CNC kits

[David Falkner]

How long have you had yours and have you had any problems with it?

We took delivery of the frame in July and I took a couple of months to design and build the electronics. I think it was October that I first fired it up to run programs. Yes, very pleased; it is a very rigid and accurate machine. No real problems but since I got the prototype of this model there have already been some upgrades and improvements, some of which came by from my feedback to Nate. If we had room I'd get a 4x4 in a heartbeat although I don't know why - I haven't exceeded the size of this one yet! LOL!

[ed vitanovec]

I bought the Fine Line Automation Saturn 4 x 4, just the frame. It is a very rigid machine and priced right. I have not set it up yet or bought any electronics for it. I would recommend the 2 x 4 or 4 x 4.

[Rodger MacMunn]

Have you checked out Pilot Pro CNC ..... they're in Oregon & offer kits as well as assembled machines...

[Ron Hampe]

Have you checked out Pilot Pro CNC ..... they're in Oregon & offer kits as well as assembled machines...

That's nice too! Do you have one?

[Keith Westfall]

I got one of these when I started. Didn't know anything about CNC (and still not a lot!) but have been happy with the Meteor I got...

www.probotix.com

[Tony Leonard]

I'm no expert, so I can't offer any suggestions about what works best. In my research, I red a lot of support forums. One of the things I liked about CNCRouterParts was that were very few posts about issues with their design or parts. I went with their Standard 24x48 machine and a Bosch router (already had that one). I have been pretty happy with the machine. I am still learning and making all the rookie mistakes. I just got mine running back in August I think. For reference, I make all kinds of stuff. Mostly wood (furniture), but I am interested in cutting some Al and brass soon. I have made circuit boards, cut cardboard with a Donek drag knife, acrylic, etc. Their web site is more informative than I could be. Worth a look. And as someone else suggested, the total cost is a LOT more than the machine. I have a small fortune wrapped up in this thing! The Mach3 and Vetrics software they suggest is not that hard to learn. I have already written a bunch of my own scripts/programs in Mach3 and added custom buttons. VCarve pro is a not the best for drawing (I like traditional CAD software better), but it is a nice piece of software. I import a lot of my DXF files. Oh, and dust collection is a big plus!

Oh, I got the NEMA 23 kit. It has plowed through anything and everything so far (even an aluminum clamp, but don't tell anybody.)



Tony

[Steve Peterson]

Ron,

You mention CNC kit in your original message, but I would recommend buying a complete system. I bought a kit of Ebay about 15 years ago for casual use. I suspect that I have spent more time building and enhancing the machine than actually cutting anything. I enjoy tinkering and am still quite pleased with my system.

It is built from 8020 aluminum rails with a 3'x4' footprint and a 22"x32"x5" work area. The X axis uses 2 nema23 motors and the Y axis uses a single motor. The original design had acme screws and could get up to 50 IPM with 3A unipolar controllers. I would occasionally lose some steps and the job would crash. I replaced the acme screws with Chinese ballscrews and can easily get over 100 IPM with less than 0.001" backlash. Even if you bought a system that was made in the USA, there would likely be a large portion of the components that are sourced from China. Made in the USA ballscrews would probably cost $1000 more, so you have to decide if that is worth it to you. I agree that it would be nice to have the frame built (or at least assembled) in the USA.

My longest rail has a 42" long ballscrew. You might be forced to use a rack and pinion if you want an 8' rail.

Steve

[John A langley]

image.jpgPlus one for the probotix I bought the nebula been running it for a little over year the customer service is excellent

[Robert Bonenfant]

Check these guys out - Laguna Tools - https://lagunatools.com/ - Im amazed with their equipment, we bought one of there routers and started switching all of shop equipment to there brand. We needed to upgrade a few of our tools because they are too small for our shop now. The biggest selling point for me is customer support - If you have a problem they are on the phone with you within a few hours (Or atleast with me lol). We have worked with several companies that either dont respond or take 2- 3 days between emails and my shop cant run like that. Every day your waiting for parts or service help is time your lossing money. We needed to upgrade a part on one of our machines and within 2 hours - they found the part we needed and had it shipped.
China Builds many of the CNC Machines but you have to find a good usa brand that sells and services them.

[Rodger MacMunn]

No Ron, I have a CAMaster MiniCobra. But, IF I was looking for a kit, I'd likely go with Pilot Pro..

[Art Mann]

China Builds many of the CNC Machines but you have to find a good usa brand that sells and services them.

I liked the looks of the Laguna machine but I would prefer to be able to talk directly to the design engineer for the machine or the technician who built it. That is the kind of service I got from Camaster. I am fortunate to be able to drive over to their shop if needed. I don't think you could do that with the Laguna brand machine unless you speak Mandarin. From what I have experienced, I would get the same thing from CNCRP.

[Wes Grass]

We have 2 from CNCRP. Both configured as 4 x 16. The newer one has the linear guides and the spindle they sell. Both huge improvements over the older one which has the v rollers and a router motor.

The newer one is currently set up with the gantry elevated to 19" above the table to profile some large 3d pieces. It has 15" of Z travel. It's doing a pretty good job in a >15" stack of Trupan with a 1/2" endmill hanging 6-3/4" out of the collet. I'm running it 1/4" deep and a .150 stepover at about 110 ipm and 8k rpm. Can go faster and deeper but it isn't worth the risk of the tool pulling out. Had a few deeper spots to plow through and it didn't complain too much. Makes a bit of noise plunging through the excess epoxy at 40 ipm though.

I never would have thought we'd get away with this, so I'm pretty happy with how things are going.

[Adam Merritt]

I've been looking to build a CNC lately and have really come to like the "Open Builds Ox CNC design". You can buy a complete kit ready to assemble or build your own. My current idea is a hybrid of the basic Ox CNC, the Ox-Metal CNC (using ballscrews instead of timing belt), and the Ox Heavy Duty (more reinforced). I've found what looks to be some great deals from Automation Overstock on C5 ballscrews that allow me to have some really accurate part at prices that were in my range. I haven't bought them yet, but it seems like a good deal. I'm still a ways off from my build (just bought a bunch of other tools, so I need to save some money before I buy it), but I've been learning all I can for now.