The history of CNC milling dates back well into the 20th century, and it is interesting to note that the very first CNC machines were actually almost as complex as the ones you find today in modern CNC machine shops. The very first CNC technology came about just after the Second World War, and it was initially used to manufacture parts for the aerospace industry.
The precursor to the history of CNC milling was indeed numerically controlled machines, and NC was developed by John Parsons. Working at his father’s factory, he first developed rotor blade templates that would be used for helicopters. This very first attempt at NC allowed data to be punched onto cards. Parsons would then go on to work on many projects within the Air Force, and he started work with the MIT in 1949. It was here that the first experimental CNC machine would be constructed.
This experimental machine was a turning point in the history of CNC milling, and there were many modifications made to the very first 28 inch vertical spindle contour milling machine. Three variable speeds would be added as well as hydraulic transmissions, and a feedback system would then be added. The true prototype for CNC would also be developed at Massachusetts in 1953, this machine using a tape reader, eight column papers, a Flexowriter, and a vacuum-tube electronic control system.
These rudimentary machines that were developed by Parsons share much in common with the most modern of CNC machines, modern machines being driven by anything as simple as a simple cam follower or anything as complex as a fully digital interface. The motion system of a modern machine can involve a cylinder, brake, valve, clutch, hydraulic motor, or a combination of any of these. The feedback system has now been replaced however with digital encoders that provide far more advanced technology.
John Parson received the Numerical Control Society’s inaugural Joseph Marie Jacquard Memorial award in 1968. Later on in 1975 he would be honoured as the father of the second Industrial revolution by the society of manufacturing engineers. Parsons was therefore a very important figure in the 20th century, and it is through his discoveries that factory floors now work the way they do without the need for human intervention.
The history of CNC milling is interesting, not just to engineers, but to students and to the general population that love to learn how our world has evolved. Although the CNC machines of the 21st century are far smaller than their predecessors, and the computers used to control them are far more advanced and powerful, the very first technology that was discovered by Parsons has never really changed. Machines found in the most modern of CNC machine shops are more impressive, more powerful, and more modern, but they are still driven by the same technology they were well over half a century ago. Times change, every day there are advances in CNC, but at the end of the day, the basic principles behind CNC will always remain the same.
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