Machinery Safety Questions

[Michael Simmond]

I am an FRC montor and sponsor who is in the process of setting up a robotics center in my community. The high school has no money left over for space, tools or materials after funding all their sports programs. Because of this, our rookie year has been pretty rough.

We will be leasing some industrial space and installing some donated machinery that will include drill press, metal band-saw, small lathe, and CNC retrofit knee-mill.

Can anyone in the FRC community provide or recommend suitable training material or a program so that our students can learn to operate these machines safely? Are there any well-accepted tests to certify that students are qualified to use a particular machine? Is there a specific type of insurance that is appropriate for this situation?

I want to insure the safety of our students as well as avoid personal liability for our volunteer mentors. Any help in showing us how to do this the right way would be greatly appreciated.

If anyone wishes to contact me privately concerning this, please use: simmonds@montana.net

Regards,
Michael Simmonds

[EricH]

If your hometown has a community college that offers machine shop classes, start by seeing if your older students can take introductory classes. A good basic class of that sort will be invaluable. If not, find your local machine shop/hobby machinist to come in and teach your students for a while.

I think there is some form of national test. However, it's aimed more at certifying machinists than at training high school students/would-be engineers. Your community college would probably know more about that.

[Mr. Mike]

I have been thinking about the same thing for our club. While doing some searches I found US Army Fundamental Of Machine Tools. It looks to be a little dated but should cover the basics of manual machines. You should also make sure you have the manuals for any machine tool that will be used. These should cover safety, maintenance, and operation.

[Retired Starman]

A very good set of instructional videos has been produced by MIT. It is intended for students who use their model shop rather than for people in training as machinists. It is quite good, emphasizes safety and shows the right way to use grinders, sanders. band saws, drill presses, mills, and lathes.


http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/142-machine-shop-1 Shop intro, Layout techniques, Drill Press, Hole tapping

http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/130-machine-shop-2 Drilling holes, Drill Bits, Bandsaw

http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/181-machine-shop-3 Belt sander, Small belt sander, bench grinder, Deburring and buffing, Finishing techniques, Shop safety and techniques

http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/127-machine-shop-4 Milling machine Basic operation

http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/84-machine-shop-5 Mill Collet block sets, V blocks, Hold down clamps, Angle blocks, Drill press vise, Lathe chuck with vise, Double Sided Tape, Squaring high aspect ratio parts, Right angle attachment, Slitting saw, Rotary table, Coaxial dial indicator, Collet indexer

http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/143-machine-shop-6 Mill Squaring a block, Squaring a plate, using edge finder, drilling holes

http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/183-machine-shop-7 Mill Reaming and Boring

http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/144-machine-shop-8 Lathe Basic operations

http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/134-machine-shop-9 Lathe 2 Tapping, Boring, Knurling, Tapers with compound, Turning shafts with live center, Single point thread turning

http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/172-machine-shop-10 Lathe 3

One of the mentors on 1648 has put together on-line tests for some of these. His students have to pass the tests before working with the tools. I'll see if he will make them available.

As far as insurance and liability go, there isn't much out there to protect mentors unless they are teachers working for a school system that provides some protection. Also, teachers may join professional organizations that provide legal assistance if needed; otherwise, mentors seem to be pretty much on their own. Talk to your own insurance agent to see what can be done through your home insurance, and talk to your school officials about coverage for students.

A level of insurance can be provided if your team through the Learning for Life program (http://exploring.learningforlife.org/). This is done through a subsidiary of the Boy Scouts of America. It is a career exploration program which provides a good level of insurance for all involved. Essentially, you set up a BSA post for your team and school. You get access to training materials, career interest tests, and many other good things. Cost per student is quite low--only a few dollars, and you get all the benefits.

Dr. Bob

[Michael Simmond]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and great information.

The MIT videos appear to be particularly well done and appropriate for our situation.