Engineering Workshop

1. Qualified or suitably trained personnel only to use equipment
2. Wear suitable attire for operating machinery or equipment
3. Keep equipment and the surrounding area clean and tidy at all times
4. Always seek instruction before using an unfamiliar piece of equipment
5. Only use tools and machines for their intended purpose
6. Report any damaged equipment and do not use it until it has been repaired by a qualified person
7. Where machine guards are provided they must be kept in place
8. Never distract the attention of another staff member when operating equipment and never indulge in horseplay
9. Always use the appropriate personal protective equipment
10. Long hair must be restrained
11. Never use compressed air for cleaning clothing and machinery
12. Report all hazards, unsafe conditions and work practices.

Rules for the use of the Engineering Workshop Facility We want to keep these facilities available for the use of students and faculty of the MCOERC, to the maximum extent possible while maintaining a reasonable degree of safety and order. We ask that you observe the preceding and following procedures for your own safety, benefit, and enjoyment as well as ours. The following rules regarding the use of the Engineering Workshop facility have been established

1. INDEPENDENT WORK IS NOT ALLOWED in the shop unless you have been authorized by the person in charge.
2. READ AND OBSERVE THE SAFETY RULES, especially those regarding eye protection and loose clothing. Refer to safety information.
3. YOU MUST CHECK IN WITH THE PERSON IN CHARGE before starting work.
4. YOU MUST STUDY KNOW HOW, ATTEND DEMO PREPARE OPERATION PLAN to use the Engineering Workshop.
5. RETURN ALL TOOLS AND CLEAN UP. All tools are to be returned clean to their proper places and the area in which you worked is to be cleaned up as indicated. Machine Shop Clean out chip trays wipe off machines, oil ways and tool slides, and sweep floor around machines. Welding Shop Clean off tables, return unused rod to cabinet or container, depose of scrap, coil hoses, secure regulators, and sweep floor of work area.
6. THE SHOP IS ONLY AVAILABLE during times posted.
7. IF YOU NEED HELP OR INSTRUCTION don’t hesitate to ask. We don’t want injuries to you or damage to the equipment any more than you do. Please ask.
8. LET US KNOW IMMEDIATELY if any equipment doesn’t operate properly or needs attention. Also, please inform us of any damage to tools or machines, especially if it occurs while you are using the equipment. Failure

1. Dress properly. Do not wear gloves, neckties, loose clothing, jewelry, or long hair.
2. Always use safety glasses.
3. Use proper, sharp, clean bits for the job and material.
4. Be sure that the bits can be used on the drill press and the speed they should run.
5. Make sure the drill is tight and remove the chuck key immediately. Never leave the chuck key in the drill chuck.
6. Jog the motor switch to check for wobble in the bit.
7. Always peck drill to prevent long chips from building up on the drill.
8. Always support your work piece with backup material.
9. Always use the right speed for the diameter of drill and material being drilled. The drill press must be running to change speeds.
10. Never use a rag to brush chips off while the machine is running.
11. If the drill binds in the hole, stop the machine and turn the spindle backwards by hand to release the bit.
12. Let the drill press stop on its own after turning it off. Never stop the chuck with your hands. 13.Always center drill/punch before drilling any hole.
13. Whenever possible use column to brace material or fasten material to table or in vice.
14. Clean all drills with a rag and put them in the right place when finished. Always clean the drill press when finished, never clean machine while it is running.

1. Always wear eye protection - preferably industrial quality safety glasses with side-shields. The lathe can throw off sharp, hot metal chips at considerable speed as well as spin off spirals of metal that can be quite hazardous. Don't take chances with your eyes. Wear hearing protection during extended periods of operation.
2. Wear short sleeve shirts, if possible, or shirts with snugly fitting cuffs if long sleeve. Loose sleeves can catch on rotating work and quickly pull your hand or arm into harm's way.
3. Wear shoes - preferably leather work shoes - to protect your feet from sharp metal chips on the shop floor and from tools and chunks of metal that may get dropped.
4. Remove wrist watches, necklaces, chains and other jewelry. It's a good idea even to remove your wedding ring since it can catch on rotating work and severely damage your ring finger and hand.
5. Tie back long hair so it can't get caught in the rotating work. Think about what happens to your face if your hair gets entangled.
6. Always double check to make sure your work is securely clamped in the chuck or between centers before starting the lathe. Start the lathe at low speed and increase the speed gradually.
7. Get in the habit of removing the chuck key immediately after use. Some users recommend never removing your hand from the chuck key when it is in the chuck. The chuck key can be a lethal projectile if the lathe is started with the chuck key in the chuck.
8. Keep your fingers clear of the rotating work and cutting tools. Do not grasp any chips with your hands, use a hook, brush, or pliers to remove them. If necessary, stop the lathe to remove chips.
9. Avoid reaching over the spinning chuck. For filing operations, hold the tang end of the file in your left hand so that your hand and arm are not above the spinning chuck.
10. Never use a file with a bare tang - the tang could be forced back into your wrist or palm. Inexpensive wooden handles are readily available for common file sizes.
11. Safe, effective use of a lathe requires study and knowledge of procedures for using this tool. Read and thoroughly understand the label warnings on the lathe and in the owner’s/operators manual.
12. Make sure tool bits are sharp and on center.
13. All tool bits taken from the lathe tool drawer must be cleaned and returned when finished.
14. When setting automatic feed, make sure the tool is a safe distance away from the chuck.
15. Stop the lathe before taking measurements. Never try to take too heavy of a cut or try to rush through a part.
16. Always clean the machine and make sure that everything is cleaned and put away. Remove tool bits from the tool post and drill chuck before cleaning.

1. Milling machines can be dangerous if not used properly.
2. Read the owner's manual carefully.
3. Make sure you understand instructions and are properly trained before operating a milling machine.
4. Wear appropriate safety glasses.
5. Ensure that the milling machine has a start/stop button within easy reach of the operator.
6. Ensure that the work piece and cutter are mounted securely before taking a cut.
7. Check that work is mounted squarely.
8. Mount work in a vise that is bolted to the table. Use proper hand tools to make adjustments.
9. Take careful steps in holding milling cutters to avoid being cut when handling them.
10. Move table as far as possible from cutter while setting up work to avoid injuring your hands.
11. Mill the largest surface first.
12. Keep hands, brushes and rags away from the revolving milling cutter.
13. Keep cutters sharpened correctly and in good condition.
14. Keep working surface clear of scraps, tools and materials.
15. Keep floor around the milling machine free of oil and grease.
16. Use lifting equipment when appropriate to move heavy work to or from milling machines.

    Ensure that the following factors are considered when setting cutting speed:

    1. Material to be machined
    2. Type of cutter
    3. Finish required
    4. Depth of cut
    5. Rigidity of machine and work piece
17. Do not wear gloves, rings, watches or loose clothing. Tie back long hair.
18. Do not attempt measure or adjust work until cutter is completely stopped.
19. Do not reach over or near a revolving cutter. Keep hands at least 30 cm (12 in.) from a revolving cutter.
20. Do not lean or rest hands on a moving table.
21. Do not make any adjustments while the machine is running.
22. Do not use paper shims to check the distance from the cutter to the stock.
23. Do not move the operating levers without knowing what they control and what action is going to take place.
24. Do not leave machine unattended while it is running.
25. Always clean mill when finished. Make sure cutters are removed before cleaning to prevent being cut.

What should you do before using woodworking machines?

Woodworking tools can be dangerous if not used properly.

1. Only use woodworking machines that you have been trained to use properly and safely.
2. Read the instructions carefully.
3. Make sure you understand instructions before attempting to use any tools or machine. Ask questions to instructor if you have any doubts about doing the work safely

Following procedures should you follow when using woodworking machines?

1. Always wear safety glasses or goggles, or face shield.
2. Wear hearing protection that is suitable for the level and frequency of the noise you are exposed to in the woodworking shop. If you have trouble hearing someone speak from three feet away, the noise level from the machine is too high. Damage to hearing may occur.
3. Use gloves to protect hands from splinters when handling wood but do not wear them near rotating blades and other machinery parts where the gloves can catch.
4. Always wear protective footwear.
5. Make sure the guard is in position is in good working condition. Check and adjust all other safety devices.
6. Inspect stock for nails or other material before cutting, planning routing, or carrying out similar activities.
7. Ensure that all cutting tools and blades are clean, sharp and in good working order so that they will cut freely, not forced.
8. Turn the power off and unplug the power cord before inspecting, changing, cleaning, adjusting a blade or machine. Also turn the power off when discussing the work.

1. Check all wheels for cracks or other damage before mounting.
2. When changing wheels check machine speed against the established maximum safe operating speed marked on wheel.
3. Be sure that the wheel hole, threaded or unthreaded, fits machine arbor properly and that flanges are clean, flat and of the proper type for the wheel you are mounting.
4. Always run wheel in a protected area at least one minute before grinding.
5. Always use the wheel guard furnished with machine.
6. Always wear protective safety glasses and additional eye and face protection if required.
7. Don’t use wheels which have been dropped or otherwise damaged.
8. Never use a grinding wheel that has rated speed less than the speed of the grinder.
9. Don’t handle grinding machine carelessly. Stop wheel on work and use rack or hooks to support machine when not in use.
10. Don’t mount more than one wheel on a single arbor.
11. NEVER grind aluminum on any wheel in the shop.
12. Set tool rest so that it is within 1/8” inch of the wheel face.

Types of grinding wheels:

1. Aluminum Oxide *White or gray in color *Is for ferrous metals only (excluding iron) *Good for grinding high speed steel cutting tools
2. Silicon Carbide *Green in color some time called a “green wheel” *For carbide tools and tungsten welding rods
3. Diamond *for high speed steel and carbide tools

CNC Trainer is very safe to use as they are designed to be as safe as possible. One of the main advantages of CNC Trainer is that they are much safer than manually operated machines.

1. Most modern CNC Trainer is designed so that the cutting tool will not start unless the guard is in position. Also, the best CNC Trainer automatically locks the guard in position whilst the cutter is shaping material. The guard can only be opened if the cutter has stopped.
2. It is essential that pupils / students / machine operators receive ‘quality’ instruction before attempting to use any CNC equipment.
3. CNC routers, used for shaping materials such as woods and plastics, have built in extraction. Dust can be very dangerous if inhaled and can also cause eye irritation. As the router is fully enclosed, dust cannot escape into the atmosphere. If an extraction unit is attached the dust is removed automatically. Most manually operated machine routers have very limited extraction systems which leave some dust in the air.
4. The CNC Trainer has a single phase electrical supply. Older machines such as manually operated milling machines and centre lathes have three phase supplies. A single phase electrical supply can be ‘plugged’ into any available socket. The electrical supply for the machine comes through a residual circuit breaker (RCB). If an electrical fault develops the RCB will cut off electrical power immediately.
5. Single phase CNC Trainer can be moved more easily because they are simply unplugged and relocated. Three phase machines are specially wired by an electrician into the electrical supply and cannot be unplugged.
6. Most CNC Trainer work behind a guard or even a closed, transparent safety door. This means that the operated cannot be hurt by 'flying' pieces of sharp/hot material.
7. Commonsense applies to the use of all machines including CNC Trainer s. Basic safety training regarding working in a workshop and with other machines applies to CNC Trainer as well.