The longstanding trend toward manufacturing automation has understandably been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Automating job shops is accelerating, driven by the combined influence of Industry 4.0, the continued shortage of skilled manufacturing labor and the COVID pandemic.

Ethernet ports first started appearing on CNC lathes and machining centers more than 20 years ago.

Some trends in machining remain constant. Machine speeds continue to increase. Difficult-to-cut materials are used more frequently.

Toolpath simulation software gives manufacturers assurance that their machine tools will cut parts quickly and accurately, which is particularly useful when machining expensive materials like titanium or Inconel.