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Date: 04/29/2025

Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers

Develop programs to control machining or processing of materials by automatic machine tools, equipment, or systems. May also set up, operate, or maintain equipment.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Revise programs or tapes to eliminate errors, and retest programs to check that problems have been solved.
    • Draw machine tool paths on pattern film according to guidelines for tool speed and efficiency, using colored markers.
    • Enter coordinates of hole locations into program memories by depressing pedals or buttons of programmers.
    • Analyze job orders, drawings, blueprints, specifications, printed circuit board pattern films, and design data to calculate dimensions, tool selection, machine speeds, and feed rates.
    • Observe machines on trial runs or conduct computer simulations to ensure that programs and machinery will function properly and produce items that meet specifications.
    • Enter computer commands to store or retrieve parts patterns, graphic displays, or programs that transfer data to other media.
    • Determine the sequence of machine operations, and select the proper cutting tools needed to machine workpieces into the desired shapes.
    • Modify existing programs to enhance efficiency.
    • Write programs in the language of a machine's controller and store programs on media, such as punch tapes, magnetic tapes, or disks.
    • Perform preventative maintenance or minor repairs on machines.
    • Prepare geometric layouts from graphic displays, using computer-assisted drafting software or drafting instruments and graph paper.
    • Sort shop orders into groups to maximize materials utilization and minimize machine setup time.
    • Compare encoded tapes or computer printouts with original part specifications and blueprints to verify accuracy of instructions.
    • Write instruction sheets and cutter lists for a machine's controller to guide setup and encode numerical control tapes.
    • Determine reference points, machine cutting paths, or hole locations, and compute angular and linear dimensions, radii, and curvatures.
    • Determine the sequence of machine operations, and select the proper cutting tools needed to machine workpieces into the desired shapes.
    • Determine reference points, machine cutting paths, or hole locations, and compute angular and linear dimensions, radii, and curvatures.

    Skills

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    N/A
    Workplace Documents
    N/A
    Graphic Literacy
    N/A

    Abilities

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    Knowledge

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 62080/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 29.85/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 2,330
    • Yearly Projected Openings 230

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Independence
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Achievement/Effort

    Tools

    • Angle gauge
    • Automatic lathe or chucking machine
    • Calipers
    • Comparators
    • Coordinate measuring machines CMM
    • Dial indicator or dial gauge
    • Drill press or radial drill
    • Height gauges
    • Hole gauge
    • Hydraulic press brake
    • Laser cutting machine
    • Metal cutters
    • Metallurgical microscopes
    • Micrometers
    • Pin gauge
    • Power grinders
    • Precision surface plate
    • Profile gauge
    • Protractors
    • Radius gauge
    • Sine bar
    • Squares
    • Thickness measuring devices
    • Thread pitch gauge
    • Traveling column milling machine
    • Turret lathe
    • Vertical turning center
    • Wire gauge

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise application integration software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Project management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Video conferencing software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

    • InDemand occupations are considered a priority by the state of Ohio.
    • Apprenticeships are available for this occupation. These programs can help you get hands-on experience and build your skills.

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