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Continuing Education

Continuing Education

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CNC Programmer Certificate & Advanced CNC Programmer Certificate

To earn this CNC Programmer Certificate, you must satisfactorily complete the following courses within a two-year period:

Blue Print Reading & Basic Measuring Tool	24 hours
Introduction to Lathes	24 hours
Introduction to Mills	24 hours
Fund of CNC Operator/Programmer Training	54 hours
Principles of CNC Programming	60 hours
Mastering CNC Programming	48 hours

To earn this Advanced CNC Programmer Certificate, you must satisfactorily complete the following additional course within a two-year period:

Esprit SolidMill & Solid Turn

35 hours

Recommended Prerequisites:

Successful CNC programmers should be mechanically inclined, able to work independently, and able to do highly accurate work that requires concentration and physical effort. A basic knowledge of computers and electronics is necessary, and experience with machine tools (mills and lathes) is extremely helpful.

Class Expectations:

Classroom training includes an introduction to numerical control, the basics of programming, and more complex topics, such as computer-aided manufacturing. You will start by writing simple programs under the direction of an experienced programmer. As the course continues, you will begin working on more complex programs with less supervision.

What does a CNC Programmer do?

Increasingly, the machine tools used to produce metal parts are computer numerically controlled (CNC)-that is, they contain computer controllers that direct the machine's operations. The controller reads a program-a coded list of the steps necessary to perform a specific machining job-and runs the machine tool's mechanisms through the steps. These machines enable you to be more productive and to produce parts with a level of precision that is not possible with traditional machining techniques. CNC machine tools also allow various functions to be performed with one setup, thereby reducing the need for additional, labor-intensive setups.

The quality of the products these machines produce depends largely on the programs the CNC programmers write. CNC programmers begin as machinists do-by analyzing blueprints, computing the size and position of the cuts, determining the sequence of machine operations, selecting tools, and calculating the machine speed and feed rates. Programmers then write the program in the language of the machine's controller and store it. As computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software becomes more user-friendly and CNC machines are more widely used, machinists are increasingly expected to perform this function.