Talking about CNC machines

History of CNC machines

It dates back to the middle of the 20th century, when the first NC (numerically controlled) machines appeared in Japan or the USA. Subsequently, NC machines reached their limits, where they were most often used as drills in large series, and adding a computer to the process was a logical step. Even the NC machine was able to work completely without the intervention of the operator and man was only needed to load the material and remove the finished products. This is still true today in CNC, but in the meantime the production has shifted to automatic production, where robots can transfer material from one machine to another and completely finished products come off the production lines. In these cases, the production worker has only a control function on the CNC machine and is and will always be superior to the robots.

I am interested in a CNC machine

Application of CNC machines

Thus, computer-controlled machines from the English term "Computer Numerical Control" are very popular and widespread in modern times. The manufacturing world is taking long steps towards production automation and advanced industry 4.0. CNC machines are an integral part of this and the production possibilities on those machines are constantly shifting and the development in this area is enormous. Manufacturing NC machines that were used in the past are now mostly computer-controlled. In the field of cutting machines, there is CNC plasma, which no longer needs to be used with a hand-held plasma torch, CNC laser now uses fiber and divides material more efficiently, CNC plotter is able to accurately cut thin non-metallic materials, CNC router can machine wood or even aluminum and plastics with the finest details and at the top are complex machining centers combining a CNC lathe together with CNC milling. It is the CNC machine tools that can be very sophisticated and the accuracy has shifted to units of thousands of millimeters, when it is necessary to work with a constant ambient temperature of the CNC machine, so as not to expand the structure. The CNC machine is one of the most accurate computer-controlled machines. This is a very fine and maximally precise machining as the final production path of the product.

CNC machine control

So how does CNC machine control work? Through a computer and a so-called G-code, which carries information about coordinates and feed rates. For most machines, it is necessary to position the tool or tools. The program created by the programmer contains information for processing the material into the final product. These programs contain information about the exact positions, speeds and procedures of the tool. The computer gives commands to the machine drives according to the information from the G-code and the tool is actually controlled by it. There are countless user interfaces and control programs, but most work with vector data. There are also M-codes for machine tools. These are used to control the mechanical functions of CNC machines and, in machining, can be used to carry information on tool changes and other modular functions.

Advantages of CNC machines

We can now machine almost all known natural materials on CNC machines. Another indisputable advantage is the storage of data from the production process. The data can be used for further processing of the product or for analysis of production efficiency. Computer control ranges from simple single-purpose CNC machines to complex multi-axis centers that are able to save multiple production intermediate steps at once. It has long been the case that the computer has surpassed man in mechanical engineering, and these machines achieve greater productivity, greater accuracy and, above all, enormous possibilities. We are also a company engaged in development in the field of advanced engineering technologies and we bring our own innovations to CNC machines. If you are looking for a machine for your application, do not hesitate to contact us and we will design and manufacture the machine according to your specifications. We are a Czech manufacturer of CNC machines.