[Industrial Knowledge] How to be a skillful CNC Machining Machinists Today, computerized numerical control (CNC) Machining machinists combine elements of mechanical design, technical drawings, mathematics, and computer programming know-how in a clean, professional environment. With proper CNC machining training, machinists produce an enormous array of manufactured goods and work with all manners of materials, including the plastics and metals applied to various manufacturing industries. Skilled CNC machinists can track a product through each phase of its creation, from an initial concept to a fully realized item. A CNC machinist can transform a block of formless steel into a working part for one of the most advanced aerospace industries in the nation.