What Is A CNC Router
You may have read an article online about CNC cutting and have wondered what is is. Well, you are in luck as we will go over the basics of what a CNC router is and how it works.
What Is It?
A computer numerical control (CNC) router operates similar to a handheld router in that it is primarily used for cutting different materials such as wood, aluminum, plastic and foam. The router is called CNC because it does the cutting automatically based on instructions that are given to it via computer.
CNC machines can come in different sizes, which is commonly referred to biuld capacity. If you have a large CNC router, you can cut and create much larger objects than if you have a smaller CNC machine.
There are many different brands ov CNC machines, with the mori seiki brand Cincinnati OH being one of the most popular.
How Does It Work?
This sort of technology is very similar to that of a 3d printer in which plastic is laid layer by layer based on the instructions for movement it received from a computer software. There are many different types of software that can do this, with CAD and CAM software being some of the most popular. The software creates a G-Code which instructs the CNC machine on what movements it should do and then calculates how many layers of movement it will take to complete the cuts.
Many people who use these do it for their own hobby purposes. CNC routers are also found at manufacturing centers, but they can be bought for private use and come in many parts that can be assembled by almost anyone.
As you can see, CNC machines are pretty incredible and can be owned and operated by almost anyone that has a little determination and drive to tinker.