Program Details

"A prototype machinist is able to be handed a blueprint, sit down, and decipher how to run the part and make any sort of tooling or fixture to complete it. They can do all the lathe work and mill work and have a completed assembly just by being handed a blueprint."

—T. Ribblett, MAP instructor

Combining Training, Instruction, Work Experience

For MAP, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) provides staff for the hands-on practical training and Northern New Mexico College (NNMC) provides the related classroom instruction. Basic training typically runs two years and is provided in a LANL off-site shop at NNMC. The more advanced training during the third and fourth years is provided in several staff shops at the Laboratory in Los Alamos.

The apprentice is encouraged to learn as much as possible during assignments to gain the skills to work independently and efficiently as a prototype machinist in any Laboratory machine shop upon completion of the training. The Laboratory's workload may affect assignments at any time. If official work is not available for training in a specific work process, LANL staff assign projects to teach the fundamentals.

Safety First

The apprentice learns safe work practices and builds Integrated Safety Management into daily operations and training. Embedded in the training are requirements to ensure that personal safety is first and foremost and that protection of health, the environment, and equipment is an integral part of all machining activities. Training materials identify the hazards for each machining activity, and the apprentice learns to mitigate these hazards. The apprentice performs work only when it can be done safely. The apprentice becomes proficient in

• interpreting engineering drawings to ensure the transfer of designers' and engineers' ideas into useful parts or products;
• applying geometric dimensioning and tolerancing concepts to ensure the interchangeability of fabricated parts and components;
• using mathematics, algebraic formula manipulation principles, and geometric/trigonometric concepts to determine the sizes and shapes of workpieces; to calculate angles, tapers, and other forms; and to facilitate the operation of machine tools; and
• operating all machine tools and equipment, using hardware, and instituting proper setup, inspection, and layout.

Related Instruction

All MAP instruction takes place during working hours. The first and second years cover safety, cutting tools, hand and measuring tools, speed and feed rates, print interpretation, mathematics, and operation of machine tools and equipment related to work requirements. In the third and fourth years, instruction deals with computer numerical control (NC/CNC) fundamentals, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, advanced mathematics, and advanced machining principles.

NNMC classroom instruction that requires demonstration is carried into the shop setting to show how LANL journeyman machinists apply the information.

Operational Shop Training

The First Year

The first year includes the fundamental operation of all standard machine tools, such as the lathe, milling machine, drill press, pedestal grinder, and belt sander. Training covers proper setup techniques on these machine tools, dimensional inspection of machined work, calibration of inspection instruments, and the work-layout process. The apprentice learns to grind cutting tools and to calculate speed and feed rates for different types of materials.

The Second Year

The second year continues the fundamentals with tools such as the surface and tool cutter grinder and electrical discharge machine. Because the apprentice now operates independently in most process areas and assumes responsibility for most work assigned, more-complex work is assigned at this time. Basic NC/CNC fundamentals are taught in the second year.

The Third Year

The third year is organized into 10- to 15-week rotations in several LANL machine shops, including specialized functions like sheet metal and welding, machine maintenance and repair, and inspection. Training includes operation of special-category machine tools such as the CNC lathe, the CNC machining center, and the jig borer, as well as handling and machining radioactive and pyrophoric metals and materials. Operational training is conducted for machine tools not in the off-site shop, such as the boring mill.

The Fourth Year

In the fourth year, the apprentice works in several LANL shops in which the need is highest, thus gaining experience in areas of specific interest to the Laboratory. The fourth year is a refining period that tests the apprentice's ability to perform efficiently in all areas of machine-shop work. In these assignments, the apprentice is treated much like the journeymen assigned to such shops and is expected to assume the same responsibility as the journeymen. The apprentice knows the Laboratory's operation and requirements and can perform independently in most machining areas. By the end of 8,000 hours of training, the apprentice has developed the imagination, incentive, pride, and responsibility required to function as a competent and state certified machinist.

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