As stated, CNC has touched almost every facet of manufacturing. Many machining processes have been improved and enhanced through the use of CNC. Let’s look at some of the specific fields and place the emphasis on the manufacturing processes enhanced by CNC machine usage.
In the metal removal industry:
Machining processes that have traditionally been done on [...]
Once the program is developed (either manually or with a CAM system), it must be loaded into the CNC control. Though the setup person could type the program right into the control, this would be like using the CNC machine as a very expensive typewriter. If the CNC program is developed with the help of [...]
For simple applications (like drilling holes), the CNC program can be developed manually. That is, a programmer will sit down to write the program armed only with pencil, paper, and calculator. Again, for simple applications, this may be the very best way to develop CNC programs.
As applications get more complicated, and especially when new programs [...]
There is another article included in this web site called The Basics of CNC that explains how to program, setup, and operate CNC machines in greater detail. Additionally, we offer a series of products aimed at helping you learn how to use CNC machines. Here we’re relating how CNC works in very general terms.
As you [...]
While there are exceptions to this statement, CNC machines typically replace (or work in conjunction with) some existing manufacturing process/es. Take one of the simplest manufacturing processes, drilling holes, for example.
A drill press can of course be used to machine holes. (It’s likely that almost everyone has seen some form of drill press, even if [...]
CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control and has been around since the early 1970’s. Prior to this, it was called NC, for Numerical Control. (In the early 1970’s computers were introduced to these controls, hence the name change.)
While people in most walks of life have never heard of this term, CNC has touched almost every [...]
