Can you run an impossible machine?

By Tom Skubala


Tuesday 17 February 2026, 4:00:00 PM


Some people say the Citizen BNE 51 is impossible to run – so Tom Skubala of MTDCNC headed to Citizen Machinery UK to find out.

With Chris Downham of Citizen Machinery UK guiding him step by step, from program selection and tool setup to producing the part, Tom gets to be the apprentice again and proves it’s far less intimidating than people think.

Sometimes it’s not the machine that’s impossible. It’s just a lack of understanding.



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