Activity

I. You've just visited the Historical Museum. There was an excellent exhibition of different kinds of tools from the oldest to the most modern ones. Share your impressions with your friends.

Some of the tools at the exhibition were:

hand tools made of wood, stone and copper;

the first cutting machine tools;

a modern lathe and a drilling machine;

machining centre.

II. A group of students has come to the Steel works where you work. Show them around and tell them about different machine tools that you have at the works.

III. Discussion. It's impossible to imagine present-day manufacturing process without machine tools. They bring a great number of benefits but do they possibly have any disadvantages?

a) Read the following arguments. Think of your own ones.

Machine Tools

For	Against
1. They make people's work easier.	1. They are dangerous in operation.
2. They perform numerous operations simultaneously.	2. If the computer programme fails, the production stops.
3. They are fast and accurate.	3. It's difficult to repair them.
4. They don't get tired.	4. They require regular maintenance.
5. …	5. …

b) Discuss the problem in groups and try to reach an agreement.

Writing

I. Write two paragraphs, one about advantages and the other about pos­sible disadvantages of machine tools.

II. Translate the text into Ukrainian. Use your technical dictionary.

By the beginning of the new millenium a great number of complex machine tools had been designed to speed up production. Although these tools include features of the basic machine tools and perform the same operations, they incorporate design modifications that let them perform complex operational sequences quicker. Furthermore, after the production machine has been set up by a skilled worker or machinist, a less skilled operator also can produce parts accurately and quickly.

There's one more improvement that had already been incorpo­rated in machine tools by the 21st century. This is a highly automat­ed machining system, called adaptive control that involves the use of a microprocessor. A microprocessor is a tiny electronic device that performs the work of a computer. The microprocessor regulates vari­ables in the machining process such as the speed of the spindle. That makes the process very efficient. It also receives information from sensors that measure force, temperature, and other variables. It uses the information to operate the system at the level that is safe for the machine tool and the workpiece. Specialists predict that by the year 2015 all major industrial works in our country will have been equipped with such machining centres.

Further Reading

I. Learn how to read the following words.

precise, particular, fixture, numerous.

II. What do these abbreviations stand for? Look through the text to find it out.

CNC, NC, DNC.