"This is the best time in history to be a manufacturer. Why? Because artificial intelligence is starting to change the rules - and if you move quickly, you can win big."
The machining talent crunch and the complexity cliff
Every machine shop owner I meet tells me the same thing: “I can’t find the machinists/operators/inspectors/shop staff I need.”
Whether you run a large-scale aero job shop or a three-machine operation, you’ve probably faced the same challenge - skilled CNC programmers and shop floor staff are in short supply.
Even if you do find them, scaling up means adding layers of complexity: more people, more coordination, more risk of errors - it gets harder for the whole business to fit in your head, and that’s when things start going really wrong. And because machining is one of the most complex industries in existence, scaling traditionally means spiraling operational overhead.
But what if there was another way?
A new industrial platform shift is here
Every decade or so, we see a platform shift - a moment where new technology changes what’s possible, almost overnight.
We’re living through one right now.
The launch of ChatGPT-4 (the “GPT-4o” variant especially) marked a turning point. It moved AI from novelty to necessity. These new models aren’t just spitting out sentences - they reason, they optimize, and they make decisions across multiple variables. The kind we deal with in machining every day.
I’ve stopped Googling. I’ve stopped typing. Now I just talk to my computer. Why? Because it’s faster. I can give AI a massive, messy prompt, contradict myself, and still get back structured, valuable insight. Whether I’m exploring factory expansion options, comparing machine tool investments, or figuring out how to handle tricky HR issues, an LLM is now my default first-line thinking partner.
The 10X opportunity for early adopters
Here’s what I told my team at CloudNC: “If you don’t start using these tools right now, someone else will - and they’ll be 10X more productive than you. And we won’t be able to keep you.”
That sounds like a scare tactic, but it was an honest reflection of the truth. AI can let a clever intern do what once took a whole department. You can:
- Automate admin
- Draft marketing copy
- Do legal reviews
- Write internal software tools
- Plan logistics
- Train new staff (with the AI acting as your shop-floor coach)
We’ve scaled our own operations significantly without adding bureaucratic headcount. That’s only possible because of AI - and it’s available to every workshop today.
Building your own tools, talking to your factory
Today, anyone can build custom software, including you.
Tools like Replit and even ChatGPT itself let you say: “Build me a part viewer. Make it compare components side by side. Add a notes section. Change the colors.” Done in minutes.
Imagine your own ERP features. Your quoting calculator. Your job tracker. Your digital traveler system.
You don’t need to be a coder. You just need to talk. That’s how I interact with the digital world now. And you can too.
AI in the workshop: beyond chatbots
But this isn’t just about office work or side projects.
At CloudNC, we’re tackling the hardest problem in machining: CNC programming. That’s not something ChatGPT can solve alone. It’s a beast of a challenge - one that’s taken us a decade and over $100 million in R&D to make real progress on.
Why so hard?
Because turning a 3D model into g-code isn’t a simple prompt-response task. It’s a blend of:
- Deep machining knowledge
- Algorithmic logic
- Physics-based simulation
- Real-world toolpath validation
We had to build an entire factory just to learn how to do it right.
But we’ve done it.
CAM Assist 2.0: Accelerate Your CNC Programming
Our flagship product - CAM Assist - now runs inside your CAM system (Fusion, Mastercam, NX, and soon GibbsCAM, SolidCAM and more).
With a few clicks, it generates your machining program in seconds. Not just rough toolpaths, but intelligent strategies that:
- Use your tools
- Follow your feeds and speeds
- Respect your machines’ limitations
- Consider time, surface finish, and tool life
You can throw a part at CAM Assist that it’s never seen before, with tools you’ve never used, and make as many amends as you like - and it’ll come up with an appropriate machining strategy that works.
And the layer that we’ve just added with CAM Assist 2.0: transparency. It now shows you what it did, what it didn’t, what’s missing, and why. You can pick operations to exclude, see volume estimates, and soon you’ll even get tooling suggestions to cut your cycle time in half.
The vision? CNC programming that is as fast, simple, and makes you 10x faster.
The takeaway: work like it’s 2025
If I were running a machine shop today, here’s what I’d do:
- Talk to AI daily: for planning, decision-making, brainstorming, and writing.
- Build my own tools: ERP tweaks, quoting engines, dashboards - whatever I need.
- Automate admin: quoting, purchasing, marketing, customer support.
- Hire people who use AI: Young AI-native hires who move fast will soon be more efficient that you’d dare expect.
- Adopt programming solutions: Tools like CAM Assist drastically accelerate hours of CAM work and make your machinists more productive.
Don’t wait for someone else to disrupt your business.
You don’t need a PhD. You don’t need a huge team. You just need to get on the bus - as AI is here to scale your business, quickly.
Final thought: this only gets better
The AI you use today? It’s the worst it’ll ever be.
Every 6 months, it gets smarter, faster, and more capable. That means whatever solution you build now - whether it’s quoting automation or full CAM integration - will only get stronger over time.
I’m building CloudNC under the assumption that everything AI-powered is improving exponentially. So can you.
This is your platform shift. Your once-in-a-generation chance.
Don’t miss it.
