Numerically-Controlled Machines:

Prior to the development of Computer-aided design, the manufacturing world adopted elements controlled through numbers and letters to fill the requirement for manufacturing complex shapes in a repeatable and accurate way. Throughout the 1950s these Numerically-Controlled machines utilized the existing technology of paper tapes along with often spaced holes punched in them just think of the paper roll which makes an old-fashioned player piano work, although only one inch wide; to feed numbers in the controller machines which were wired to the motors positioning the work on machine elements. The electro-mechanical nature of the controllers permitted digital technologies to be simply incorporated as like they were developed. NC elements instantly raised automation of manufacturing to an original level once feedback loops were included (the element tells the computer where it is, whilst the computer tells it where it must be).

What lastly made Numerical Control technology enormously successful was the development of the universal Numerical Control programming language termed as APT that is Automatically Programmed Tools. Announced at MIT in the year 1962, Automatically Programmed Tools allowed programmers to develop postprocessors exact to each type of Numerical Control tool hence, the output from the Automatically Programmed Tools program could be shared among various parties along with various manufacturing capabilities.

Now-a-days several new machine tools incorporate CNC technologies. These tools are utilized in all conceivable manufacturing sectors, like CNC technology is associated to Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP), Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) and other technologies as Group Technology (GT) and Cellular Manufacturing. Flexible Manufacturing Systems i.e. FMS and Just-In- Time Production i.e. JIT are made possible through Numerically-Controlled Machines.