TEUFEN, SWITZERLAND -- NUM, a pioneering manufacturer of CNC controllers, is observing its 50th year of business.

NUM is renowned for its work in the machine and tool industry, including specialized machinery segments like woodworking, tool grinding, gear cutting and rotary transfer.

The company developed its first numerical controller in 1961 for its mother company Telemecanique. That led to the launch of the first NUM-branded NC controlled in 1964. NUM spun off as an independent company in 1978.

Among its many machine and tool advances that NUM takes credit for, include the world's first 16-bit CNC controller in 1983 and the first all-digital servo drive featuring digital current control in 1991.

Among the technical trends that NUM is currently seeing in the CNC sector is an emphasis on energy efficiency, with more use of drive systems with a shared DC bus for recovery of power. A longer term trend that NUM sees is some movement away from the G-code programming language and towards more direct linkages between CAD and CNC control.