Thread: What is CNC?

A CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) machine is controlled by a computer.
Think Robotics.
Someone tells the robot what to do via a computer and then it does it but it cannot do anything else than what it has been programmed to do.
You have probably seen pictures where a machine puts all the parts in a car together.
They are CNC machines just a helluvalot bigger than what is used in woodworking.
That's it in a nutshell.
They are great if you want to do a lot of repetitive work and/or make partd for something. like the gears for a wooden clock or a drawing you want to use for carving.
Not everybody's cup of tea but, fortunately, we are not all the same.
The world would be very boring if we were.
Cheers
Wolffie

Thanks, 40 years ago I took a class in programming NC milling machines. No computor involved; used a teletype machine to punch a paper tape the tape was then fed into a reader. The first C threw me off (shudda known C is computor). I didn't make the connection because I had no idea NC had made it's way to the hobbiest shop. Amazing!!

Thanks

With NC, you had to determine the toolpath, and write each step in a sequence down, then type the whole sequence into the teleprinter and onto tape. The tape would then be loaded into the machine which would read the sequence, and ultimately follow it to perform the machining operation.

With CNC, the object would be drawn in 3D in a CAD system, and them CAM (Computer aided manufacturing) software would analyse the the drawing and determine which tools are needed, the sequence they will be employed in, and the toolpaths they will follow. This is used to generate a job file which is passed to the machine.

Virtually any type of machine can found in CNC versions. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfr3Omid0-c"]This[/ame] is a link to a video of a CNC router used to cut and drill cabinet parts. The same machine can also work with aluminium and plastics. I operate one similar carrying 14 tools.

Thanks for the education!!