One of the great advantages of CNC over manual machining is the ability to create holes of almost arbitrary size using an end mill that follows a helical path.

For those of you who are manual machinists and still wondering what CNC can do for you, there are nine basic G-codes you must learn today. If you know them, they will turn the CNC Machine into the equivalent of a manual machine with power feeds and DRO’s on every axis.

It’s fairly common to find machines that have multiple spindle options available. I don’t mean that you can specify multiple options, but that there are actual multiple options delivered with the machine.A very simple example would be multiple pulley ratios. More exotic would be sub-spindles, for example a high-speed auxiliary spindle or speeder on a mill.

Here at Tormach, we developed our PathPilot Control System in-house so we could adapt the program to the ever-changing world of manufacturing and make updates quick. Along with that, we are always making improvements to PathPilot based on our community of users. The latest update to PathPilot, version 1.9.8 has had some Tormach users raving with excitement.

Manual machining has been around since two-man lathes in 1300 BCE. While the history of milling machines is a little foggy, some historians credit the first motorized milling machine to Eli Whitney, while others claim other inventors like Captain John H. Hall of the Harpers Ferry Armory, Simeon North, Roswell Lee, Robert Johnson, and Thomas Blanchard.

Concept

Getting from a conceptual idea to a realized part is an important process to understand, whether you’re a maker looking to invent something for the world or a design engineer looking to get a new project off the ground. Once an idea is developed, the process turns to CAD (computer aided design). Using programs like Fusion 360, OnShape, or Solidworks, 3D models are created to provide a virtual version of your idea.