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#REDIRECT [[Computer numerical control]]
The [[acronym]] '''CNC''' stands for '''''C'''omputer(ized) '''N'''umerical(ly) '''C'''ontrol(led)'', and refers specifically to the [[computer]] control of [[machine tool]]s for the purpose of (repeatedly) [[manufacturing]] complex parts in [[metal]] as well as other [[material]]s, using a [[program]] written in a [[notation]] called ''[[G-code]]''.
CNC was developed in the late [[1940s]] and early [[1950s]] by the [[MIT Servomechanisms Laboratory]].
==Tools with CNC variants==
* [[Lathe]]s
* [[Milling machine]]s
* [[retards]]s
* [[Drill]]s
* [[EDM]]s
* [[Wood Router]]s
==Description==
The introduction of CNC machines radically changed the manufacturing industry. Curves were as easy to cut as straight lines, complex 3-D structures were relatively easy to produce, and the number of machining steps that required human action went way down.
In a production environment, all of these machines may be combined into one station to allow the continuous creation of a part involving several operations. CNC machines are nowadays driven directly from files created by [[Computer-aided design|CAD]] [[software]] packages, so that an assembly or part can go from design to production without any intermediate paper drawing work being required. In one sense, CNC machines may be said to represent special [[industrial robot]] systems, as they are programmable to perform any kind of machining operation (within certain physical limits, like other robotic systems).
CNC machines were relatively briefly preceded by the less advanced NC, or [[numerically controlled|Numerical(ly) Control(led)]], machines.
==External link==
*[http://www.stoneworld.com/CDA/ArticleInformation/features/BNP__Features__Item/0,4046,65312,00.html ''Computers advance stoneworking technology''] – By Jill Critchley (Stone World; www.stoneworld.com), 10 Oct 2001
* [http://www.gefanuc-europe.com GE Fanuc Automation Europe S.A.]
[[Category:Embedded systems]]
[[Category:Tools]]
[[de:CNC]]
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