One generation ago—about 25 years ago,
that is—industrial metalworking was in the midst of a
transition. Where machine tool motion had traditionally been governed
either mechanically or by human oversight, a great many shops at that
time had begun to define this motion instead using coded programs. These
programs were written for machine tool controls that awaited only the
proper instructions to send their machines’ axes through any sequence of
moves. One generation ago, NC machining became a mature and accepted
technology. In 2000, there are still plenty of people in the
metalworking industry who remember the time when essentially all of
metalworking was manual or mechanical. However, a larger group of
metalworking professionals has no personal memory of the day when NC
machining did not play a major role in the industry. And today, both
groups are carrying forward another transition—one that involves
harnessing the potential of today’s cheap and powerful computer
technology.
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