One of the primary benefits of a CNC machine is the hands-off operation. Once youāve programmed the machine to mill the part you need, you can sit down, grab a crossword and enjoy your coffee. Well, maybe itās not that hands off, but you certainly donāt have to control the machine manually through the entire operation. Computer control speeds up the production of many simple parts as well as makes machining complex shapes faster and more accurate.
Sometimes, though, even a CNC machine needs some hands-on touches. Because of this, one of CNC Mastersā top CNC machine accessories is the handheld remote control. A CNC milling machine remote control allows you to have all of the benefits of CNC machining with the additional ability to control the machine directly as needed. The remote control enables basic milling operations on the CNC machine without needing to start up your computer to create or edit a CNC program.
The Hands-On Approach
The CNC Masters remote control, like all of our accessories, is designed to improve the performance of your milling machine. It delivers benefits to the operator right away, helping to make control easier during the initial setup of the machine. Once the milling machine is set up and in use, the remote control gives a machinist the ability to jog all of the axes using a joystick, allowing for simple milling without needing to set up a CNC program or manually cranking handwheels to move the motors. When you need to machine a simple slot or drill a hole, you can do it without turning on your computer.
The remote lets you control the speed of both the spindle and feed while you are milling, and a micrometer wheel gives you the ability to position any of the axes in approximately .0002-inch increments. You can start a CNC program from the remote, zero out any axis for setup purposes or stop the machine fast with the kill button if needed.
Using a remote control gives a machinist back some of the ease of use of a manually controlled machine. An experienced operator doesnāt necessarily need to design every part in the computer before milling it, especially for really simple slots, holes and profiles. When you need to make a small change in a part or mill something very simple, the ability to do it directly on the machine using the remote control, without having to boot up a computer and work with CNC software, saves time and helps you get the job done.