Manufacturing is about a lot more than envisioning an awesome product, it’s seeing how to create that product as efficiently and effectively as possible. The Titans of CNC are on the cutting edge of educating and growing this efficient manufacturing process. They have developed a machining education platform to allow you create parts while also making money to push the boundary of what efficient machining is. This learning process brings advanced tooling to the everyday person with the help of Fusion 360. “If we can produce parts faster at higher rates of machining we can 
drastically reduce the price of manufacturing,” says Titan.
People are sending jobs to other countries for just a small savings of 15%, he says. The methodology behind his manufacturing is that if we can teach American manufacturing firms and students to run more efficiently, we can overcome this loss in production to overseas firms and bring it back home. Through innovative machine programming and education, we can bring the everyday machinist up to speed and drastically increase their value to the company. These tools are out there, and one of the main things that the Titan’s of CNC educational program is aimed at is improving awareness of these unique abilities.
Titan started his TV show because he almost lost everything back in the housing collapse of 2008. Most of this was caused by losing jobs during that time due to outsourcing, at a cost savings of only 15%. He saw a problem in the American manufacturing industry and decided to start something new. “The TV show, Titans of CNC, is meant to pull back the curtains on American manufacturing,” says Titan. On the show, you can see him and his team working with autistic kids, disabled people, and the underprivileged. These are demographics he believes can benefit greatly from learning to machine.
Taking some time to answer questions during our meet-up, Titan got into a discussion about modern milling and modeling techniques. Using Fusion 360 to optimize the machining process through advanced tool paths, you make cuts in a way that takes pressure off of the tool. The tools are thus engaged in a perfect fashion which minimizes setbacks. “It’s like walking down the beach quickly. You take strides level by level until you are at the perfect depth then you run as fast as you can,” says Titan. These advanced tool paths allow us to machine with a consistent depth in all metals which allows for greater tool rigidity and function.
The mill bit is now designed to take a thinner cut with newer optimized machining, The core of the tool is thicker than in previous machining processes. This design change is part of what is transforming the ability of novice and expert machinists alike. The relief is smaller in the back because the core is smaller, which gives the tool greater strength. This increased strength means good things for our ability to produce and engineer. The next problem that has been overcome is increasing machine speed. This is accomplished by increasing the number of flutes on the tool, thus greater relief area and greater speed.
There are fundamental variables when it comes to CNC machining. This means that many of the computer driven processes are rather simple, and with modern programming and computer design, optimizing the computer operation can be done simply. This is a summary of the explanation Titan gave when asked about the computer that drives his CNC’s. In essence, the computing power doesn’t need to be futuristic and advanced if efficient hardware can get the job done. Not to avert innovation, but rather to promote necessary engineering.
Titan says he believes that all teachers are heroes, but he has come to the conclusion that we need to change the way that we are teaching the next generation of machinists. Unfortunately, the American manufacturing education system isn’t equipping students with the necessary skills to enter the workforce. Titan saw the problem and decided to take on the overhaul of the education system himself. With the help of Autodesk, Titan has taken all of the show’s media and made it free on an online educational platform.
Titans of CNC Academy is an online education tool that the Titans of CNC have just launched to educate everyone interested in the manufacturing and machining industries. On the website here, you can access thousands of project files and ultimately take your skills to another level.
This platform was created with one main question in mind, “Who is teaching our manufacturing teachers?” Other than outdated experience, there is no platform that readily educates machinist professors on the cutting edges of the industry. All that has changed since the release of the Titans of CNC Academy. In just one week, the platform had gained over 5,000 new signups from teachers, professors, and students.
The passion that Titan exudes for the American manufacturing industry is abundant when you meet him. He wants to bring back American jobs, and he’s doing everything he can to make that happen. Through the online program, “students and teachers can be walked through tutorials of every step of the machining process,” from solids modeling to running the part through the CNC.
Increasing the quality and skill levels of machinists and students across the world is the ultimate goal of Titan, but he believes that the American manufacturing industry will soon become dominant once again.
If you are at AU 2016, be sure to stop by the Titans of CNC booth to watch demonstrations, see parts, and even meet Titan himself. You won’t regret it.
