Sooner, rather than later, you may find yourself running a difficult job/part out in the shop. These jobs can be no fun and can make the work day drag on and feel like it will never end.
The reason a part/job is considered difficult usually involves the following:
- It may have many features to inspect.
- The part may have a heavy amount of deburring or other handwork.
- Perhaps the loading is not easy.
- The material may be difficult to machine and you need to change inserts frequently.
- There is even the chance that certain aspects of the machining, fixtures, or tooling is not capable. Meaning results will be unpredictable and you will need to chase tolerances.
Don’t allow hard parts to make you feel irritated, angry, or discouraged. I’ve seen people call in sick, perform poorly on the parts, as well as run below the expected production rate just to try to avoid running or be moved off a certain job. None of those are good ideas. What can you do you do when faced with running these types of jobs? Make a conscious decision to handle it like a professional. One of my favorite definitions for a professional is as follows: someone who does their best work even when they don’t feel like it. That is a wonderful way to approach work each and every day.
There are many times in life that we need to do work we would rather not do. It’s normal to not want to run certain difficult jobs, but it’s important to realize certain facts:
- I’m paid to do a job and do it to the best of my ability. That includes both easy and challenging work.
- Since it is a difficult part, others must feel that I have what it takes to handle the tough parts. Take pride in the fact that you are looked upon in that way.
- These parts won’t run forever. Focus on the task at hand, and think about how good it will feel when these parts are done and moved to the next operation or shipped out to the customer.
Embrace the difficult parts! It will make you a better operator and machinist!
