[BudgieRamone]

As a machinist and teacher, I disagree. You need the fundamentals, the how, the why, Feeds, speeds, how metal behaves when you cut it, tool selection, etc. before you program. I tell my students, running a CNC machine is easy, being a CNC Machinist takes some work. If you don’t understand the foundation, you’ll never be more than an operator.

[familyop]

"As a machinist and teacher, I disagree. You need the fundamentals, the how, the why, Feeds, speeds, how metal behaves when you cut it, tool selection, etc. before you program. I tell my students, running a CNC machine is easy, being a CNC Machinist takes some work. If you don’t understand the foundation, you’ll never be more than an operator."

Agreed. Machines tend to wear, too (backlash, slop), and not all runs are long production runs. Good custom machinists are still needed, especially for milling.