Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 26 CNC Manufacturing Technology manufacture parts for the defense sector led to stockpiling munitions as the United States entered WWI in 1917 and continued to support the Allies throughout the world. After WWI ended in 1918, the United States began a major push to build aircraft of all shapes and sizes as well as naval vessels. Once again, machinists were asked to push the envelope of conventional knowledge and machine capacities. Production became increasingly precise and larger in size. Where machinists were once asked to make rifles and bullets, they were now making tanks, high-speed aircraft, and ships capable of becom- ing small cities. As engineering advanced, so did the requirements for skilled machinists. By the beginning of World War II, American machinists were building battleships for the Allies in Europe. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman organized and created the Department of Defense (DOD) with the purpose of preparing for and protecting against future threats. Mass production techniques developed by Henry Ford and others were put in place to meet the demands of the new DOD. Today, as always, there is ongoing demand in the defense industry (and beyond) for advances in technology and engineering capabilities. The defense industry is building helicopters, drones, nonlethal laser-guided weapons, and aircraft capable of with- standing speeds in excess of 1,200 miles per hour (mph). Defense machinists use exotic metals and alloys to build ships, submarines, and long-range missile systems that function in the harshest condi- tions, Figure 2-9. 2.2.5 Computing and Technology The effect of CNC machining on computing and technology industries is often overlooked, but the beginning of the modern computer age drove the manufacturing field to its current state of health. Everything from cell phone cases, plastic bodies for laptops, circuit boards, and even CNC machines themselves are all products of advanced CNC machining, Figure 2-10. Think about the amazing cycle of building CNC machinery. As engineering advancements require faster, larger, and more accurate machines, the industry turns to its own machinists and designers to create the new- est, most complex machines. Gene Haas, the founder of Haas Machines, started his own machine shop because he needed a better indexer for his jobs. Then Haas began building indexers for sale, and eventually he realized he could assemble a team to build his own CNC machines. The need to build a better tool led to building some of the best machinery in the manufacturing industry. Similarly, as computing technology advances, inno- vative machining techniques are required to build new products. There is a story about Steve Jobs, the longtime CEO of Apple, bringing a rounded stone from the beach to Apple headquarters and declaring this was the feel he wanted for the Apple iPhone. The designers decided Steve Allen/Shutterstock.com Figure 2-9. The aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth docked in Portsmouth, England. Maciej Oleksy/Shutterstock.com Figure 2-10. Precision cutter being used to machine information technology components.