Siemens @ Worldskills2022 Competition
Attracting new talent to the CNC machining domain
Also this year, Siemens is supporting the WorldSkills Competition in the category "CNC turning and CNC milling“. However, this support isn't just in the sense of goodwill as sponsor: Just the same as in the manufacturing industry in general, Siemens as global electronics company sees a deficit of trained technicians to operate machine tools in its production facilities around the world.
WorldSkills 2022 as "Special Edition" – broadcast to the dual training system in Germany
WorldSkills is an important platform to motivate young people to embark on a demanding and interesting career in machine tools – a career that is especially future-proof. The objective is to sustainably support the dual training system for all aspects of machining as a strategic pillar of the manufacturing industry.
Demanding jobs
Although on the face of it, CNC turning and milling sounds quite simple, when looking at the situation more closely, it is one of the most demanding tasks in the machining domain. The process steps required for machining range from selecting suitable tools, setting up the machine, writing optimum and fault-free CNC program code, up to processes to measure machined parts. This is about as high-tech as it comes. Being responsible for machines, which quickly go into the hundreds of thousands of euros, should also not be forgotten!
... and interesting over the long haul!
Working with machine tools is anything but working with old and crusty technologies. What the young generation of “digital natives” learns and knows from childhood is now an integral part of CNC. And this is not just because operating the CNC in the machine is becoming more and more like using a smart phone or tablet. Under the catchword digitalization, more and more IT applications are being embedded in machines, in job preparation or in production management. And IT techniques not only have to be understood, they must also be mastered.
Future-proof
The decision to work with machine tools represents setting the optimum course for a career path. This is due to the deficit of trained machining specialists in many industrial facilities. And this is not only true for high wage countries, which after shifting production into countries with low wages, are now repatriating these jobs back "home": There is also a deficit of machining specialists in many up-and-coming producing countries as a training system must first be successively established.
Turning, milling – and these are (just) the start
Entry via the turning and milling path as universal technologies is an ideal approach. Over two thirds of the machines fabricated every year are turning or milling machines. Mastering these technologies is the 101 of machining. It also represents the perfect springboard to other technological areas. These extend from the widest range of grinding techniques, through punching, laser and plasma machining up to multi-axial additive manufacturing. A spectrum of innovative technologies that is continually increasing – and which users and machine builders preferably want to tackle using machines equipped with SINUMERIK. This is where training on SINUMERIK CNCs and WorldSkills comes full circle.
