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Jumpin' Jack Flash
Do most factory drill press operators still run their machines manually, or are they all CNC and robots now?
Asked by Jumpin' Jack Flash


A:
Best Answer:
50 years ago half the people in a manufacturing plant (machining) were machine "operators", manual drill press, band saw, cut-off saw, and hand de-burring. Today in the world of CNC and robot machine technology that number is down to less than 5%. It's called progress.

A:
Some do. Mostly for very small lots or "open table" setup. Where there just are many holes but no repeated parts. CNC is the most common. The parts are clamped with the tools moving about. Pure "robots" are used more for welding or positioning.
Answered by Steven A

A:
It depends on where you are. In some countries where labor is cheap, the drill presses are manual. If you are in a small machine shop making just a few parts, you will also see manual drill presses. For higher volume, the drill presses are usually pneumatically operated, cnc is a little overkill unless there are a lot of holes in a variety of locations.
Answered by Left_Field

A:
up until last year i worked in a large metal working company, even in the 5 years i was there i saw less and less hand operated equipment, more cnc's and laser machining , instead of 5 operators working a part they had one, with the laser machine doing all the work
Answered by swenjj


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