Greetings Guys : )I am new to this forum and CNC Milling, so please forgive me for my rather beginner question.Having developed an interest in Maker culture and a taste for producing random items, I decided to look into buying an entry level CNC milling machine for hobby purposes.My objectives for the machine are as follows:Capable of milling plastics such as PVC and PEEK efficientlyCapable of milling moderately hard wood such as teak efficientlyCapable of milling soft metals such as Aluminium to at least some extent, even if not well.Capable of being controlled by common software whose textbooks are widely available.[There aren't really many textbooks about CNC control software. Each company that makes it provides their own documentation, but that can range from well-written PDF manuals to sketchy bits of badly translated info on websites.]Since I am planning to use this for hobby purpose, high throughput or large working area is not a high priority.Question 1One of the more promising suppliers has offered me two options which I am strongly considering [1]. The price difference between the two are significant, USD and USD ,[That sounds cheap for new American machines; are these ones supposed to ship from Jinan China? Be warned; there are lots of problems you'll encounter if you attempt to import a machine from there. Shipping and tariffs add a lot of cost and unpredictability, to say nothing of fake software, unreliable electronics and workmanship issues - and that's if the thing shows up at all. Check the "Chinese Machines" section of this site for various people's long sad stories. But some people seem happy with what they got. ]with the main differences as far as I can see being as follows:1) The cheaper machine uses linear ball bearing on chrome smooth rod, whereas the more expensive machine uses linear guide rail[The linear rails will work a lot better if you're cutting aluminum.]2) The structure of the cheaper machine uses Aluminium, whereas the more expensive machine uses steel construction.[Steel is considerably stiffer, all things being equal.]Do these two factors affect CNC operation that significantly? Is the cheaper machine likely to be able to fulfill all of my objectives noted above? Which of the two devices would a more experienced CNC operator such as yourselves recommend?[Without being able to see the machines you mention, it's hard to say. Can you provide links to each of them? There are lots of factors to consider besides the ones you brought up.]Question 2This machine comes with the option for an additional two axis over what seems like the most conventional 3 Axis setup for a CNC mill. I have decided to take this option since the increase in cost is very modest. Is it realistic for me to expect these two axis to actually work in practice? Am I correct in understanding that milling in 5 axis greatly increase the difficulty of CNC milling operations compared to 3 axis?[Yes, and the CAM software's a lot more expensive too.]Question 3Am I correct in understanding a 2.2kW spindle is generally better than a 1.5kW spindle with no significant downsides?[If you've got the power for it, then yes.]Question 4If anyone feels that these machines would not suit my objectives, I would be grateful for their advice. Please understand though that my objective is purely hobby level of fabrication, so I am not exactly looking for an industrial grade Haas machine. If possible I would like to maintain a hard price cap of at most USD [1]
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If you have no clue what to buy then you are way out of step with the facts.
Do you know about center finding? do you know about Cartesian co-ordiantes?
Do you know about offsets? Do you know about ramping?
First learn about this stuff then start looking at a router.
This has been discussed several times here. So a search and find out for yourself.
And then There are lots of routers out there being dumped because the buyer thought it was going to be easy and found out the market is saturated with lowballers just like the vinyl market is.
And that a large number of shops are no longer profitable because the work is gone so they are unloading their machines as fast as they can find a buyer. There recently was a multicam for 5 grand. And an xyz for 7 grand locally.
But remember this. If you get a cnc router you will have a dirty work environment. I do not mean a little dust. I mean LOTS of dust and every thing around it will be covered with it. You got a flat bed now and have dust problems.. Just wait. You ain't seen nutin.
Another multicam just went for $5 grand over in New England area. I know who got it. I know the seller. The seller could never make money with it and dumped it.
The buyer has spent an additional $8 grand just to set up and he is not even ready to cut yet.
So think long and hard before you jump. IT ain't printing. It's 3D mental work to run it. And unless you have some 3D mental skills you are sunk. These skills are not something you just pickup with some trial and error. Either you have it or you do not.
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