CNC Machinist I - Mills or Lathes

P & F Industries•Cranberry Township, PA

18h•Onsite

About The Position

The CNC Machinist I is the point where the job changes from restoring a process to making one. The role performs setups on established and moderately complex CNC work from the print rather than from a boss sample, selects tooling and workholding from documented lists, establishes offsets, qualifies the first piece, and makes routine edits at the control within authorized limits. A Machinist I is expected to understand why a dimension matters and not only what it should measure, and to ask before deviating. New-part prove-out, program authoring, and multi-axis work belong to Levels II and III; setups here are reviewed by a higher-level machinist before release. This position is the entry point to the CNC machinist ladder and is most often filled by progression from CNC Machine Operator III. Competencies are defined and assessed in the Skills Matrix.

Requirements

Load programs and perform first-article checks to confirm parts run correctly
Perform basic CNC set-ups (fixtures, work/tool offsets) to reach successful FAI with minimal questions
Create and verify first articles to release the job to production
Apply GD&T to interpret and hold requirements
Calculate cutting speed, feed and chip-load to machine efficiently
Establish vise alignment and workholding to secure parts accurately
Interpret programs to run jobs correctly
Operate FANUC / Okuma controls proficiently to run lathe/mill jobs
4–6 years of total relevant machining experience, typically reached by progression from CNC Machine Operator III or by completion of a machining program or apprenticeship.
Demonstrated ability to set up proven CNC work from the print and to hold general machining tolerances consistently.
Working command of hand-hand precision measuring equipment, shop math, and the shop's CNC control family.
high school diploma or GED.

Nice To Haves

machining certificate or diploma from a technical school
enrollment in a formal apprenticeship
NIMS credentials in turning, milling, or CNC operation.
completed workcenter qualification cards on all machines set up or run unassisted.

Responsibilities

Perform setups on established and moderately complex CNC turning and machining-center work — install workholding, load and set tooling, call up and load the program, establish work and tool offsets, and qualify the first piece to print, with review by a higher-level machinist before release.
Work from the print, router, and model — identify dimensions, tolerances, surface finish callouts, material specification, and revision level, and confirm the documentation matches the job.
Make routine edits at the control within authorized limits — offsets, tool life, feed and speed adjustment, and simple program corrections — and escalate changes beyond that scope.
Select tooling, inserts, and workholding from established tool lists and standard shop practice; verify condition and setup before cutting.
Calculate speeds, feeds, depth of cut, and simple dimensional relationships using shop math; adjust from chip, sound, finish, and tool life.
Inspect own work using micrometers, calipers, bore and depth gauges, indicators, thread and radius gauges; record results and present first pieces per quality procedure.
Recognize when a part is drifting or a setup is moving, stop, and determine the cause rather than continuing to compensate.
Recover machines from routine alarms and interruptions within authorized limits — safe restart, re-referencing, tool reload, and re-qualification; escalate crashes and mechanical faults.
Diagnose routine process problems — chatter, poor finish, dimensional drift, chip control, coolant condition, tool wear and breakage — and correct them through tooling, offset, or authorized adjustment.
Assist Machinist II and III personnel with complex setups, prove-out, and tight-tolerance work as the primary means of developing capability.
Follow setup sheets and work instructions accurately; mark up and return documentation that is unclear, incomplete, or wrong.
Contain suspect material and escalate per quality procedure; do not machine through a known nonconformance.
Perform operator-level preventive maintenance — way lube, coolant level and concentration, chip and filter management, and machine cleanliness.
Follow all safety rules, lockout/tagout, machine guarding, and PPE requirements without exception; report unsafe conditions and near-misses.
Maintain accurate labor, quantity, and scrap reporting in the shop system.