Computerised Numerical Control, or CNC, is a manufacturing process whereby computer software, which has been pre-programmed, commands the movement of machinery and tools within a factory setting.

Introduced into the mainstream in the 1980s, CNC machines combined computers with machine tools and CAD (computer aided design) software to revolutionise the manufacturing industry. A product could be designed and then created by the CNC machine. This resulted in manufactured products that were cut exactly as prearranged by the computer, and every copy was identical to the last. Mass production was born.

Before CNC machining

Its difficult to think of a world before CNC machining, and nostalgia can make things seem better than they were. But if we take a look at car manufacturing, we can see how far things have come since its introduction. In the60s and 70s cars were still clunky with poor finishes and component parts that had been poorly machined. Read more…