These early machines were rudimentary - lilyscoggins/ffxivgil GitHub Wiki

CNC machining can be a manufacturing process by which pre-programmed computer programs dictates the movement of factory tools and machinery. The process enables you to control an array of complex machinery, from grinders and lathes to mills and routers. With CNC machining, three-dimensional cutting tasks might be accomplished a single set of prompts.

Short for “computer numerical control,” the CNC process at cncmachiningptj runs as opposed to — and thereby supersedes — the restrictions of manual control, where live operators are important to prompt and slowly move the commands of machining tools via levers, buttons and wheels. To the onlooker, a CNC system might resemble a regular group of computer components, even so the software programs and consoles used in CNC machining distinguish it of all other forms of computation.

The contrast between the two of these techniques is stark. CNC machining, like other machining processes can be a subtractive process, where material is slowly removed from a stock, and 3D printing can be an additive process, essentially functioning back.

The first CNC machines were created in the 1940s and 50s and relied totally on a data storage technique called “punched tape.” The “code” to manipulate the machines can be manually punched to a data card and fed right into a system that might then interpret that data. Needless to say, these early machines were rudimentary and functionality was limited.

Oftentimes machining processes need the use of multiple tools to create the desired cuts (e.g. different sized drill bits). CNC machines commonly combine tools into common units or cells from where the machine can draw. Basic machines come in one or two axes while advanced machines move laterally inside the x, y axis, longitudinally from the z axis, and oftentimes rotationally about several axes. Multi axis machines are prepared for flipping parts over automatically, permitting you to remove material that's previously “underneath.” This eliminates the necessity for workers to turnover the prototype stock material and lets you cut every side without the requirement for manual intervention. Fully automated cuts are usually more accurate than is possible with manual inputs. That said, sometimes finishing work like etching is best accomplished personally as well as simple cuts that will require extensive design work to program the equipment for automation.