What is it? 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 form of manufacturing process in one way or another. If you'll be working in manufacturing, it's likely that you'll be dealing with CNC on a regular basis. (www.cncci.com)
How it is Useful in Commercial Applications: One of the biggest drivers in technology advancements is automation. We would not have the technology we have today with the aid of computers and robots. In a lot of cases when building these automated machines, custom parts are needed for a variety of things. The CNC family of Machines is a great way to get custom parts that are the exact dimensions and shape that you need for your application. This allows us to build the automation machine the exact way that we want without having to compromise to much on design changes.
There are many different kinds of CNC Machines depending on what industry you are working in. They include industries such as: Woodworking, Metal removal, metal fabrication, electrical discharge machining, and many more. (www.cncci.com)
Job opportunities related to CNC There is quite a shortage of skilled people to utilize CNC machines. And the shortage is growing. Everywhere I go I hear manufacturing people claiming that they cannot find skilled people. Unfortunately, it has also been my experience that pay scales have not yet reflected this shortage. Even so, you can make a good wage and develop a rewarding career working with CNC machines. Here are some of the job titles of people working with CNC machine tools. (www.cncci.com) Working for manufacturing companies:
(www.legacycncwoodworking.com)
CNC helpers CNC tool setters CNC operators CNC setup people CAM system programmers CNC programmers CNC maintenance personnel
Working for companies that sell CNC machines CNC service technicians CNC applications engineers CNC instructors Working for schools CNC instructors
NASA
Personal CNC machines are even used by NASA:
Both the costs and risks of spaceflight are always high. So what do you do when you don’t have the time, budget and room for error to outsource the machining of ever-evolving prototypes? NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center uses an array of manufacturing and engineering tools to develop their one-off, highly customized technologies. In fact, they use a shop that is connected to their labs, which houses an array of manual milling, CNC and production machines.
According to Alan Kogut, an astrophysicist at the center, without their attached shop they would be relegated to outsourcing the creation of various components and instruments. By using various manual machines and a PCNC 1100 mill from Tormach, the team can quickly prototype and develop different iterations of unique components. “We’re making parts for flight projects, high-altitude balloons, and prototyping things for an eventual satellite mission,” he said.
The teams at Goddard have also customized their Tormach mill with a unique fixture for wire-winding. According to Kogut, they have to wrap a couple miles of thin wire—about 1⁄3 as thick as a human hair—in an extremely uniform manner for the satellites. “You take a couple miles of this wire and you wrap it around to make a whole bunch of parallel strands over large distances,” he said. This creates a grid that is about 2 ft across.
The strands have to be held to a plane so they form a flat surface (to a few millionths of a meter) and the wires have to be spaced accurately to about 4 or 5 µm, which is where the need for CNC comes into play. “We are able to use the mill to both cut the fixture that the wires get wound onto, and then use it to put the wires in place,” said Kogut.
Using a high-accuracy CNC machine is vital to the proper operation of a component like this. As the maker movement has emerged, both manual and automated machines have become more readily available and less expensive. It has also ushered in prosumer-style machines, which are capable of production-quality work, but available on a budget and in a footprint that small businesses and consumers can handle. (http://www.designworldonline.com)
Private Use A CNC has many uses in industry, but what many people do not realize is that they are made for personal use as well. Smaller versions of the industrial machines are made for personal shops. Machines such as the Legacy CNC Explorer, Shop Bot, and SharkPro CNC's are available to purchase and use in your shop at home to help the hobbyist make professional quality projects.
How it works Motion is controlled along multiple axes, normally at least two (X and Y), and a tool spindle that moves in the Z (depth). The position of the tool is driven by direct-drive stepper motor or servo motors in order to provide highly accurate movements, or in older designs, motors through a series of step down gears. Open-loop control works as long as the forces are kept small enough and speeds are not too great. On commercial metalworking machines, closed loop controls are standard and required in order to provide the accuracy, speed, and repeatability demanded.
As the controller hardware evolved, the mills themselves also evolved. One change has been to enclose the entire mechanism in a large box as a safety measure, often with additional safety interlocks to ensure the operator is far enough from the working piece for safe operation. Most new CNC systems built today are 100% electronically controlled.
CNC-like systems are now used for any process that can be described as a series of movements and operations. These include laser cutting, welding, friction stir welding, ultrasonic welding, flame and plasma cutting, bending, spinning, hole-punching, pinning, gluing, fabric cutting, sewing, tape and fiber placement, routing, picking and placing, and sawing (www.Wikipedia.org)
What is it?
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 form of manufacturing process in one way or another. If you'll be working in manufacturing, it's likely that you'll be dealing with CNC on a regular basis. (www.cncci.com)
How it is Useful in Commercial Applications:
One of the biggest drivers in technology advancements is automation. We would not have the technology we have today with the aid of computers and robots. In a lot of cases when building these automated machines, custom parts are needed for a variety of things. The CNC family of Machines is a great way to get custom parts that are the exact dimensions and shape that you need for your application. This allows us to build the automation machine the exact way that we want without having to compromise to much on design changes.
There are many different kinds of CNC Machines depending on what industry you are working in. They include industries such as: Woodworking, Metal removal, metal fabrication, electrical discharge machining, and many more. (www.cncci.com)
Job opportunities related to CNC
There is quite a shortage of skilled people to utilize CNC machines. And the shortage is growing. Everywhere I go I hear manufacturing people claiming that they cannot find skilled people. Unfortunately, it has also been my experience that pay scales have not yet reflected this shortage. Even so, you can make a good wage and develop a rewarding career working with CNC machines. Here are some of the job titles of people working with CNC machine tools. (www.cncci.com)
Working for manufacturing companies:
CNC helpers
CNC tool setters
CNC operators
CNC setup people
CAM system programmers CNC programmers
CNC maintenance personnel
Working for companies that sell CNC machines
CNC service technicians
CNC applications engineers
CNC instructors
Working for schools
CNC instructors
NASA
Personal CNC machines are even used by NASA:
Both the costs and risks of spaceflight are always high. So what do you do when you don’t have the time, budget and room for error to outsource the machining of ever-evolving prototypes? NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center uses an array of manufacturing and engineering tools to develop their one-off, highly customized technologies. In fact, they use a shop that is connected to their labs, which houses an array of manual milling, CNC and production machines.
According to Alan Kogut, an astrophysicist at the center, without their attached shop they would be relegated to outsourcing the creation of various components and instruments. By using various manual machines and a PCNC 1100 mill from Tormach, the team can quickly prototype and develop different iterations of unique components. “We’re making parts for flight projects, high-altitude balloons, and prototyping things for an eventual satellite mission,” he said.
The teams at Goddard have also customized their Tormach mill with a unique fixture for wire-winding. According to Kogut, they have to wrap a couple miles of thin wire—about 1⁄3 as thick as a human hair—in an extremely uniform manner for the satellites. “You take a couple miles of this wire and you wrap it around to make a whole bunch of parallel strands over large distances,” he said. This creates a grid that is about 2 ft across.
The strands have to be held to a plane so they form a flat surface (to a few millionths of a meter) and the wires have to be spaced accurately to about 4 or 5 µm, which is where the need for CNC comes into play. “We are able to use the mill to both cut the fixture that the wires get wound onto, and then use it to put the wires in place,” said Kogut.
Using a high-accuracy CNC machine is vital to the proper operation of a component like this. As the maker movement has emerged, both manual and automated machines have become more readily available and less expensive. It has also ushered in prosumer-style machines, which are capable of production-quality work, but available on a budget and in a footprint that small businesses and consumers can handle. (http://www.designworldonline.com)
Private Use
A CNC has many uses in industry, but what many people do not realize is that they are made for personal use as well. Smaller versions of the industrial machines are made for personal shops. Machines such as the Legacy CNC Explorer, Shop Bot, and SharkPro CNC's are available to purchase and use in your shop at home to help the hobbyist make professional quality projects.
How it works
Motion is controlled along multiple axes, normally at least two (X and Y), and a tool spindle that moves in the Z (depth). The position of the tool is driven by direct-drive stepper motor or servo motors in order to provide highly accurate movements, or in older designs, motors through a series of step down gears. Open-loop control works as long as the forces are kept small enough and speeds are not too great. On commercial metalworking machines, closed loop controls are standard and required in order to provide the accuracy, speed, and repeatability demanded.
As the controller hardware evolved, the mills themselves also evolved. One change has been to enclose the entire mechanism in a large box as a safety measure, often with additional safety interlocks to ensure the operator is far enough from the working piece for safe operation. Most new CNC systems built today are 100% electronically controlled.
CNC-like systems are now used for any process that can be described as a series of movements and operations. These include laser cutting, welding, friction stir welding, ultrasonic welding, flame and plasma cutting, bending, spinning, hole-punching, pinning, gluing, fabric cutting, sewing, tape and fiber placement, routing, picking and placing, and sawing (www.Wikipedia.org)
Videos of different CNC applications:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_QXobRSiUM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyAsqOvmTGE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O930oLE2r7I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYZPZZQWSZ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CSwOebmb0A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnIvhlKT7SY
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerical_control
https://www.cncci.com/resources/articles/what%20is%20cnc.htm
http://www.shopbottools.com/mproducts/WhatsCNC.htm
http://www.legacycncwoodworking.com/
http://www.designworldonline.com/personal-cnc-mill-helps-nasa-boldly-go/#_