319th AMXS automated milling process cuts time, improves accuracy > Grand Forks Air Force Base > News

For the first time in four years the 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron revamped their milling process by reimplementing their Computerized Numerical Control mill and held a training course orienting new personnel to the equipment.

The CNC mill is an automated version of the manual metal working mills currently used to make requested parts. The CNC mill can be programed with different tools and cutting paths to help decrease time and manual labor needed in creating products.

"The CNC mill can get much more precise than anything we do by hand," said Senior Airman Caleb King, a metal technician journeyman for the 319th AMXS. "Normally we would measure everything manually and we can get within a tenth of a centimeter that way, but it takes time. The CNC mill, though, can get the exact measurement in seconds."

Before the reimplementation of the CNC mill, technicians had to manufacture all of the requested products by hand. This process consisted of measuring out cuts as accurately as they could by eye, re-measuring with every cut they made during the process and having to use multiple tools and machines for each part they created.

The metals tech shop provides parts for units from the 319th AMXS, to the 319th Civil Engineer Squadron and even our civilian counterparts at Northrup Grumman -- manufacturing products that can't be bought anywhere else.

"Typically, the parts we manufacture are needed quickly and without delay," said Master Sgt. Alexander Zimnawoda, equipment maintenance unit superintendent for the 319th AMXS. "With the addition of the CNC mill we will be able to increase workflow, enabling other units who work with us to accomplish their mission faster."

The CNC mill not only decreases manual labor required from the airmen using it, but also increases their productivity and features more safety precautions than a manual mill.

With the CNC mill, all airmen have to do is place a piece of material into the machine, calibrate the mill to the size of the piece and run a program. The mill is able to run with minimal interface on the airmans’ part.

"Now that the airmen know how to use the mill, we have the ability to produce components at a faster rate with more precision and intricacy," Zimnawoda said. "The CNC mill will help us make better products for our clients here on out."