What Kinds of CNC Machines

What Kinds of CNC Machines Exist? The short answer is more than we could possibly go into here, but let's try to cover some of the major categories of CNC, which are the most common.

CNC is the acronym for Computer Numerical Control. It is an outgrowth of the older term "NC", which stands for just "Numerical Control". It refers to the idea of controlling machine tools programmatically via computer. With the older "NC" term, a computer need not be involved. The machine might be controlled using, for example, punched tape.

NC, and later CNC, allowed for tremendous increases in productivity for machine tools because the machines could be run automatically without requiring constant attention from their operator. Before the advent of such automation, there was a lesser automation opportunity in the form of hydraulic tracer systems. Such systems used hydraulics to cause the cutting tools of a lathe or mill to follow a template. The taper attachments available for many manual lathes are not unlike the hydraulic tracer capability, it's just that the tracer is capable of more elaborate templates than simple tapers.

But the advent of first NC and then later CNC radically increased the amount of automation that was possible.

CNC Machine Lathes

Some view Lathes as the only universal machine tool because a lathe can make all of the parts needed for another lathe. A lathe spins the workpiece in a spindle while a fixed cutting tool approaches the workpiece to slice chips off of it. Because of this geometry, lathes are ideal for parts that have symmetry around some axis that could be chucked up in the spindle.

CNC Lathes have at the very least the ability to drive the cutting tool under g-code control over 2 axes, referred to as X and Z. They may have a considerable amount of other functionality as well, and there are many variations on lathes such as Swiss Lathes.

The act of cutting a workpiece on a lathe is called "Turning".

CNC Milling Machines

In a mill, the cutter is placed in the spindle where it rotates. The workpiece then moves past the cutter so that chips may be sliced off. The act of cutting a workpiece on a mill is called "Milling".

CNC Mills have at the very least the ability to drive cut in 3 dimensions (some older machines may be limited to 2 or 2 1/2 if there are limitations on when that 3rd dimension may be used) which are referred to as the X, Y, and Z axes.

CNC Routers

A CNC Router is actually a type of CNC Mill, typically one that uses what's called a "gantry" configuration. Typically they're called CNC Routers instead of CNC Gantry Mills when they're used to cut wood, but this need not exclusively be the case.

Many think of CNC machines as being focused on cutting metal, but there is a huge market for CNC woodworking machines of which the CNC Router is the principle example.

There are many more types of CNC machine than just these three most common types including CNC presses of various kinds and so on.

The CNC Controller History

An NC controller receives a set of sequenced instructions, the program, consisting of alphanumeric characters. Numerically Controlled were introduced in the late 1940s and early 1950s, they used for all machine control and data processing before the advent of microprocessors or computers. Computerized Numerically Controlled (CNC) controllers are sometimes still referred to as NC controllers. The controller uses this set of instructions to direct the motions of a machine tool such as a milling machine, lathe machine, plasma cutter and of course CNC router, much like the machine controllers today.

In the past the program was edited and programmed with the very basic computers of the time. The program would then be transported to the NC controller via a tape.
This permitted the program instructions to be read by the controller's tape reader only once and then stored in the controller's memory. Magnetic tape recorders and floppy disk drives were also being used for program recording and storage. There were no direct links between the computer and controller on early CNC control systems.

This permitted the program instructions to be read by the controller's tape reader only once and then stored in the controller's memory. Magnetic tape recorders and floppy disk drives were also being used for program recording and storage. There were no direct links between the computer and controller on early CNC control systems.

Debugging an N/C program before the advent of the computerized NC required making a new tape, trying out the new tape, finding the next error, making another tape, and so on.
The process of debugging a new program could require making a dozen or more punched tapes until an error free program was achieved. Engineering changes required a new tape to be made and debugged.

Modern CNC Controllers 

Today, with the use of powerful microprocessors and computer systems, the NC controller now communicated directly to a computer system with a real time link. This is the CNC controller that is standard today.

The CNC controllers today do far more than drive motors. Some CNC control systems have the capabilities to machine control spindle speeds, coolant flow, and other peripherals.
Modern CNC controllers still require operators to create a program for the controller to follow. Operators today receive help from Software such as Computer-Aided Design (CAD) packages and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software along with the controller software to create the necessary numerical code such as G-code.

The CNC controllers today range from professional standalone control systems, with their own keyboard and user interface, to hobby CNC control system that require a personal computer.

ADTECH-as a leading provider of CNC machine control application solutions 10 years in China, it adopt new advantage CNC controller, user-friendly interface design, stronger functions, which can customized process based on user request. They apply to the different types, different axes CNC machine control.

Machine Controllers

Machine Controllers take your machining instructions from your G-Code and converts the G-Code into motion. You are off to the races. The controller interprets the signal pulses from your Control Computer and instructs the machine to move.

The Machine Controller is made up of various electrical parts. Remember earlier that I said some electronic junkies flock to CNC. This is why. Machine controllers can be built if you are savvy with a soldering iron. I personally always default to ordering up a Machine Controller from one of my sources.

Controller builders to me are electronic gods. They mix power sources, match up Amp, Volts, etc into the item I need. Generally, you can pick the number of Axis you want before they build the controller. For example, if you are building a CNC Plasma Cutter you may want a two-axis plasma cutter controller. Possibly a three-axis controller if you have a Torch Height Control. If you have a milling machine or a wood router in mind, then a three axis is your ticket. If you want to machine with a rotary axis, then you need a four-axis controller. So on and so forth.

ADTECH provides machine controllers in industrial motion control filed, it widely used in milling machine, CNC plasma cutter, lathe machine, welding machine and so on, which is becoming a typical brand in application to motion control field. 

Industrial Robotics Expands Beyond the Automotive Industry

Thanks to the maturation of robotics technology, a growing number of industries are using industrial robotics for a wider range of applications.

Chris Bailey can't emphasize it enough: in recent months has been "barraged" with inquiries about the company's industrial roboticwelding systems.

The barrage is coming from manufacturers that survived the recession and are looking for ways to increase output in the face of a strengthening economy -- without adding headcount.

"So they're looking for more productivity tools," says Bailey, general manager of Lincoln Electric's Automation Division.

The interest in robotic welding systems, Bailey adds, isn't just coming from the industry's core customers, automotive companies.

With the equipment, pendants and software becoming easier to use, and price points coming down, Bailey is seeing more interest from a wider range of industrial users -- from aerospace to alternative-energy companies, from large to small manufacturers.

"These are very, very versatile robots that [the industry is] coming out with," says Wieczerza, a professor of engineering and advanced technology at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich. "We're looking at the entire industrial spectrum -- you name it and you'll find a robot."

Macomb Community College, which launched a joint industrial robotics 

Macomb Community College, which launched a joint robotics certification program with Fanuc Robotics America Corp. in September 2010, notes that its certificate is applicable not only to the automotive industry but also to the aerospace, consumer-goods, food, medical, pharmaceutical and solar-panel industries.

"In the '80s, there was only one size of robot, and it basically only did one thing," says Mike Cicco, general manager of distribution sales for Fanuc industrial Robots America. "And right now, there are over 200 different types of industrial robotics that, and they have the ability to pick up 500 grams all the way up to 3,000 pounds. So the number of different places we can put them is really incredible."

Along with that wider range of capabilities, Cicco explains, industrial robotics' heightened vision and intelligence are making them more accessible to small and midsize manufacturers.

ADTECH’s industrial robots are widely used in welding, food and beverage, medical, pharmaceutical and other industries, the robots Designed for small and medium-sized industrial enterprises.

Robotics Industry Expected to Thrive in 2013

As the American economy, and that of the world, continues its recovery from the Great Recession, the robotics industry is reaping the benefits.industrial robot users, integrators and manufacturers have an optimistic outlook for the robotics industry in 2013.

"2013 will be a good year for the robotics industry but not as good as 2011 and 2012. The industrial robots industry market has been on a serious growth trend since 2009", says Robert Little, Chief Executive Officer of ATI Industrial Automation .“Growth will continue through 2013 but not at the same rate of 20 percent seen in 2012. I hope to see 10 to 15 percent growth in 2013.”

Little’s analysis is typical of his peers in the industrial robots industry. Across applications and regions of the world, the robotics industry can look forward to a robust 2013.

Ample Apps

Most players in the industrial robots industry are sanguine on the prospects of nearly all applications in 2013. "I think 2013 will be awesome. General industry is historically two years behind the rebound of the automotive industry, following an economic downturn. The automotive industry did not buy anything for a few years then came on strong," says Edward Minch, Automotive Group Director of Sales and Engineering at Kawasaki Robotics (USA) Inc. "General industry is taking care of capital investment it ignored during the recession."

John Bubnikovich, Executive Director of Marketing and Business Development at ABB Inc. speaks of the continuing role of the automotive sector within the robotics industry. "The automotive sector still accounts for 65 percent of the North American robotics market. Automotive's revitalization has been very influential in the great bounce-back the robotics industry has seen recently."

Bubnikovich goes on to say, “Robotic laser cutting is emerging as an optimal means to cut and trim hot-stamped steel, a light weight, high strength material increasingly used in the automotive industry to reduce the overall cost and weight of cars while improving passenger safety and fuel economy."

Bin picking is one application several leaders in the robotics industry have high hopes for in 2013. “I see rapid expansion of three-dimensional bin picking, the ability to retrieve randomly arranged products from a bin,” says John Burg, President of Ellison Technologies Automation (Council Bluffs, Iowa).

Terry Zarnowski, Director of Sales and Marketing with Schneider Packaging Equipment Co. Inc. (Brewerton, New York) has a similar outlook for the prospects of bin picking in 2013. "Bin picking is now a viable reality."

Minch sees advancements in vision technology combined with improved force sensing, as one of numerous bright spots for the robotics industry. "These advancements will help the robotics industry penetrate into new markets, such as consumer electronic equipment and automotive component assembly and random bin picking. Robots can 'see' and have a sense of touch. Force sensors use feedback from servomotors to tell how hard the robot is pushing on a part during assembly processes such as driving a screw."

Random bin picking is high on Estes' to-do list in 2013. "Bin picking applications will become more robust due to better sensor technology. End-users want automated bin picking but did not have the tools to get there until now. Bin picking will continue to grow in 2013." Estes adds, "Because of the flexibility robotics offer, improvements to vision systems and bin picking, a batch of one is close to becoming a reality."

The food and beverage side of the robotics industry has a favorable outlook in 2013, particularly those relating to packaging and palletizing, says, Stuart Cooper, Vice President of Sales with Flexicell Inc. (Ashland, Virginia). "2013 will be a good year for the robotics industry. The return on investment in packing and palletizing applications is favorable. I anticipate accelerated growth in 2013 and do not see any markets within the industrial robots industry declining."

Contraction Forecast for the Global Motion Control Market in 2012

Sales of motion control products have decreased in 2012 in China as a result of overcapacity, and the global motion controls market is forecast to decline by 1.9 percent compared to 2011, according to a study recently published by IMS Research. In 2013, the global motion control market is projected to rebound with revenue growth of nearly 5 percent spurred by recovery of the Chinese market but limited by the continued Eurozone recession.

In recent years, the global motion controls market grew strongly with revenues increasing over 20 percent in both 2010 and 2011 to reach an estimated value of $13.1 billion. 2012 presented a very different situation, with the Eurozone recession and softening of the Chinese economy causing motion control products sales to fall well below expectations.

IHS Analyst Michelle Figgs explains, “The biggest surprise in 2012 is the extent of the contraction in the Chinese motion control market, where revenues are forecast to decline an estimated 16.5 to 18.5 percent. Reduced order rates have resulted from overcapacity concerns and conservative buying patterns from machine builders.”

Sales of low-end servo products in China have been most affected, impacting the Chinese and Japanese suppliers who rely heavily on this market. The market for high-end servo products is more stable.

In the rest of Asia, excluding Japan, revenues from sales of motion control products are projected to grow by over 5 percent in 2012. “Growth will be driven by the Indian, South Korean and Taiwanese markets,” comments Figgs. “However, the total Asian market (excluding Japan) is forecast decline by nearly 10 percent because China accounts for the majority of revenues.”

The motion controls markets in the Americas, EMEA and Japan are projected to maintain revenue growth in 2012, though at much lower rates than what was observed in the prior two years. The American market is the fastest growing, with growth projected at 4.2 percent, followed by the EMEA market at 1.6 percent. Due to a struggling semiconductor industry, the Japanese motion control market is projected to grow only 0.5 percent in 2012. 

The Market for Small-Payload Industrial Robot Grows

The world market for industrial robots was worth an estimated $8.2 billion in 2011 according to IMS Research. Around 68 percent of revenues were for articulated robot, and two-thirds of this were for robots designed for use in applications requiring a payload of above 15kg.
To-date, industrial robots have typically been used for heavy-duty applications such as welding, palletising and assembly. However, in recent years there have been significant advances in machine vision, sensing and gripping, which has enabled robots to start being used in new industrial applications and unfamiliar sectors. The food, beverage and personal care and consumer electronics industries are forecast to be the two fastest growing sectors for industrial robots from 2011 to 2016, growing at an average annual rate 8.6 percent and 8.0 percent respectively. Lower payload applications are generally more common in these industries.

Kiran Patel, analyst at IMS Research explains, “The consumer electronics industry is characterised by many labour-intensive assembly processes. Traditionally, work has been carried out by hand in regions of low labour cost, such as China. In recent years, wages have been rising per year in term of U.S. dollars (around 14 percent according to Chinese government statistics); also young people are more likely to enter further education than pursue industrial apprenticeships. Consequently, labour has become more scarce and expensive. Patel continues “The interest in industrial robots has increased in labour-intensive industries as companies look to automate and cut costs. Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn has announced that it plans to deploy one million industrial robots in its plants in 2-3 years. Whether or not this does come into fruition is another question but this certainly points towards the growing application of industrial robots in the industry, especially in articulated robot.”

In the food and beverage industry, greater purchase of robots has more to do with the fact that it is an industry that fluctuates less with changes in general economic activity. With economic uncertainty continuing in the Eurozone, manufacturers of industrial robots do not want all their revenues to come from automotive industry (which is one of the most sensitive to the rise and fall of the general economy). Manufacturers of robots have reacted by offering robots with a high protection class, making them applicable to food and beverage production.

IMS Research predicts that from 2011 to 2016, revenues from articulated robots with a payload of below 15kg will grow on average by 6 percent a year. Investment in automating production of food & beverages and of consumer electronics will be the main contributors to this growth.