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CNC Overview
Home » Manufacturing » CNC » CNC OverviewIf you are involved in manufacturing, you work hard everyday using equipment to produce the products and goods your company sells. You may be involved in machines that cut, thread, or make holes in metal, or that drill holes in steel. Whatever it is you make machines are what creates the work. You just have to operate the machine so the work is done right. Being that you work in a factory, you also know about a system that controls those machines, a system that has been out since 1970 and is used in many machines up to and including today. This system of control is known as CNC. Just in case you are not familiar with this term or what this means to manufacturing or using machines, this article will describe this term and what it means. You will also learn about the concepts involved and more. The first thing you need to know about is what CNC does. Here are some things that CNC is involved with:
• Motion control: All CNC machines work around motion. Most machines are programmed to accept two types of motion called aces. This movement can be linear (a straight line) or rotary (a circular path).
• Programming types: A CNC machine is useless unless it can move in more than two directions. The type of machine being used determines what accessories are programmed. Some areas on machines you may find programmable would be automatic tool changer, spindle speed and coolant.
• Software: A machine does not have CNC abilities if it does not have software to run it. Software is made up of step-by-step instructions that tell a computer what to do. In this case, as with a machine, the software tells the machine what to do.
• CNC Control: The CNC control module takes instructions from the software and activates whatever sensors are needed to move the arms, legs, or whatever part of the machine has to be moved.
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