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CNC Machinist
Operates computer-controlled machines that precisely cut and shape metal and other materials.
Did you know?
An early numerically controlled milling machine, forerunner of today's CNC machines, was shown at MIT in 1952; it read punched tape and used 250 vacuum tubes.
How subjects help
- Mathematics: Use coordinates and angles to tell a cutting tool exactly where to move.
- Computer Science: Write and edit the code that guides the machine through every cut.
- Physics: Choose cutting speeds that stop metal overheating and keep the tool from snapping.
- Engineering: Read technical drawings and check finished parts to within a hair's width.
A famous name
John T. Parsons: Pioneered numerical control of machine tools in the 1940s, the idea behind today's CNC machines.
Try it yourself: Take apart a click pen
- Click the pen a few times and guess what is happening inside. Draw your guess.
- Twist the pen apart slowly over a table so no small parts roll away. Lay every piece out in order. (Keep the little spring away from young children.)
- Draw each part and label what you think it does: spring, ink tube, clicker.
- Put it back together, but leave one part out. Does it still work? Try each part in turn to find which ones really matter.
Engineers and mechanics take machines apart ("reverse engineering") to learn how the parts work together, find what failed and design simpler versions.
Adapted from TeachEngineering (University of Colorado Boulder): Disassemble a Click Pen.
Also try: Which roof shape handles snow?.
Known for it in
Germany, Japan, USA, Switzerland, South Korea