• TOPICS
    • Design
    • Manufacturing
    • Inspection
    • Heat Treating
    • Lubrication
    • Materials
    • The Gear Industry
    • Gears by Type
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Departments
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
  • NEWSLETTER
    • Subscribe
  • VIDEO
    • Gear Technology TV
      • Ask the Expert Live
      • Revolutions
    • Industry Videos
  • BLOGS
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • NEWS and EVENTS
    • Product News
    • Industry News
    • Events
  • ADVERTISING
    • Brand Awareness
      • Print: Display Advertising
      • Online: Web Banners & Keyword Banners
      • Online: Native Advertising (Sponsored Content)
      • E-mail: Custom, White Papers & Webinars
      • E-mail: Newsletter Sponsored Content (Native Advertising)
    • Response & Lead Generation
      • Online: Sponsored Content (Native Advertising)
      • E-mail: Newsletters
      • E-mail: Newsletter Sponsored Content (Native Advertising)
      • E-mail: Custom, White Papers & Webinars
      • Online: Buyers Guide
    • Print Advertising
      • Print: Display Advertising
      • Print: MPT Expo Showstoppers
      • Print: Buyers Guide
      • Print: Manufacturing sMart
      • Print: Specifications
      • MPT Expo Show Guide Advertising
    • Online Advertising
      • Online: Web Banners & Keyword Banners
      • Online: Native Advertising (Sponsored Content)
      • Online: Buyers Guide
      • Online: Specifications
    • E-mail Advertising
      • E-mail: E-Newsletters
      • E-mail: Newsletter Sponsored Content (Native Advertising)
      • E-mail: AGMA Industry News
      • E-mail: Custom, White Papers & Webinars
      • E-mail: Specifications
    • Special Promotions
      • Print: MPT Expo Showstoppers
      • Print: Buyers Guide
      • Print: Manufacturing sMart
      • MPT Expo Show Guide Advertising
  • CONTACT US
  • AGMA
    • Membership
    • Events
    • Education
    • Emerging Technology
    • AGMA Media
    • Standards
Subscribe
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Home » Blogs » Gear Talk With Chuck » Help Wanted

Gear Talk With Chuck
Gear Talk With Chuck RSS FeedRSS

Manufacturing / Inspection / Materials / The Gear Industry / Machine Tools / Processes / CNC / Controls / Forging / Vibration / Forgings / History / Double Helical Gears / Helical Gears
Charles schultz
Chuck Schultz is a licensed engineer, Gear Technology Technical Editor, and Chief Engineer for Beyta Gear Service. He has written the "Gear Talk with Chuck" blog for Gear Technology since 2014.

Help Wanted

July 24, 2020
Charles D. Schultz
No Comments
Northwest Pennsylvania’s Oil Region has a long history in manufacturing. Many of the widgets that made oil extraction and processing possible were invented and first manufactured in Venango and Crawford Counties. You would not know this unless you tour the Drake Well Museum (once it re-opens for visitors) or strike up a conversation with a history buff during this week’s Oil Heritage Festival here in Oil City. The 42nd Annual Festival has been curtailed by the coronavirus restrictions. We are rather sparsely populated these days, so there will be no parade or large public gatherings. At its peak, Oil City was home to almost 30,000 people, thanks to THREE Fortune 500 corporate headquarters (Pennzoil, Wolf’s Head, and Quaker State) and the largest manufacturer of oil field equipment in the world (USS Oil Well Supply.) The world’s first maker of steel tubing (Webco) is still here, along with many small manufacturing operations. They still pump oil from this place, including the McClintock Well that has been flowing since 1961, but the crude goes elsewhere for refining. The last local refinery closed 30 years ago. That is a long introduction for today’s topic. While driving down Highway 8 the other day, my much better half saw a sign for “Experienced Machinists” and asked if the “problem” was the “experience” or the “machinist.” We had watched 4th of July fireworks from the Vo Tech school parking lot on the hill above our house, and I had commented on the various programs offered there. Were the graduates not “experienced” enough for the local shops? Or were there just too few people around who were qualified to operate machine tools? This is not as simple a question as you might think. Many people seem to think you can learn any skill “good enough” by watching a few videos on the internet. My wonderful editor recently sent me a link to one showing a twelve-year-old girl programing a tool- changing robot; is this a harbinger of video game-trained youngsters revolutionizing the trade by remotely operating machines from the comfort of their homes? In my mind, there is a huge gap between being a “machine operator” and an “experienced machinist.” My spouse’s question reminded me of the disastrous decision a new shop manager made to assign inexperienced operators to a new $3 million CNC hobber turning $25,000 forgings into double helical gears. Yes, it was a long cycle time and the machine made all the important moves. Unfortunately, $625,000 worth of scrap gears had to be created before the need for a savvier hand at the controls was finally recognized. The “new” guy was bored with the assignment, but the “non-conforming material” pile stopped growing because of his timely intervention when the sound or vibration first started to change. Don’t get me wrong — I fully support the Vo Tech School. It is just that diplomas and certifications do not magically make the recipient an experienced practitioner. Experience — like history — takes time to develop. Hopefully, the right person will see that help wanted sign and a need will be filled.

Recent Comments

Thank you for this - Happy Saint Patrick's...

Post a comment to this article

Report Abusive Comment

Free Gear Technology Subscriptions
Subscribe
Free Gear Technology Subscriptions
Subscribe
FEATURED VIDEO
  • A Look at Helios Gear
December 15, 2022
RECOMMENDED
  • Precision Equals Performance at ZPE GripTec

    October 12, 2022
    gt0922_Page_28_Image_0003.jpg
  • State of the Powder Metal Industry

    October 12, 2022
    gt0922_Page_30_Image_0001.jpg
  • The Afterglow of Furnaces North America 2022

    October 12, 2022
    gt0922_Page_20_Image_0001.jpg
  • Reigniting the Educational Infrastructure

    December 5, 2022
    gt1122_Page_20_Image_0001.jpg
  • Profile: Continuing Education and Training with the AGMA

    December 5, 2022
    gt1122_Page_26_Image_0001.jpg
  • Reigniting the Educational Infrastructure

    December 5, 2022
    gt1122_Page_20_Image_0001.jpg
  • Profile: Continuing Education and Training with the AGMA

    December 5, 2022
    gt1122_Page_26_Image_0001.jpg
  • Precision Equals Performance at ZPE GripTec

    October 12, 2022
    gt0922_Page_28_Image_0003.jpg
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • AGMA
Powered byAGMA
Copyright © 2023 Gear Technology
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact