrate shutdown and safe part recovery before using the machine; a part falling into the tank is not a recovery procedure. Use Equipment Operating Procedure for the general shutdown and reporting requirements.