CNC Punching

Despite the numerous advantages of laser profiling, it is not always the most appropriate or most cost-effective method of producing a sheet metal blank.

CNC Punching machines have lower capital cost than lasers and they do not use electric power to nearly the same extent (nor do they have the need for various cutting gases). It is also true that no laser machine can compete with punching in the speed of producing a large number of similar holes or slots. Equally, some jobs do not require the fine edge finish provided by laser. CNC punching can therefore sometimes offer a viable and economical alternative to laser cutting.

The abbreviation CNC stands for computer numerical control, and refers specifically to a computer "controller" that reads G-code instructions and drives a machine tool, a powered mechanical device typically used to fabricate components by the selective removal of material. CNC does numerically directed interpolation of a cutting tool in the work envelope of a machine. The operating parameters of the CNC can be altered via software load program.

In a production environment, a series of CNC machines may be combined into one station, commonly called a "cell", to progressively machine a part requiring several operations. CNC machines today are controlled directly from files created by CAM software packages, so that a part or assembly can go directly from design to manufacturing without the need of producing a drafted paper drawing of the manufactured component. In a sense, the CNC machines represent a special segment of industrial robot systems, as they are programmable to perform many kinds of machining operations.