Lesson 1: What is a machinist?
The machinist is a worker who uses machine tools to remove material
from a piece of rough stock in order to make a finished part. The machinist will most often make the part from metal, but he/she can use other materials–for example, plastic. Machinists must learn how to do mathematics and to read instructions, to measure things carefully, and to read and use pictures (blueprints) that show the size and shape of the parts.
| A. | B. | C. |
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| Rough stock is a piece of material that has not been worked on. | The machinist removes material with a cutting tool or a drill. The part is called a workpiece while it is worked on. | The finished part is completed; the machÂinist made it. |
- The pictures under A show rough stock.
- The pictures under B show workpieces.
- The pictures under C show finished parts.
Exercises
End-of-Lesson Questions
