Users of CNC mill and CNC routers speak a similar language. Both are well aware of the challenges that finding the right speeds and feeds recipes entails, the obsession over finding new tools, and using CAM to make parts come to life.

Learning CNC, testing your tool paths, and getting your programs just right has gotten a lot easier, thanks to PathPilot HUB. Many are already familiar with the PathPilot control system - it’s basically the brains of Tormach’s CNC machines - but PathPilot HUB brings the entire interface into the cloud.

Hands-on learning is quickly becoming the best-known way for students to fully grasp concepts and curriculum, especially in the world of technical CNC machine education. To this end, classrooms have started to change in accommodation for this type of hands-on teaching. Because 3D printers are becoming more regular in everyday classrooms (not just tech ed rooms), machine tools, like multi-axis CNC mills and lathes, are more commonplace in the shop.

Technical education teachers working with CNC technology can generally agree the purpose of their lessons is to help the next generation grasp technical concepts and to help them prepare for future experiences by relaying information. That being said, it’s easy to focus on one way of doing things without putting it in context of the CNC industry.

Knife making can be both artisan and a highly automated process, but like any craft, there are some very specific tools that make the whole process easier. While you might be able to make a knife with a hunk of steel and a couple files, having the right tools in your shop will make things much easier.

Adding hands-on experiences in the classroom makes CNC machining easier to both learn and understand - especially in the commercial world of manufacturing and engineering. Matias Perret is an instructor in the College of Engineering at the University of Iowa, and he has used both a PCNC 770 and a PCNC 440 to give his students CNC manufacturing experience.