Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Technology Student and Alpine
Skier Marquette native, Jon Seaborg, attends Northern Michigan
University as a third year student working towards an associate
certificate in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Technology. CNC
Technology was developed in the United States in the 1950's for
the US Air Force by metalworking machine tool builders. It was a
major advance in the ability of machines to dependably reproduce
complex part machining steps more accurately without human
intervention or variability. CNC refers to how a machine
operates, that is, its basic method of controlling movement. A
CNC machine uses a stream of digital information (code) from a
computer to move motors and other positioning systems in order
to guide a spindle over raw material. A CNC machine uses
mathematics and coordinate systems to understand and process
information about what to move, to where, and how fast. Jon
Seaborg, enjoying machining and working with his hands, knew
that CNC Technology would be the