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0CNC Router Essentials

1 : CNC Basics

The brain of a CNC consists of onboard electronics connected to an external computer or control pendant, Images 1.4. Together these are referred to as the control system. The control system automatically moves the machine during operation, but can also be used by the operator to manually move the spindle along the machine axes during tool setup.

CNC workflow

The workflow for CNC projects consists of three primary steps: designing, toolpathing, and machining, Image 1.5. Each of these has several sub-steps that we’ll discuss in later chapters, but the important thing to know is that they are each associated with a particular kind of soware. CAD (computer-aided drawing) for drawing; CAM (computer-aided machining), which converts the CAD drawing to toolpaths and machine code; and the Controller soware that communicates the code to the CNC machine and tells it where to move during the machining process. Don’t let that alphabet soup of leers intimidate you. Using today’s CNC machines has been simplified by advances in CNC soware that automates much of the complex processes of the past. With a lile practice, it will start to make sense, but first, let’s take a quick look at each type of soware.

Images 1.4: CNC machines connect to either a control computer or a control pendant. These allow the operator to control the movements of the CNC machine automatically and manually.

Image 1.5: A specific type of software is associated with each step of the CNC workflow.