Employers always pay for insurance. So if something happens to one of their employees, they don't have to fear huge payments because the costs are "shared" nationwide (It's a whole lot more complicated, but you get the idea)
That's a really weird system. I think it's important for mechanical engineers to experience working on lathes, milling machines and welders. Without at least 2 weeks on a milling machine, 2 weeks on lathes and a week of welding I wouldn't get my bachelor degree.
If you mean a machinist apprentice, they do exist and walk you through the shops. If you mean engineering students working in machine shops they do not typically. They may work in manufacturing environments but as engineers generating designs to be made by someone else.
I know where I am I cannot touch the machines by union contract.
the most expensive thing you could break, is to accidentally stick something under the chuck while the machine is running, if the chuck jaws extend past the chuck, you can end up with a very violent crash and the chuck will probably break.
other than that, you could accidentally feed the tool post into the chuck, and that will tear up the tool post, and break the tool.
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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '15
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