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Numerical control
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Numerical control or numerically controlled (NC) machine tools are machines that are automatically operated based on numbers that are fed into them. NC machines were first developed soon after World War II and made it possible for objects to be precisely machined in exactly the same way in a repeated fashion. These early machines were often fed instructions punched onto paper tape or punch cards. In the 1960s, NC machines largely gave way to CNC, or computer numerical control, machines.
Last updated: 10-24-2004 05:10:45