CNC Machining: from Ashtrays to Rockets
From its inception in the mid-1900s, CNC machining has experienced many revolutionary innovations. John T. Parsons is credited with designing the first Numerically Controlled (NC) machine tool in collaboration with a team from MIT in an attempt to find a more effective and reliable way of making helicopter blades and aircraft wings.
When manufacturing these parts initially, a machinist would read coordinates along an X Y axis to two other machinists, who would then in turn make the desired cuts. However, Parsons realised that defining the points of a desired part mathematically, in order to automatically control the movements of the cutter tool, would greatly reduce the time the manufacturing process took.
Early NC machines were positioned via APT (Automatic Programmed Tool), which was developed to speed up the process and remove the need for punch cards to be interpreted by individual machinists. APT is a programming language used to automatically control machine tools through the use of a unique language that can be interpreted by a computer, removing the need for machinists to read instructions, which could frequently lead to mistakes.
In a press conference at MIT in February 1959, sponsored by the Aircraft Industries Association, MIT, and the Air Force Material Laboratory, an NC machine tool instructed by APT was demonstrated, where it machined… a simple ashtray!
It is fair to say that not everyone was quite as enthusiastic as the Air Force about the results and potential for this new technology, press articles from the time read ….
From The New Yorker: Mar. 28 1959
The Air Force announced today that it has a machine that can receive instructions in English, figure out how to make whatever is wanted, and teach other machines how to make it. An Air Force general said it will enable the United States to "build a war machine that nobody would want to tackle."
Today it made an ashtray.
From this seemingly very humble beginning and the automated manufacture of ashtrays, CNC machining has evolved greatly, and is capable of producing extraordinarily complex parts in a wide range of materials in volume and in low batch production. It is the ability to design and produce these complex parts that have underpinned developments in high technology sectors such as medical, aerospace and even rockets!
Launching a rocket is one of mankind’s greatest achievements. Each rocket is comprised of tens of thousands of parts and components that are designed and created independently. Anything manufactured for the space industry needs to withstand the extreme temperatures, pressures, and the unique environmental conditions experienced in space, therefore, accuracy and precision when manufacturing these parts is key.
Manufacturers are now able achieve the high degree of precision required, using Computer Numerical Control (CNC), replacing a range of previously manually operated machines with computerised, automated systems. CNC machines can take computer-aided design (CAD) models and mass-produce parts or even produce individual parts with as little as .0001” variation between each part produced. They operate via advanced manufacturing technology, removing material from a solid block using a variety of cutting tools to achieve the intended design
Standish Engineering was founded in 1950, nine years before the now famous ashtray was made at MIT. For over 70 years, we have continually invested in the latest machining technology that ensures that we maintain our ability to machine complex parts within tolerance.
Standish Engineering has been at the forefront of offering the very best in manufacturing capability, specialising in the production of complex components for some of the most diverse and demanding industries in the world, engineering precision parts for British Rail, GE Oil & Gas the NHS and even the UK Space Agency
Our capacity includes CNC Chuck Lathes up to 450mm in diameter and 1000mm long, as well as CNC Bar Fed Twin Turret and Twin Spindle Lathes up to 65mm diameter and 450mm length, as well as several CNC 5-axis machining centres. The majority of parts are machined in stainless steel and aluminium, but we have significant experience in machining exotic alloys such as Super Duplex, Inconel®, Monel® and Hastelloy.
Our facilities also have capabilities for a wide array of post-production treatments, including heat treatment processes, planting, painting, and final finishing processes, and much more. The quality of your precision- engineered parts is of the utmost importance to us, which is why we ensure that our quality management system complies with the ISO 9001:2015 and industry standards, including ISO Cert and RISQS cert.
Contact the CNC manufacturing experts today at info@cnc-machining.co.uk