CNC Programming Using CAD/CAM

CNC Programming, When will it not be needed?

Are we fast approaching the day when we don’t need to know anything about CNC Programming in terms of G code etc.

Short answer is yes.

I was watching an interesting video on youtube the other day. This guy (seemed like a very clever guy) had bought an old CNC Lathe, a Mori Seiki.

I don’t think he had ever done any machining or general metal work type stuff.

His approach was untainted shall we say. He’d certainly never done any G code type CNC Programming.

He immediately looked for software which would program this machine and said how in the past it would have been programmed with G code by hand.

Anyway he got something like One CNC or Fusion 360 and created a program. He went on to produce quite a few parts.

Really this proves that you don’t need to know G Code programming, or does it?

Because I am an old dinosaur and I make a living partly from teaching people G code type CNC Programming, I wonder if people like me are clinging on to these old skills and not moving forward.

It reminds of the times when CNC’s were first introduced all the old guys used to say they would never replace the capstans and autos. I remember my dad beating my first chess computer and saying it was just a gimmick.

So what problems do you get when programming straight from software. Actually if you know what you are doing the answer is none. But do you know what you are doing?

The danger is when the person using the CAM system doesn’t really understand about work-holding and tooling.

I bet the aforementioned guy had some serious problems with his selection of cutting tools.