Getting Work For Your CNC Machine

[@SuperStormWarden]

My Dad once told me a story about a clothing manufacturing company based near where I live. They produced clothing for various businesses. One day they received a massive contract from a nationally recognized retailer and they stopped taking contracts from their regular customers. Eventually, their only customer was the retailer. The retailer purchasing department realized this and started to dictate the pricing which made life difficult. The company could not do anything as they had lost their relationship with their other customers.

[@douglassmith2055]

You just described how Indian motorcycles lost to Harley Davidson.

[@Vankel83]

Why, you don't all your eggs in one basket.

[@jeffwombold9167]

I could only dream of having acess to the suggestions and information that Titan gives in this video 40 years ago. I am retired now but I had to learn a lot of these principles in the college of hard knocks. The younger generation has access to things and ideas that I never knew existed back then. Take advantage of everything this video has to offer. I can hardly imagine how much better I could have done if I had such opportunity. Great video! 👍👍

[@garyweber6413]

man i hear you loud and clear, i have a few cnc machines and just have to take advantage of everything the video has to offer.

[@hamzakarim2138]

Im a mechanical engineering student and I believe that youre channel is source of motivation to complete my studies and love this technology. Good work guys

[@TITANSofCNC]

Awesome!!!

[@cbmecheng]

Titan, I love this video. It's Saturday on Labor day weekend and I'm at my one-man shop alone in Santa Ana, CA. The parking lots are empty all around me. I'm working on a small second job from a new customer (aerospace tight tolerance). I spent more money on tooling for the first job then the total job. You know the drill. I have 4 used machines, but everything I have is paid off. My insurance is due ($700). My lease is up and I need to recommit. I owe my tooling guy $1000 dollars and my $1600 rent is due. I've got $1659 in my business account. Choices. But I love it and I will keep going. Have a great weekend.

[@justinchamberlin4195]

I can't overstate the value of a diverse customer base...a foundry I used to work at had gotten in deep with one particular customer to the point where we were making almost nothing but parts for them. Even though our other customers' demand had fallen off, this one customer kept us busy and really appreciated the level of workmanship we could provide. We had been working with them for almost a year before something entirely out of our control or the customer's control meant they went from needing to buy hundreds of large castings every day to absolutely none, overnight. We pivoted back to making castings for our other customers, but at that time we were somewhat working ahead of where the demand was and a lot of people got laid off or left for other jobs to avoid being laid off. There was a point where the remaining employees were only melting metal three days a week instead of five or six like we had been when we were busy. That foundry had some rough moments in the years since, including having a sister facility shut down permanently, but has since added an entirely new product line to their portfolio and they're now doing better once again.

[@heardashot]

I'm a full time Artist Blacksmith and found this hugely helpful! Thanks so much to this guy. Ireland 🇮🇪 sends many blessings!!..🔥🔥👊

[@mohammedalbattal77]

Frankly, Mr. Titan... I, as a young man in my mid-twenties, fear the future the most.... I am forced to leave my country five months from now. I made my own account on this wonderful platform but I don't have much to offer it I'm very young compared to what others are doing... Honestly, I'm almost nothing compared to your team.... You are a great inspiration to me... And your platform made me believe in myself more and more and I try to do my best to show more of my work so that I can find work Out of my country before the next 5 months.... I know I thanked you before, but I will keep telling you thank you forever, perhaps this will repay you part of your effort 🌷

[@rubenisapanic]

I'm sorry to hear about your leaving your country, that's awful 😞

[@mohammedalbattal77]

@@rubenisapanic It's very sad my friend, but what can I do 💔.... I just want to learn and work hard Perhaps one day I will make the difference, ibwill rise up the economy of my country and open an academy similar to this great academy 🌷

[@TITANSofCNC]

I always appreciate your support and love seeing you comment first on so many of our videos. Mohammad, I once was like you and had nothing to show except my dreams… I had failed so many times and had no money or opportunities. I applied at Home Depot when I was 26 and they didn’t give me the job. Then 1 day I applied for a saw operator job at a place that sells material to machine shops… I had no clue what a machine shop was but learned how to cut pieces of material and learned to measure them… I learned all of the saws in the place and loved my job. One day, the truck driver who delivered material to the machine shops told me that he had given my name to the owner of Zinola MFG in Sunnyvale CA. He said Dwayne was looking for a you guy to teach that had a good head on his shoulders… I went to the company and told Dwayne that if he gave me an opportunity, I would out work all of his employees and be the best inside of a year. The point is… Put the work in… Dream… Doing and share as many CAD and CAM files on CNCEXPERT as possible… And tell everyone of your dreams to make a difference… Doors will eventually open… And you will get your opportunity. I started out making hardly any money… But I worked relentlessly… And the money grew fast… God Bless You on your journey. Titan

[@mohammedalbattal77]

@@TITANSofCNC Thank you for your great words, my teacher Mr titan I promise you will see the best cnc expert account ever BOOM 💥

[@gilfernandez9122]

Great platform! What you have done for the CNC Machining industry is something the Welding industry needs.

[@UPRailRoad-xg8cb]

It's interesting that you bring this up Titan. I've been listening to the the audio book Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. I'm currently on Ch 6 and and he is talking about the importance of learning how to sell. You could be a pro that could make the most complicated part and get every dimension with in .0001" and it wouldn't matter if you aren't able to sell. My favorite quote from the most recent chapter is "They are one skill away from great wealth."

[@automan1223]

This video is long overdue. Excellent information. As a shop owner everyone want to be CEO but nobody wants to work like the CEO.

[@dangibby7782]

I bought my first machines this past year. I have worked on CNC equipment for maintenance as a contractor for the past 2 years. I am buying older but good equipment, fixing them up and running parts on them. I am hoping to sell used equipment while manufacturing small orders in the hope of getting some large order to setup serious Automation manufacturing. It has been a wild ride. Waiting 30 days or more to get paid is extremely difficult.

[@BrandonHaynesGolf]

Titan your the man!! I love you passion and shear drive towards the industry and you also helped me a lot though the years with some of your videos and made me a hero at work. I appreciate it and keep it going brother your changing the game as we know it.

[@CBRFFan]

Thanks Titan getting work is the most difficult part!

[@funwitharobot]

So many businesses that are started by the skilled tradesman struggle or fail because they only know the technical aspects. It takes a business savvy person to make the business grow and thrive. Read or listen to "The E-myth" before you start down the road of opening your own shop so you know what you are getting yourself into.

[@devinteske]

Thank you Titan! I created a profile and uploaded a project. CNC Expert is a really nice platform. You did an amazing job.

[@Vankel83]

Owning a CNC shop is no joke. You'll work harder & think more than you ever had. Extra hours is a understatement. Keeping work can be challenge from one company to another. They're all different on the way they order parts. All you need is the purchasing agent to retire or leave. Then purchasing manager steps in or Nickie new guy. They want to slash cost or order different amounts then the last person. It's like starting over with a new customer. Or you might get bumped because they have their personal choice of a shop to do the work. That's why do commit to only one company, know natter how much work they give you. Don't put all your eggs in one basket, as the saying goes!

[@artmckay6704]

You, and the Team you've built, are ALL HEROES!!!!!!! You guys (and gals) are uplifting desperate people everywhere! You're giving them hope! Massive kudos! Thank y'all for a world class effort to help people all over the world! Thank you! :)

[@Michaelsloncehammr]

Wow, what a altruistic comment. Just remember that hope is proportionate polar to fear and despair. Try to have less hope don’t get your hopes up to much to become a suicide when disappoint is right around corner. Art McKay. Factory of sadness.

[@steinarne79]

We need fixturing masterclass for laith starting Titan, as you say in your Vlog, its easy with feeds and speeds... but fixturing is the real art.

[@nathanthomas8184]

Broaden your horizons on Titan CNC Every person has a unique life therefore every persons has a unique journey & to use your platform inspires Ambition & expertise all for FREE , WoW TITAN delivers the BOOM

[@h2opower]

Love you Titan🤗

[@TITANSofCNC]

You you too Brother

[@garyweber6413]

thanks a million as my machine shop teacher would say.i have to get my shop in gear.

[@danielvoloshin3606]

Wow, the best presentation I've ever seen. Guys you are really amazing.

[@HuFlungDung2]

I got into this trade before CNC was much of a thing (1980). In a rural community, word of mouth was the main thing, advertising didn't do squat, people look for machine shops when they're serious, and not to play around. A yellow pages ad was still a worthwhile thing back then. Still might be. The fractionation of society into silos makes it hard to get general attention anymore, you practically need to specialize just so your google info can be properly categorized near the front of a million alternatives. Manual machining is still a thing as repairs are still a thing. Not to say you can compete on every level, but often one welding session and TWO cuts can save a $1000 to $10,000 part/machine. If you buy good used equipment, the payoff potential is huge. But you do have to be a skilled fixer in your own right. Nobody gives a shit about your machines but you. The need for CNC became self evident, as repetitive work on manual equipment is a real drag. Good used CNC was not available in the early days, but it is abundant now. Still, it is a big leap if you aren't starting from NECCESSITY, but are just awe struck by the toys in the big shops. Don't covet that, because it has it's own drag. I've never knocked on doors to get work. That makes you subservient to your customer. I do have a reputation which is "good but expensive", and that's the way I like it. I never intended to just be a shop manager who never got to play with the toys I was buying. Now past common retirement age, I've got more work than I care to handle. My business has been for sale for many years, but there's not many people who can step into my shoes. Lots of career machinists don't REALLY have the commitment to the trade that they imagine they do when working for someone else.

[@rexmundi8154]

Yes, all this, exactly. I run a small prototype shop for in house manufacturing. Looking to retirement myself, I don’t see the skill set in most machinists to take over from me. A lot of guys seem interested in these super fancy 5 axis machines but owning a $280,000 machine is just never gonna happen for most guys. And the amount of work you have to churn out on those is insane. I have a 1996 Prototrak and a 1960’s Hardinge Super Precision lathe in my home shop and I could make a good living just from those. Every old school machinist I know who has some manual or semi-cnc machines has more work than they could handle. I like doing one offs and repair work. There will always be a need for it, more so as us older guys retire or die.

[@nhile-pj9ui]

I’m a machining shop owner and I’m so glad that I can learn some of your valuable comments as I’m struggling to have more work. Do you guys have some tips to find customers?

[@anoop.a.5428]

Hats off to you Sir. Firstly, for Motivating every individuals with the reality you've gone through. Secondly, by sharing the ideas on becoming a successful business person. We highly admire you. I wish me and my partner cross all the challenges and reach the goal we are dreaming for. Thanks a lot for such inspiring videos and sharing your true experiences. Love from India (Dream Metals)

[@robertlackey7212]

I have had some experience dealing with machine shops , and my biggest problem is I will take a small job to a machine shop as a test to see how they handle it . and they tell me the job is too small , they won't make any money (we haven't even discussed price) , how they will put it on a shelf , and let the "new guy" do it when he is finished cleaning the floors.... I'm exaggerating a bit , but less than you might think , anyway they fail the "test" spectacularly . Occasionally it will happen the other way , a shop will handle a small job fantastically but runaway from the following larger orders . A shop needs to be able to handle small and medium sized orders , or they will never grow to the point where they get large orders. If I had a shop I would make sure I could handle orders from 1 to 1000 parts efficiently , profitably , and professionally.

[@thomaswade6902]

I totally agree. I've been trying to get my boss to just expand the companies we do work for. No matter the size of the project. If we do quality work for them they will send more work.

[@angrydragonslayer]

I had a shop before the govt. Decided to fuck me over Test jobs are often blatantly obvious and i've seen customers VERY upset with not getting the same quality as the test after sending a mid-size job to another shop. Whenever i got a test job, i would tell whoever got it to do it (or do it myself) as well as we'd do a baseline job

[@blueovalfan23]

it's silly, flexibility is critical for customer relations. i can see hesitation but some work turns into more work if done right. if nothing else, people talk and word of mouth might do more than you'd think. maybe not on an industrial level but still. you'd think these guys would understand this.

[@callyekeen]

My company manufactures products from prototype to 1000s. I also translate parts from machining into die casting or injection molding for mass production. All in the US. We do this because it is very rare.

[@dangibby7782]

I just started my own shop to handle small runs with the hope getting some large orders. I am extremely low overhead with a shop on my home property. I would love more opportunities like what you are talking about.

[@fishsticks88]

I have been here at the shop since 430 am est need the time Not learning anything Not getting to better myself Just making the boss more money Would much rather have the risk and reap the reward for my hard work

[@TITANSofCNC]

Some people have what it takes… some don’t

[@mfgxl]

@@TITANSofCNC Most don't. One can have no idea what they are getting into, until they experience it. You are a blessing to this industry Titan!

[@GrumpyMachinist]

If someone is considering opening a shop, my advice is to start it ASAP. I can't express how much outsourced work is coming back to the U.S. from China. Do it now! Lead times are months out and suppliers are desperate. All the shops I know that are worth their weight are running at max capacity and expanding. Our shop is running at max capacity and expanding. I'm getting at least 10 requests for quotes a day. If you don't have contacts get a hold of a tooling sales rep or a new machine sales rep, they know who needs work done.

[@nhile-pj9ui]

I’m so glad to hear that there are so many jobs for our machining shop owners. However, as a shop owner, I’m struggling to find. Could you please recommend me some of company that we can reach out for jobs?

[@GrumpyMachinist]

@@nhile-pj9ui Talk to machine/tool sales people. They are in and out of shops daily. It's kind of crazy how the industry has changed in the 5 months since I made the original comment. The work is out there but I think most shops aren't outsourcing as much work.

[@adammiller4879]

We are currently going through As9100 just to get more work through these tough times. 95% of our business is semiconductor

[@RHCPFAN-yk6sw]

How do you know if it’s appropriate to post a picture of a part that i made? I know some customers are weird about it. Should I just run it by my supervisor or plant manager before I post? Thanks!

[@marcsolorzan9487]

Mom and pop shop are going under left and right, and hanging on by a thread. Some job shops are hanging on by a thread, sometimes going months without an in house programmer. There are very few that seem to have a monopoly. As a programmer I would never start a job shop, I would have a shop if I have a product that couldn't be shipped to china. Sad but true. But at the same time, recruiters are blowing me up like crazy, but still trying to offer only $40 an hour in San Francisco...... While I'm making almost $60. It's a fricking weird industry.

[@GrumpyMachinist]

I hate to say it but if they are going under it's because they are most likely failing to evolve, which means buying new machines with advance capabilities, employing non-traditional toolpath strategies and incorporating automation. China is no longer going to be a problem. The pandemic supply chain disruptions changed the game. I'm getting at least 10 request for quotes a day from suppliers that are bringing the work home. I do have your attitude about owning a job shop. My uncles(in-laws) started the one I manage now. When they retired I could have bought it but I ended up saying no, which was a blessing in disguise. I said no because the shop already dominated far to much of my life, I wanted to be able to turn it off sometimes. You can't do that when you are the owner.... Pay is always going to be weird in this industry. Here in Indiana it's normal for machinists to be making low 20's. Programmers are in the mid 30's. IMO I think our lack of skilled machinists is a national security risk. Thank God there are people like Titan being proactive in addressing the issue.

[@marcsolorzan9487]

@@GrumpyMachinist. Agreed, except china porting is still going strong. 30% of what I do is re work the crap they send us.

[@ciscohernandez4384]

Small shop owner here. Question, the best work we have done is protected by NDAs and unfortunately we cannot disclose. There are very few parts we can show, and those parts aren't the crème of the crop. They may seem simple and low level, but we certainly can handle more complex parts. How can we build a profile so that it is not misleading on the work we do, so that it doesn't seem like we only machine simple parts and possibly push potential customers away?

[@MaxMustermann-zv8kq]

Design your own showroom parts on CAD and machine them.

[@j15246]

Thanks for giving this information. With respect, How does Titan's company plan to make money from this Free platform? Do they charge companies to send messages to CNC machinists? or a subscription service.

[@UniversalHardware-tz4go]

Good question. Why free?

[@nicholaspiscitelli7685]

What happened to your own aerospace project for space x ?

[@platin2148]

For the car part just take the train if you are in Europe. I’d only take a tormach for now i have huge amounts of respect for bigger CNC’s and i’d prefer to get the little thing going bang on then moving up.

[@omegafile]

I designed a thermoacoustic engine on Tinkercad that runs on sound and feedback. I'm too afraid to build it. It's makes, air, hot water and high voltage AC electricity. It's kind of like a galaxy in a box... that's why I'm afraid of it. Not sure what to do with it.... It would take some courage to build it and possibly a high voltage safety suit. Every part is designed in 3d ready for a CNC machine but 3 of the parts will have to be tuned to 90 hertz. There are 13 non moving parts. It uses sound to make heat and move it in a doughnut and water condenses inside it and spins the water droplets in the same doughnut until it becomes spinning plasma. It makes high voltage and high amps . Because it makes it's own water it will gain mass. It has applications for space travel because it should make it's own gravity as well. It has 2 holes.. the air hole at the top of the box and the black hole at the center of the box.. and everything gets sucked through that hole. It's a real breakthrough. Cost nothing to run... you just have to sing to it until it gets hot and it should run forever because it will turn the water into hydrogen and explode it for more sound and feedback. The engine itself is only 1 ft diameter and 2 ft high... and very simple. If you have ever seen a spinning hurricane.. it makes hundreds of millions of volts and thousands of amps from the spinning water droplets with no magnets or coils...and this uses the same principle.

[@platin2148]

I think we need more who makes what, here to say it should be possible to also do the tiny things as these people are the enablers for bigger things and higher amounts.

[@richhuntsd12]

That’s really Cool Titan. I wish I had that available back in the day. Nice Job!😀

[@manchalabalakrishna1999]

Sir can I get a chance to work under supervision

[@paladiumearth7178]

ya know, when you mention that costumers dont want to know issues, problems etc, all they care is the parts are within tolerance and are shipped on time. that's how i feel management types usually think when working for a company.

[@waydejaynes1291]

What's the spindle load on this video?

[@HudsonLighting]

Change the frame, repeat customers are clients. Frame all customers like clients and treat them as such

[@angelmoreno5963]

Godlyy, do yall need a floor sweeper..? I would do it just to be around and soak up all that Knowledge and professionalism...

[@piratiniwood547]

Great job 👍 greetings from Germany

[@oppogaming1828]

Hi! i'am from Indonesia.. it's a great job, and the machine is very precise..👍

[@italogarcia1597]

Gostei muito da história e dos propósitos. Irei visitar o seu site e treinar. Obrigado. Vídeo muito inspirador!

[@ropesealsandbabbittbearing1598]

Hardest part 1st -sales 2nd -collection Making parts -easy

[@Michaelsloncehammr]

Well well If isn’t Baba Yaga the Russian witch.

[@powellmachineinc]

Maybe, I have 4 cnc's, and a shop full of manuals also, but.... without the high qty work it's a moot point, we use to make 2,3,400 pc order's all day every day, now it's 1,2 or 10 pc order's, , finding good work with high volume is way harder than most think, plus all the other shops that are starving to death and quoting jobs dirt cheap, hard to get the work.

[@mfgxl]

Having a successful shop is the most challenging business there is. Been there, done that, closed it.

[@VCrazydogV]

dont buy the doosan with siemens 840D control system.... problems over problems... we have the smx 3100st. greatings from an cad/cam programmer out of germany... have fun @machining

[@BD-qq4fn]

Fantastic post! 30 years ago I was a newly minted plant manager at a CNC shop. I remember a moment when an operator stated “how come the owner can buy a brand new Cadillac and I can’t get a dollar an hour raise?”. This was asked in front of most of the workers during a coffee break (we were outside at the “coffee truck”…..when the operator pointed out the new Cadillac). I then asked “would you prefer he pull up in a Yugo?”…..a cheap foreign copy of the Ford Fiesta. I then asked if he knew about the rejects that came in the day before…..about a $50,000 loss (a lot of money for a small shop). I stated “the owner bears all the risk….I hope he pulls up in a brand new Mercedes SL500….then I’ll ask for a raise!”. Every one laughed….but it was a quick reminder of who’s bearing the risk.

[@ianprice4679]

lol that still doesn’t explain why the operator can’t get a measly dollar an hour raise. I bet the shop down the street will, exactly why all the boomers with mindsets like you will be left with no workers and no shop eventually

[@vanguard6937]

There can be a fine line between who takes the risk and who is doing the work, especially if the boss isn't doing much in the company.

[@BD-qq4fn]

@@ianprice4679 This was 30 years ago…..CNC shops were closing everywhere due to offshoring, very few in the machinist trade knew CNC (Autocad/Smartcam was relatively new)….shops were mainly operators and tool/die journeymen (they made $$$). It was an unbelievably sad environment….margins were a fraction of where they are today (race to the bottom). For every want add in the newspaper, you get 20+ applicants. I like many left the trade…and I miss making things off a blueprint….especially the difficult parts (you breath on them and they’d be out of tolerance). I wish we were able to give raises because some one asked.

[@chaddanylak8706]

remind me of the website art station but for machinest

[@ayodejiadebayo9484]

I am a civil servant I'm interested I am a manual machinist I want to learn CNC

[@seancollins9745]

soon, I will need work, at least I own it all outright

[@joelima3967]

No one ever mentions these people who give their blood sweat and tears to making machines that produce every product on the market. Grossly underpaid industrial heros.

[@ytfan3815]

So, when I'm correct you promote big companies to buy out employees from other (smaller) companies 🤔 My company would never allow me to use their parts to show on an other website as my skills so other companies could contact me to work for them. Sorry, but a very strange way to promote what you want to achieve, correct me if I'm wrong. 🤨

[@TITANSofCNC]

You can choose to not be contacted. This is a certification platform where hiring happens, and companies can get work from customers and so much more. Your judged on your workmanship, not a piece of paper.

[@muzaffarpathan4870]

👍

[@MarceloPereira-ei8hl]

Bom dia tem que passar por português as palavras porque fica meio ruim de entender

[@ztubisgod]

wow.

[@hampopper3150]

I'll just build my equipment and sell them. Making cheap quality machines that people will be drooling over is probably the easier option.

[@rexmundi8154]

There is plenty of work out there for the small job shop. And I mean small, like one guy with a Prototrak cnc and a manual lathe. Learn a little welding and repair work stuff and you’ll be flush with customers. The guys I know have to turn people away.

[@narmale]

Looool how is it going to sink your family? The woman is just going to leave with the kids and saddle you with child support. Women don't go thought trouble with men... they pack up and shift out as soon as the going gets tough.

[@trevorgoforth8963]

If the situation you described isn’t sinking your family, I don’t know what is!

[@narmale]

@@trevorgoforth8963 feminine logic right? Doesnt make sense at all any more

[@dementedbowine8681]

cnc machine nope i dont think that is gonna happen any time soon it would be 10 years savings and i would still have no where to put it no material for it to work and i probobly could not power it hell my dad was pissed at me for sticking a 70kg 400$ drillpress in to his vintage workshop where he has plans to chip stone and make stone axes

[@letsmachinethis]

Send me one machine.

[@lokkas3637]

Thank God I dont live in America...

[@simonkolo4368]

To all dreamers - don’t start your shop unless you want to be bald because of stress and beg your customers for money. Of course i recommend to open your own business but there are many more better business to run. In this trade you will be probably successful by end of your life. I’m already 14 years and I worked extremely hard , doing business with biggest companies and believe it is not so colorful. I have many friends for example in construction business - few amigos , hammer , van and they make great money and 10x less stress and investment in business

[@度空-u5r]

又买新设备啦！牛逼