Methods
CNC Machining
Also Known As Computer Numerical Control Machining
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
CNC machining is computer numerical control machining: a computer program directs the cutting motion of a lathe, mill or other machine tool, removing material from a workpiece along precisely programmed paths. It replaced manually operated machine tools with programmable automation, letting complex, repeatable parts be cut with a precision and consistency manual operation cannot match.
Facts
Core PrincipleDirecting a machine tool cutting motion along paths encoded in a computer program, rather than by a human operator hand, to remove material from a workpiece with programmed precision and repeatability. 1 Origin YearJohn Parsons and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Servomechanisms Laboratory demonstrated the first numerically controlled milling machine in 1952. Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Mass Production, Methods Programmable, repeatable machining underlies much of modern high-precision mass production.
Tungsten carbide's extreme hardness makes it the standard cutting-tool and tool-bit material for CNC machining of metal, far outlasting high-speed steel tooling.
In Field
Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
Choose a year to see this entry's facts and connections as the atlas records them at that moment: what it held then, what it held instead, and what it had not yet adopted. Choose Present for the current record.