Technology Information

cnc programming

Any subject that covers working in the shop should begin with safety.Yours and other people safety should be at the top of your mind.CNC is not different than any other shop topic that you will encounter.  In fact, the highest levels of safety awareness should be maintained when using a CNC machine.

CNC machines don’t have a mind of their own.  A computer gives them a command and they execute it.Machines don’t care if they are cutting steel, wood or your hand.  They don’t differentiate between materials.  You need to be aware of this.

When you are Studying CNC you should take it slow.  Do tests on a small scale, then watch and learn what happens.  For example, why don’t you let your machine “cut air” for a while when you first get it.  You don’t need to put it right to work cutting material.  Why not create a simple program, and let the machine cut the air instead of material.  Better yet, why even run the spindle during the test.

Every CNC Machine has quirks that you need to learn.Every CNC machine has a different working window.  Every CNC machine is just a little bit different then the rest of them.  It is in your best interest to learn your machine before you put it to work.

Generally, with a CNC Machine, we are machining something.  While machining, “chips” are being thrown off.  Sometimes at a very rapid speed.  Here is where safety glasses, face shields and material barriers come into play.  Use them!  The machine doesn’t know you are standing there.  In the words of every boxing ref before a match, “protect yourself at all times!”

A few ideas to keep you safe in the shop:
Always read the instruction manual before using your machine
Always follow manufacturers recommendations
Always wear safety glasses
You need to wear the appropriate safety equipment for your job
Use shields and barriers while machining when it is appropriate
Checkout and test your machine before running parts are going into production
Perform proper and routine maintenance on your machines
Perform checks on your machine for wear and damage

Always think safety!

CNC site with free information:
If you would like to know more about CNC, head on over to http://www.cncinformation.com
You can join for Free and you get two free CNC ebooks. One is a GCode Quick Guide and the other is the CNC Info Site eBook. You also get access to the Free Video Series…Image to CNC Art when you join the community.

cnc overview

Rapid overview of the CNC process
This is how I view Computer Numerical Control.I break it down into steps that I can remember easily.  Now, they all interact, but it is good to keep them in boxes for simplicity sake.  I also like to keep them in a logical, progression type order.  Here they are: Design, CAD, CAM, Control and Machine.

Today you are going on a journey.  You are going to learn about the basics of CNC.I trust you are as excited as I am about this subject.

I have been using CNC equipment in my home shop for six years now.The CNC technology gets better all the time.  The software gets better every year.  At one time large companies could only afford this technology.There are CNC machines by the thousands working in garages like yours and mine everywhere.

There are basically five elements to a CNC Project that you need to know:
Design - planning on what you want to build
Computer Aided Design - translating it into the computer
CAM - converting it into machine language
Controlling - controlling your CNC machines movements
Machining - building the part to specifications

These five elements are really the building blocks to a CNC project.  As you see them above, that is generally the order people associate them in.  For example, you can’t control until you have a design.  You can’t use your CAM software before your CAD software.One of the things you need to take into account is how these different elements interact with one another.
This may cause some confusion right now.  Over time, it will seem very basic.The more you use these CNC elements with one another the more their order will become apparent.

CNC Information Free Community Site:
If you would like to know more about CNC, head on over to http://www.cncinformation.com
You can join for Free and you get two free CNC ebooks. One is a GCode Quick Guide and the other is the CNC Info Site eBook. You also get access to the free CNC video series…Image to CNC Art when you join the community.