Skip to content

Machine Tool Technology

Skill/Abilities Required

If you like working with metal and crafting with hand and power tools, consider a career as a machinist. The work is rewarding for those who enjoy doing creative work with machinery that requires a high degree of skill and precision. Machinists must be familiar with the properties of metals so that annealing and hardening of tools and metal parts can be accomplished when turning a block of metal into an intricate precise part. They must also understand the effects of heat treatment on metals and be skilled in the performance of various heat treatment processes.

In order to be successful, cnc machinists must utilize their knowledge of manufacturing materials, codes, engineering drawings, regulations and laws and capabilities of the equipment being used. They also require an ability to operate manual and cnc tools as well as the ability to determine the most appropriate means of proceeding with the work and inspection.

To be successful in their trade, machinists and cnc machinists need:mechanical ability to use tools and machines to build complex parts

  • good eyesight and hand/eye coordination
  • to work with both metric and imperial measurements
  • the ability to estimate and measure sizes and distances accurately
  • to be able to work independently at tasks that require concentration
  • strong academic fundamentals in math, metallurgy and engineering drawings