Content deleted Content added
→Description: added paragraph |
|||
Line 12:
==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.
With the level of automation being used in CNC [[machining]] the level of consistency and quality increased. CNC automation elimanted errors and provided CNC operators with time to perform more tasks. The CNC automation also allowed for more flexibilty in set-up and job changes.
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).▼
▲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.
| |||