It’s a marriage that combines two technologies dear to the heart of many hardware-loving roboticists: the computer numerical control (CNC) machine and the 3D printer.

As reported by 3DPrint.com, Indianapolis-based Hurco recently filed a patent application for an adapter that “basically turns CNC milling machines into fully functioning 3D printers.?

If this works and catches on, it could be a boon to companies everywhere. 3D printers and CNC machines use many of the same parts and work the same way. The implication for business is a simple one: efficiency, saving money, and getting two useful technologies for (almost) the price of one.

?We designed an additive manufacturing adapter that, in combination with proprietary Hurco control software, effectively turns a CNC milling machine into a 3D printer,? says Hurco president Gregory Volovic. ?Hurco has a long history of inventing technology that allows our customers to be more productive and profitable.

The Wall Street Journal says ?this additive manufacturing technology permits Hurco machine tools to achieve 3D printing directly on the machine tool without the need for a separate 3D printer. Hurco is working on expanding its invention to include other additive manufacturing processes.?

Not everyone is sold on the feasibility of the idea, however. Many practical issues remain to be solved, as noted by Fabbaloo, starting with the fact CNCs are subtractive manufacturing – the opposite of 3D printing, which is additive manufacturing.

Then there’s the size differential; historically, a CNC is multiple times larger than a typical 3D printer. Add to that presumably long print times, different software and the issue of warping, and there’s a long way to go between the concept and the practical reality, Fabbaloo says.

The business world will get a chance to learn more about it at the International Machine Tool Show that takes place Sept. 8-13 in Chicago.