RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Are there CNC-only jobs, or is it only for duplicates?

>From: Doug Warner [mailto:dwarner@...-web.net]
>I've been following this group for some time, and have been amazed at
>the amount of work (and money) people spending to automate their
>machine tools. I can see the application for doing for-pay work, 100
>items, exactly alike, but for hobby use, is there an advantage where
>duplicates aren't important? Are there parts that simply can't be
>made by twisting the screws by hand?

Even within a single part, there can be tedious repetitive work--I just spent
more time than I wanted cutting (by hand feed) about a dozen slots, all
identical, all evenly spaced, all in a single one-off (actually, eventually
three-off) part. And if you are using a hobby mill like a Sherline, you may have
to do each cut in multiple passes.

Furthermore, CNC can give you more consistent feed rates (instead of the varying
speed produced by hand-cranking) which leads to more consistent finish on the
cut surface. Of course, if the motion is along a single axis, this can also be
achieved using a simple power feed, but these days, CNC add-ons for small mills
are getting cheap enough that installing just power feed doesn't seem worth the
trouble.
-Kevin Martin