外文翻译--数控车床.docVIP

CNC What is CNC? Computer numerical control is a very broad term that encompasses a variety of types of machines—all with different sizes, shapes, and functions. But the easiest way to think about CNC is to simplyunderstand that it’s all about using a computer as a means to control a machine that carves usefulobjects from solid blocks of material. For example, a CNC machine might begin with a solid block ofaluminum, and then carve away just the right material to leave you with a bicycle brake handle. CNC machines can be divided into two groups: turning machines and milling machines. A turningmachine is generally made up of a device that spins a workpiece at high speed and a tool (sharp edge)that shaves off the undesired material from the workpiece (where the tool is moved back and forth andin and out until the desired form is achieved). A milling machine is a machine that has a spindle (adevice similar to a router) with a special tool that spins and cuts in various directions and moves in threedifferent directions along the x, y, and z axes. Historically, you wouldn’t actually need a computer to create forms with a turning machine or amilling machine. Adding a computer to the mix allows you to design a product on a computer first andthen specify how the machine should cut this product. To design the product is to produce acomputeraideddesign (CAD) file. Then you specify how the machine should cut the product, and the result of thatstep is a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) file (or G-Code file, or .NC file—there are many namesfor this type of file). This CAM file remembers all of the operations that the milling machine must followto cut out the parts for the product. The computer tells the CNC machine how to build the part byinterpreting the CAM file into signals that the CNC machine can understand. Industrial Uses Industrial applications for CNC machines have been chiefly based around the removal of metal to create adesired form. Metal is widely used for produc