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CNC Machines

CNC (computer numerical control) machining is a manufacturing process involving automated machinery, where by the cutting or milling movements involved are programmed beforehand into a computer or CAD system.

The history of CNC machines can be traced back to the 1950’s when the US Air Force was experimenting with different manufacturing techniques for new aircraft. Its introduction into manufacturing followed the invention of NC machining (numerical control machining), generally credited to American engineer John T Parsons.

Because CNC machines are largely automated, they vastly reduce the number of man hours required to produce an item. The manufacture of an item that would require a three man team using manual machinery can in some cases be reduced to just one worker, and because the number of steps that require human action are greatly reduced, this frees up the operator to carry out other tasks while the machining is taking place. Accuracy is also improved, CNC-manufactured items are closer to the original design than when produced by manual machining in most cases, and the frequency of errors is greatly reduced.

CNC machines are programmed using (originally) analogue or digital computer software to move motors and other positioning systems, and several machines can be combined into a single cell that will machine a part that several different operations to manufacture. In the early days of programming CNC machinery these operations would have had to be calculated by the operator, but in modern systems a part can be designed using CAD (computer-aided design) that will calculate and export the operations into the machine automatically, again greatly reducing the man hours required to manufacture a piece. This also means that due to much smaller setup / make-ready times CNC is ideal to run batches of anything from one to several thousand.

CNC has also made machining safer as most machines work behind a guard or safety door to prevent operators being hurt by flying debris.

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