The programmable gantry system uses three drives to move along two axes in a coordinated way. Two synchronized motors tend to drive the main carriages along the X-axis. The third drives the Y-axis crossbeam carriage. The machine is programmable for cutting or welding jobs to repeat any sort of contour or pattern for applications related to welding or cutting. A handheld terminal can be used in order to program the operation sequence and the starts, stops, delays, repeats and rapid traverse. The machine memory can store 20 programs at a time. A PC option has a connecting cable and a software. Any number of shapes can be created on the PC and stored on the disk.