UNIT 1 INTRODUCTION TO CNC

Structure
1.1 Introduction
Objectives

1.2 Computers in Industrial Manufacturing

1.3 Product Cycle
1.4 Types of Production
1.5 Numerical Control
1.6 NC Machine Tools
1.6.1 Advantages of NC
1.6.2 Limitations of NC

1.6.3 Practical NC Machines

1.7 Summary
1.8 Key Words

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Electronics and computers have been revolutionizing the industrial scene throughout the
world. Its use in manufacturing has been more pronounced. It is almost impossible now to
think of manufacturing without the use of electronics in some form. We will be studying in
this unit the way the electronics has changed the machine tools to make them more
flexible and productive.
Objectives
After studying this unit, you should be able to understand
• the influence of computers in the manufacturing industries,
• the various stages in the product cycle,
• historical developments in numerical control,
• basic concept of numerical control,
• various advantages of using NC, and
• applications of NC.

1.2 COMPUTERS IN INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING

The manufacturing industries have been undergoing a tremendous change because of the
advancements that are taking place in many of the allied fields. The most important
advancement that is becoming increasingly important is the advancements in
microelectronics. The ever increasing advancements in microelectronics are allowing for
automation in various facets of manufacturing.
In general, we can expect computers to be used in manufacturing in two possible ways :
(i) Computer monitoring and control of the manufacturing process.
(ii) Manufacturing support applications, which deal essentially with the
preparations for actual manufacturing and post-manufacture operations.
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Principles of CNC In the first category are the applications of computers for controlling various parts of a
Manufacturing
continuous flow manufacturing such as a cement plant or a petrochemical manufacturing
unit. These will be in principle similar to the computer control of a modern fully automatic
washing machine. In these cases the control algorithm will be completely embedded in the
form of a computer with the necessary hardware (sensors, relays, etc.) and software
within the controller. In most of the cases, generally such control will be prefixed with
very little control, except for some of the options that may be present within, such as
different wash or rinse cycles in the case of an automatic washing machine.
Our interest is actually in the second part of the computer application, since a majority of
the manufacturing that we will be interested in is the discrete part manufacturing. In this
particular case, computer will be used in a majority of the components that will be used in
the total manufacturing cycle of a given product. But to understand the role of computer it
is essential to get the nature of operations that are involved in the product manufacture.

1.3 PRODUCT CYCLE

The complete process of developing a product from the initial concept stage to the final
marketing of the same is relatively long process with a variety of departments
collaborating in the process. The major components that would be of interest are the
Design and manufacturing departments. However, in addition to these two major
components the other departments such as planning, purchasing, etc. will all make a
sizable contribution to the total process. A typical division of activities in a product
development cycle is shown in Figure 1.1.

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
AND RECOGNITION OF NEED

PROBLEM DEFINITION
AND CONCEPTUALISATION

GEOMETRICAL MODELLING
AND SPATIAL ANALYSIS

ENGINEERING ANALYSIS
AND OPTIMISATION

PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT

MANUFACTURING PROCESS
DEVELOPMENT

MANUFACTURING
IMPLEMENTATION

Figure 1.1 : Typical Stages in the Product Development of a Product

The starting point of the design process is the identification of the needs of an unsatisfied
demand for the product or conceptually a new idea to start a fresh demand. At this stage
it is possible to identify some of the basic questions related to the product such as who,
6 what, where, when, why and how many should be answered with fair accuracy. In order
to provide answers to the above questions, the design team may have to explore a number Introduction to
CNC
of sources and methods such as:
• Historical Information
This is related to the already existing information collected through the
literature, marketing surveys, etc.
• Market Forces
Before going ahead with product design, it is also essential to consider the
various market forces that will affect the product in one way or the other.
Having identified all the requirements and the controlling factors, it would be possible to
specify a general solution, which will be broad and would not contain too many details.
This can be done by resorting to past designs, engineering standards, technical reports,
catalogues, handbooks, patents, etc. This will help in its further evaluation and refinement
at a later stage.
The next stage in the design process is the clear definition of the problem and coming up
with all possible ideas for solutions. In the next stage, the identified solutions are further
explored for the final design solution. In the analysis stage, the design process does a
thorough analysis of the product to get as much of information as possible before
committing to final manufacturing. For this purpose a large number of computer aids are
available. The analysis stage is basically an iterative one with modification to the
geometric model being carried out until the desired end result is achieved.
Before committing the design to manufacture, it is also essential to carryout some physical
tests on the part. This will be in addition to the computerised analysis carried out using
various facilities as outlined in the earlier stages. After finalising the product design, it is
important to move the product to the manufacturing stage. Already the geometric models
of the individual components as well as the assemblies are available both in electronic
form as well as hard copy form from the earlier stages. They will be utilised for
developing the necessary manufacturing processes again utilising computers to their
fullest extent.

1.4 TYPES OF PRODUCTION

We can broadly categorise the industrial manufacturing activity (for only mechanical
engineering industries i.e. making discrete components) into :
Mass production − Large Lots, e.g. Automobiles
In this, the volume of production is very high, ranging from a few thousand to
millions per annum. The very high volume justifies the use of special purpose
machines and transfer lines to decrease the cost of production substantially. Also,
these ensure that a very high degree of accuracy can be achie ved with these
systems. However, these manufacturing methods, once designed and fabricated,
are very inflexible and can only be used for a single product. Further, the lead time
taken from the product design stage to the setting up of the manufacturing facility is
very large, varying with the product. Examples in this category are the automobiles,
typewriters, etc.
Batch Production − Medium Lot Sizes, e.g. Industrial Machines, Aircrafts,
etc.
Batch production refers to the making of jobs in medium lots, say 100 to 1000, for
a component type. Thus, transfer lines may not be used in their production, but spe-
cial purpose machines which can be easily modified by the use of jigs and fixtures
for such jobs can be utilised.
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Principles of CNC Job Shop Production − Small Lots or One off, e.g. Prototypes, Fighter Planes,
Manufacturing
etc.
Job shop production refers to the manufacture of very small lots, often of single
jobs. This may be required in special situations for the purpose of proving a design,
making prototypes, in tool making, or for special purpose applications. In view of
the very small lot, no special purpose machines or tooling can be economically
justified. Hence, the manufacture has to be carried on with the general purpose
machines and tooling, which is a very lengthy and often error-prone process.

1.5 NUMERICAL CONTROL

Prior to the second world war, the developments in manufacturing that took place are
mostly related to hard automation or what is generally called as Detroit automation. This
is characterized by the use of automatic machine tools that run on cams and hydraulic
attachments and transfer lines. These require a large amount of time for design,
manufacturing and setting. However they provide high productivity at low cost. However
they are difficult to modify for any small changes. Thus these are used for mass
manufacture only.
After the second world war, two important things have been encountered by the
manufacturing industries which are :
(i) the success of aeroplane in providing a decisive control in the war
supremacy, and
(ii) invention of the digital computer which for the first time allowed a facility for
large scale computation;
The first development means that the manufacture requires small batches, but with very
precise manufacturing requirements. The second development helped in taking care of the
necessary flexibility in manufacturing for small batches.
Mr. John Parsons of Parsons Corporation as a sub contractor for USAF (United States
Air Force), has proposed the idea of utilising the digital computers which were just been
demonstrated to run the milling machines for machining precise contours, which otherwise
requires a very skilled machinist. His idea is that the co-ordinate points of a complex three
dimensional profile may be calculated by the digital computer which can then be utilised
for controlling the milling machine table so that accurate jobs could be produced. The
USAF agreed and funded the proposal with a contract that was awarded to develop such
a machine to the Servomechanism Laboratory of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1951, who finally demonstrated a working milling machine in 1952.
A 28-inch Cincinnati Hyrdro-Tel vertical-spindle contour milling machine was extensively
modified by retrofitting with servo motors that were linked to a digital computer. The
resolution of the machine was 0.0005-inch. A feedback control system involving synchros
was provided to make sure that the machine was moving to the correct positions as
programmed. The demonstration of this machine was very well received by all the
manufacturing industries.
Numerical control (NC) of machine tools may be defined as a method of automation
incorporated into the machine tools that can be carried out by letters, numbers and
symbols. This helps that a NC machine tool runs on a part program fed to it. The part
program contains precise instructions about the way the part is to be manufactured in
terms of the table movements. Some typical examples could be what tool to be used, at
what speed, at what feed and to move from which point to which point in what path.
Since the program is the controlling point for product manufacture, the machine tool
becomes flexible and can be used for any part that falls in its part spectrum. All the
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functions of a NC machine tool are therefore controlled through an external power Introduction to
CNC
source, which may be electronic, hydraulic and/or pneumatic.
The principle of operation of a NC machine tool is shown in Figure 1.2. The part
geometry, cutting process parameters and the cutting tools used will be input into the
system. This part program is then entered into the controller of the machine that in turn
runs the machine tool to make the part as shown in Figure 1.3.

Machine Machine
Tool Data Flow control unit

Figure 1.2 : Principle of Operation of a NC Machine Tool

Table

Gearing Lead
Motor Screw

Figure 1.3 : Typical Operation of the Controlled Axis in a NC Machine Tool

The general structure of the operation of a typical numerical control machine tool is
shown in Figure 1.4. The part program consists of detailed micro instructions that are
written in a specific language that constitutes the basic operations to be carried out in
machining of the part. These instructions are then entered into the control unit through
some input medium. The controller then translates these part program instructions into the
machine actuation details that are used to control the individual machine functions such as
the movement of the axes or change of a particular tool.

Part Part Program Data Input

Drawing

Machine Tool Machine

Control Unit

Figure 1.4 : Elements of NC Machine Tool Operation

Machine Machine
Data Flow
Tool Control Unit

Feedback

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Principles of CNC
Manufacturing

Figure 1.5 : The Data Processing in a CNC Machine Tool in Closed Loop Control

The earlier system shown in Figure 1.3 is working in an open loop control, where the
actual position reached at the end of an instruction is not sensed. However, most of the
NC machine tools are controlled with a feedback control system. In these systems, the
feedback information is provided to the machine control unit as shown in Figure 1.5 to
ensure that the programmed instructions are accurately carried out. The feedback
provided can be positional and/or velocity.
The NC machines developed in the early days had the total control system developed
entirely using the hardware elements. As a result, the control system is actually
implemented as hardware logic using a variety of SSI (Small Scale Integration) and MSI
(- Medium Scale Integration, This refers to the integration of the number of transistors in
an Integrated Circuit (IC). The number of transistors specifies the complexity of the
circuit, and hence the capability. In comparison, microprocessors are supposed to be
VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration)) integrated circuits. Typically these had very little
part program memory, often only a single block. However, the availability of
microprocessors has changed the controller technology drastically. The new control
systems are termed as Computer Numerical Control (CNC). These are characterised by
the availability of a computer as part of the controller. The use of CNC allows a large
number of advantages to be derived compared to NC. Some of them are:
• Part Program storage and editing
• Part program downloading and uploading
• Part program simulation using tool path
• Tool offset data and tool life management
• Additional part programming facilities
• Enhanced part program capability
• Background part program preparation
• Additional support software for diagnostics and maintenance
• Using standard operating systems such as Windows 2000/XP for easier
interfacing with other components of manufacturing systems.

1.6 NC MACHINE TOOLS

The initial objective for the development of NC machine tools was the complex contouring
of the aerospace components. However, with the further developments in various allied
areas, the NC machine tools have now been used in a large number of diverse
applications. The following are a number of such applications where these machine tools
have been found to be excellent in improving the productivity and reducing the costs.
• For small lot production, often for even single (one off) job production, such
as for prototyping, tool manufacturing, etc.
• For complex jobs requiring very high accuracy and repeatability.
• For jobs requiring many set-ups and/or the setups very expensive.
1.6.1 Advantages of NC
Numerical control is superior to conventional manufacturing in a number of ways because
10 of the programmability.
 (i) The idle time on NC machine tools is reduced that results in lower Introduction to
CNC
manufacturing time. The machine tool builder tries to design the NC machine
where the non-cutting time can be made as low as possible.
(ii) Parts can be produced more accurately even for smaller batches without any
human skill involved in the process.
(iii) Less scrap is generated in NC machines since the operator is not involved in
the actual machining process.
(iv) The need for expensive jigs and fixtures is reduced or eliminated to a great
extent since the geometry is built into the part program.
(v) It is possible to use the general-purpose tools without any special tools.
(vi) Manufacturing lead times for the jobs can be reduced to a great extent
depending upon the complexity of the job.
(vii) The NC machine tool can be utilised continuously, some times even 24 hours,
since these are designed for such conditions.
(viii) Varying part designs can be easily translated into manufacture with simple
changes in part programs.
1.6.2 Limitations of NC
In spite of many advantages mentioned above, there are a few limitations that one should
consider while making a change over to numerical control.
(i) The NC machine tool is much more expensive compared to conventional
machine tool. This calls for a very high initial investment that needs to be
appropriately justified.
(ii) Skill of the people required to operate a NC machine is generally high in
view of the complex and sophisticated technology involved. This calls for a
shift in the quality and education of the people involved in the operation of
the NC machine tools.
(iii) As NC is a complex and sophisticated technology, it also requires higher
investments in support technologies, such as maintenance.
1.6.3 Practical NC Machines
The first development in NC machines was the milling machine to suit the aerospace
applications. Early machines were basically the modifications of the existing machines to
take advantage of the numerical control. However, realizing the greater potential of the
control, most of the machine tools have been greatly modified to take advantage of the
greater material removal capability. As a result, many of the current day CNC machine
tools are sturdier and bigger.
Further, a large number of applications can be found for the CNC machine tools as
follows :
• Turning machines
• Drilling machines
• Milling machines
• Grinding machines
• Gear generating machines
• Punching presses
• Press Brakes
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Principles of CNC • Flame cutting machines,
Manufacturing
• Laser cutting machines,
• Pipe bending and forming machines,
• Folding and shearing machines
• Filament winding machines
• Assembly machines
SAQ 1
(a) Explain the ways in which computers will help in manufacturing industries.
(b) Explain the technological factors that necessitated the development of
Numerical Control of machine tools.
(c) Briefly explain the principle on which the Numerical Control of machine tools
work.
(d) What are the applications in which numerical control can be found most
suitable?
(e) Give the advantages and disadvantages of numerical control of machine
tools.

1.7 SUMMARY

Developments in manufacturing industries have been highlighted. The use of computers in

manufacturing is described with emphasis on machine tools. Numerical control principle is
explained. The applications, advantages and limitations of NC machine tools is given. The
practical applications where NC could be utilized is highlighted.

1.8 KEY WORDS

Numerical Control, Manufacturing, Computer Control, NC, Discrete Part Manufacturing,
Product Cycle, Machine Tool, CNC.

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