partysigns1
Premium Subscriber
looking for recommendations on a cnc router for mainly foam - EPS, XPS. maybe occasional mdf & acrylic cut as well.
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CNC router for foam
- Thread starter partysigns1
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DerbyCitySignGuy
New Member
If you want to cut MDF and acrylic, hot wire cutter is out of the question.
Zund probably has one of the most versatile CNC cutters on the market, but there are a lot of really good middle of the road CNC routers too.
Zund probably has one of the most versatile CNC cutters on the market, but there are a lot of really good middle of the road CNC routers too.
Martin Denton
New Member
We have an AXYZ 4008 - fantastic well built piece of kit, as per previous vacuum bed is a must. Go for the largest bed size you can afford / accommodate, we went for a 2500mm x 1500mm bed, wish we had gone for the 3 metre though
Superior_Adam
New Member
I second the Zund machine. We went with the conveyor belt as well so we could contour cut/kiss cut rolls of vinyl. We run vinyl, acrylic, foam, PVC, ACM, wood styrene mostly.
I am a former technician/service manager and now salesman in the Michigan region for MultiCam so I am of course biased but I would definitely give us a look. Our machines are extremely well built and can handle any job plus we have all of the knife and camera options that all of the knife cutting machines like Zund has. Those machines are great also but I we have many advantages especially when it comes to cutting MDF, Acrylic and things like that. A knife first machine like a Zund is has to take several passes to cut denser materials like those and also costs a lot more money. We are not the only good ones out there by any means but it is easy to pick a bad one too. In my opinion you have to concern yourself with 2 things. First, what machines strengths play to what I wan to do? (right tool for the right job kind of thing) then 2nd, what machines are the good ones? Obviously a lot of that is opinion but if I were buying a machine today, the first thing that I would do is eliminate any machine that was imported. From some countries its a quality thing, and from others its a parts availability and response time thing. I would also be sure to ask specifically where the machine is built and who is the manufacturer? A lot of companies go through great lengths to hide this info. They often don't want you to know that they are just buying the machine from another company and putting their name on it. Now you are paying a mark up for no reason and the manufacturer has less of a reason to make sure you are happy because it doesn't have their name on it. Another tactic often being used is to import large portions of the machine like the machines base etc. and doing the final weld and assembly here so they can call it "American built". Ask a lot of questions. Ask how the machine is made, where parts come from when needed, where technicians come from when needed, how many technicians do they have, what is the average "on door step" time from first call. One of the absolute most important things to look at in my opinion is the service. Every machine breaks no matter what anyone tells you. Either from mistakes made, manufacturers defect, or mother nature but it will happen and rarely at a time that is convenient for you. Lastly, ask if the machine is open architecture or proprietary controlled. You want something that is open architecture and will accept either G Code, HPGL, or other standard control language so that you are not stuck with only the software that the machine company makes for generating files. Even if they have the best software on the planet today, 5 years from now there could be something on the market that revolutionizes your industry and you want to be able to take advantage of that without having to buy a whole new machine to keep up with your competitors or gain an edge. I truly believe in our products and even though I only make money on machines sold in Michigan I would be happy to answer any questions regarding our machines or any other router/cutter machines that you or anyone else may have. Feel free to reach out any time.
