According to Professional Motor Sport’s latest issue, the California tool manufacturer Haas Automation is on track as the fastest growing cnc maker on the planet. Sales in ’06 totaled more than 12,500 units. The 2007 target is nearly 14,000 machines, with an annual goal of 15,000 cncs and sales of $1-billion.

That’s a lot of capacity. A lot of aluminum. A lot of aftermarket for the automotive and motorcycle industries. I mention this only because it wasn’t that many years ago when a milling machine was strictly the domain of a tool and die shop, and setup and operation was at the hands of a dedicated toolmaker.

Times change. Once again, without a computer to interpret the programs humans write, it’s fair to contemplate an aftermarket much, much smaller. And at this rate of growth, it’s almost possible to imagine a time when shopping for a new home might include a 3br/2ba/gar/pool/NEW cnc listing.