We’ve all been impressed, at one point or another, by a part that was made for aerospace. They usually have tight tolerances, weird geometries, and of course they’re made from ridiculous materials like Inconel or a crazy titanium alloy

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.

Around the world, countries are being hit hard by the COVID-19 virus. Hospitals and medical facilities are filling to capacity faster than they can discharge patients, businesses are being forced to close due to stay-at-home orders, and the world is experiencing a shortage of medical necessities such as ventilators, face masks, eye protection, and other essential PPE.

Have you ever thought about starting up a small Etsy business with your craft?

The world of CNC starts with software. Specifically, CNC starts with CAD software to design and develop your part before you ever create toolpaths and make chips. SOLIDWORKS is one of the largest CAD companies out there, and every year they host SOLIDWORKS World, until now. 

One of the biggest challenges CNC engineers and designers often face (whether they realize it or not) is designing for manufacturability.