[Matt Reiland]

Originally posted by sanddrag
Let's remeber that CNC's do not make parts FOR you; they make parts WITH you.

Excellent point sanddrag, even though my machine is CNC in the lab where we build the robot it is fully manual with a Digital Read Out.
However most CNC machines can do things that aren't very easy to do manually like complex curves, speed, and allowing for duplicate parts once the program is created. The best way to learn is to do it manually and have knowledge and respect for the machine, then as a convenience move to CNC if you have it. Up until just recently our schools had no metal machining facilities and they finally went and bought an EMCO with a full shroud. I am going to see it next month.