An Educational Scheme for a CNC Drilling Machine

Abstract

Computer numerical control (CNC) involves machines controlled by electronic systems designed to accept numerical data and other instructions, usually in a coded form. CNC machines are more productive than conventional equipment and consequently produce parts at less cost and higher accuracy even when the higher investment is considered. This article proposes an educational scheme for designing a CNC machine for drilling printed circuit boards (PCB) holes with small diameters. The machine consists of three-independently move-fully controlled tables. Output pulses from the personal computer (PC) parallel port are used to control the machine after processing by an interface card. A flexible, responsive and real-time visual C # program is developed to control the motion of the stepper motors. The educational scheme proposed in this article can provide engineers and students in academic institutions with a simple foundation to efficiently build a CNC machine based on the available resources.