>>518543287
>machine does the work for you
It won't do your thinking for you. The pay will be worse if it does and you're in a production environment.
>>huge field with plenty of niches to specialize in (programming, designing, operating)
The machine operator isn't the one tasked with programming or designing. That's left to the engineering department and the CAM programmers.
>>applicable to turning, milling, boring and 3d printing a plethora of different materials
No, those are all specialties. Grinding, Welding, Plating, and many others exists too. Turning includes boring. Additive manufacturing has its own sub-disciplines. You have no idea what you are talking about.
>>good pay and benefits
Wrong. Operators get pretty lousy wages because they're just running approved programs. Setup/Prototype/Tooling Machinists get paid slightly better but those positions aren't as common.
>>518544785
The stakes and costs associated with trusting "AI" to do either means that it's not a position at risk of being replaced by it for quite a while. You're not going to get properly applied tolerancing or GD&T out of a generated drawing, let alone properly dimensioned part requirements that are compatible with the equipment limitations of the shop you're working in.
>>518544910
>How much do the machines cost?
Used CNC mills range from $40k to $200k depending on work envelope. But that won't include the costs for rigging, tooling, certification/calibration, or even electrical hookup to get the machine operational. Software seat costs for CAD/CAM software (and getting WORKING post processor outputs for your machine) are other costs that people overlook too.
>>518546006
>I'm actually thinking of building a small one, for hobby purposes.
That's the only good motivation for building a small one. Do it to learn and as a niche interest as it will give you practical skills. Getting a CNC router setup and operating correctly takes a lot of time and effort.