I have been bitten with an interest to mess with a CNC mill. In the course of doing some reading I am looking at controllers and trying to determine what I might need that would serve me into the future. I have come up with some questions that I have not been able to find a definitive answer for and wondered if someone could point me in the right direction.
1) What constitutes an axis on a controller? Obviously X, Y and Z are axes but would any of the following?
- Speed Control
- Coolant Control
- Auto Zero
- Limit stops
2) Are most/all controllers using a parallel port? Is USB just not used? Is there a reason?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!