How and why did you all get into CNC, and what is your background?

I've always been interested in people's backgrounds, and how they ended up where they're at. I think it's especially valuable for the greybeards to tell their stories, give advice and warn of pitfalls. I hope this is allowed!

I'll start but I'm still a youngling really. I had a passive interest in robotics, CNC and additive manufacturing through my late teens. I thought it was all very futuristic and labour-saving, dreaming of Iain M Bank's Culture utopia where nobody works and the robots do everything. I did an engineering NVQ 2 and then a mechanical engineering degree, while this was happening the business I work for bought a 4'x4' 3-axis CNC to make the routine dry-cast mould-making and engraving work easier, and to turn out more complex custom work. Now I run this little arm of things!

I've been in machining ever since I was 15 years old. My dad is a tool maker. His dad was a toolmaker and my other grandad was a draftsman.

I worked where my dad did in school holidays.

Let's say I was destined to be in in the same profession. I also have a 3d printer and my own milling machine in the garage so I do small stuff in my free time.

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I needed (wanted really) to make some complex parts which I was already making manually using multiple setups on the manual mill with a rotary table and corner rounding cutters, this prompted me to buy a small CNC mill, fix it's issues, then discover I needed to buy and learn CAD/CAM/CNC.
I currently have a Siemens based 4-axis VMC and a Siemens based 2-axis lathe.