CNC routers can work with sheets of wood, plastic, rubber, acrylics, or non-ferrous metals like aluminum. Your design possibilities are endless – you can cut slabs of wood for a chair or cabinet, make three-dimensional architectural moldings for furniture, or create custom-made guitars.

The main benefit of CNC routers is automation. You feed in a sheet of material and the router precisely cuts the material based on the design you created. Unlike manual machinery, you don't have to supervise each and every step. You simply set up the function you want your router to perform, walk away, and it will complete the job with accuracy up to ten-thousandths of a percent – results you couldn't get with a hand router.

You'll also save money on labor since you no longer need multiple people to work on a project. Having CNC routers is almost like acquiring "robot employees" – it works non-stop and can produce quality products every time. You'll still need employees to tell the router what to do and it takes a skilled worker to run the machine. Because those employees need to learn how to run the complex machine and create designs using the software, you will have to pay them more than non-skilled workers.

CNC routers are also pivotal players in the prototyping industry. CNC prototyping is a very popular method for companies to create a "test version" of a product before going into full-scale production. It helps you pinpoint any errors in the production process before creating final versions. It also cuts down on the time and money needed to create a prototype by hand.