Computer Numerical Control: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 04:20, 15 December 2004

Revision as of 23:44, 11 January 2005

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The introduction of CNC machines radically changed the [[manufacturing]] industry. Curves are as easy to cut as straight lines, complex 3-D structures are relatively easy to produce, and the number of [[machining]] steps that required human action have been dramatically reduced.

With the increased automation of manufacturing processes with CNC [[machining]], considerable improvements in consistency and quality have been achieved. CNC automation elimantedeliminated errors and provided CNC operators with time to perform additional tasks. CNC automation also allows for more flexibilty in the way parts are held in the manufacturing process and the time required to change the machine to produce different components.

In a production environment a series of CNC machines may be combined into one station, commonly called a "cell", to progressively machine a part requiring several operations. CNC machines today are controlled directly from files created by [[Computer-aided design|CAD]] [[software]] packages, so that a part or assembly can go directly from design to manufacturing without the need of producing a drafted paper drawing of the manufactured component. In a sense, the CNC machine represent a special segment of [[industrial robot]] systems, as they are programmable to perform many kinds of [[machining]] operations (within their designed physical limits, like other robotic systems).