THERE ARE MANY METHODS AVAILABLE TO TRANSFER NUMERICAL CONTROL PROGRAMS TO A CNC MACHINE TOOL CONTROLLER. THE IDEAL METHOD IS TYPICALLY A DIRECT TRANSFER OF NC INFORMATION FROM THE COMPUTER TO THE MACHINE TOOL CONTROLLER, BYPASSING INTERMEDIATE MEDIA SUCH AS PUNCHED TAPE, FLOPPY DISK, OR MAGNETIC TAPE. IN MANY SMALLER INDUSTRIES AND JOB SHOPS, THIS DIRECT LINK IS NOT MADE DUE TO THE LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE PROCEDURE OR POSSIBLE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS. HOWEVER, FOR A NO FRILLS, LOW COST, LOW LEVEL COMMUNICATION LINK, MANY COMPANIES MAY BE ABLE TO MAKE THE CONNECTION ON THEIR OWN OR WITH LITTLE ASSISTANCE. THIS PAPER DESCRIBES A PROJECT IN THE COMPUTER-INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY (CIMT) PROGRAM AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY WHICH ROUTES AND TRANSFERS NC INFORMATION TO CNC MACHINE TOOLS DIRECTLY FROM A MICROCOMPUTER WITHOUT MANUALLY PRESETTING THE MACHINE TOOL CONTROLLER TO ACCEPT DATA.