Technical education teachers working with CNC technology can generally agree the purpose of their lessons is to help the next generation grasp technical concepts and to help them prepare for future experiences by relaying information. That being said, it’s easy to focus on one way of doing things without putting it in context of the CNC industry.

Charlie Brumfield was an old-school Dungeons and Dragons player looking for a gift for some of his gaming buddies when he decided to start up Artisan Dice. “Within 48 hours I found myself in the dice-making business,” Brumfield says. “Our first day in business I built a website, put it up Sunday night, and by 6:00 AM Monday morning we had $1700 in sales. It’s been rockin’ and rollin’ ever since.”

Learning to machine has long been considered a journey. There is always something new to learn, as well as skills and techniques to perfect. Machining knowledge often can’t be just simply taught, it often requires hands-on learning and some serious time at the machine.

More than 100 middle school students eagerly watched machines run, listened to technical explanations of how things worked, applied their math skills to engineering demonstrations, and got to meet with engineers, machinists, and other leaders.  What made this group is unique is their gender – they were all female.

In high school, it was shop class. In college and early in his career, he learned how to make airplane parts and aviation equipment. “I’ve always been interested in making and building things, but I’m just getting started in CNC,” Aaron Rogers, a CNC hobbyist, said. “I’ve just been doing some basic stuff, like making tools for the shop, - just odds and ends as I’m learning to use the Tormach.”