Shop Photos

So I thought I would put a different spin on things here in the Photos & Videos section. A little background information, I work as a CNC Machinist. I program, set up and operate both Lathes and Mills. This is my career which is also what pays for my Ram, so the two are related which makes this thread within the guidelines right? Anyhow, I take a lot of pride in my work, thus means I wont post a picture of a part I didn't have a hand in making. I can't explain much about the parts, but I can say the majority of them are from Automotive and Aerospace industries. I am sharing these because obviously we here on the forum already have something in common, we either own or have a love for Ram trucks, so maybe someone else will enjoy these parts as much as I did making them. Enjoy.

These pieces here are what hard chrome plating looks like after the chrome is applied to the part. Anything you don't want plated you simply tape off or around. The purpose behind the process is you want something plated mainly for the aspect something is going to ride on that surface, so before that surface is plated, it is usually ground to a specific tolerance and surface finish.


The next picture displays the same part, after all the ID turning has been completed. This is what the chrome looks like after being polished. Polishing hard chrome is as simple as taking 240grit down to 400grit paper, placing the part in a lathe, and running the paper across the chromed surface while spinning in the lathe. The mirror finish will pop out in a matter of time, and then you got one hell of a good looking part in front of you.

Here's one more for the day. Nothing too special about this piece, other than I find it looks pretty neat. The bronze bushing is pressed in the steel housing, then the ID is turned and holes are drilled/milled to specific tolerances. Perpendicularity and parallelism are very important aspect in these.

Awesome

Very cool! More, more...

Here's one most of you will recognize. Not sure what it went to, but it was pretty fun. This is post machining, had to repair some diameters manually. Sorry for the picture quality.

This kinda displays the range I've worked in so far. The first piece is a 5mm plug that was used for an assembly, then the second piece weighs 1440lbs.

Very cool!