This compact machine could be valuable for education and training purposes as well as low-volume production work that shops might not want to run on their traditional Swiss-types.

“A friend in Connecticut told me about a CNC machine in his shop that was simple, easy to program and set-up, run and verify tools of all types,” recalled Brendan Slabe, an Ohio machine shop owner.

Jeremy Bunting grew up in the cutting-tool industry, getting a hands-on education and work experience that he has used to start to start his own business — Facet Precision Tools, headquartered in ...