With all the changes going on in my world I needed to do something fun yet constructive with the tiny amount of spare time I have. I still try to race a few hours each week and in doing so I have come to the point of "needing" to make some more mods to my Sim. All of that has lead to me needing to CNC some parts and I no longer have access to the PCB mill that I had at my previous career. As with all things I started with research, and lots of it. The main source has been www.cnczone.com , this is the best source for all things CNC and is a very good message board for just about any aspect of small scale automated manufacturing.

What is CNC?

CNC stands for computer numerical control. In simple terms it is controlling a machine through software that turns drawings into a series of machine codes. These codes are then sent to a hardware controller that converts them to electrical signals to the corresponding stepper motors that control particular axis. CNC is used for precision and dexterity instead of the labor of a human turning knobs and cranks to position the cutting tool.

Updated:June, 2010