Although power metalworking tools have been in the US since the early 1860s, these kits could only produce one component at a time and took longer to set up. Towards the final stages of World War II and during the opening of the jet engine, the need for more complicated parts increased, just as there was a time of conflict between machinists and management in large companies. These factors combined to produce a demand for automated equipment that would produce large quantities of preferred components accurately, efficiently, reliably, and repeatedly.

The initial numerical control (NC) equipment was manufactured in the 1950s in collaboration with the US Air Force and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Air Force wanted to produce helicopter rotor blades that required precise machining of complex shapes. The team developed to take on the job, controlled electronically, without using a computer. Although unreliable and expensive, it was capable of automatically and precisely manufacturing the necessary components. It also laid the intended groundwork for its modern plug-in that is commonly used today.

During the 1960s, precise NC machines were built, while specific computers were developed to assist and improve functionality. In the late 1970s, CNC machines were for assembly only. As the price of personal computers fell during the 1980s, manufacturers took the opportunity to reduce the costs associated with the rise of CNC machines and build reliability.

CNC routers work by using computers to send signals to the stepper motor driver. The computer then tells the stepper device (a motor that interprets electrical pulses into precise mechanical movement) which course to turn and the number of steps to take. The motor is coupled to a mill drive machine on the X, Y, and Z axes. Several CNC machines use servo motors instead of stepper motors. The advantage of using a servo motor is that metal can be cut at high speeds and due to the feedback ring; the machine knows its exact position.

CNC computerization has led to fewer failures in machining parts and has also reduced the amount of CNC machinist interference required, thus freeing you up to perform additional tasks.
For precise machining of small to average sized components, Ultra Precision Engineering utilizes a state-of-the-art, high-performance CNC milling center that can perform many diverse machining procedures in a single, precise operation.