What Is Computer Numerical Control?
Computer numerical control, or CNC, systems are computer controlled machining tools used in manufacturing. The advantage to computer numerical control systems is the increased accuracy and processing speed for the production machines. In a CNC system, there is a central computer processor used to interpret the specifications and direct the machine. The first computer numerical control machines were built in the 1940s and 1950s. These systems were quite simple, created by modifying existing tools to accept instructions based on points printed on paper tape. The success with this initial attempt encouraged continuing development in this area. The increased availability of computers allowed developers and designers to further enhance these systems. The modern computer numerical controlled tools are an advanced version of these same tools.
