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Considering a Shopbot for Acrylic/.040 aluminum. Thoughts?

S

SignPros

New Member
There's a "Shopbot Bench-Top CNC Router, Model A6497-9412KTG, table with vacuum system" listed on a bank auction about an hour away from me. Though it's 4'x8' table, so I dunno why the listing says bench-top. I've been doing some research and looking around online to find it's capabilities, but I'm not having a ton of success. We're going to use it almost exclusively for 3/16" acrylic and .040 aluminum for channel-letter faces and backs. We may do some acrylic letters for interior walls and the like as well. We've been cutting the backs and faces by hand on a bandsaw and jigsaw, and farming out the wall letters. But this one popped up as I was cruising Craigslist one day, so now I'm considering it. I know there's a learning curve to it and set up and parts and such, but the first and main question is if the machine is physically capable and/or good for our use? My guess is that I can get it for less than a couple grand.

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
C

Cliff Grinnell

New Member
SignPros said:
There's a "Shopbot Bench-Top CNC Router, Model A6497-9412KTG, table with vacuum system" listed on a bank auction about an hour away from me. Though it's 4'x8' table, so I dunno why the listing says bench-top. I've been doing some research and looking around online to find it's capabilities, but I'm not having a ton of success. We're going to use it almost exclusively for 3/16" acrylic and .040 aluminum for channel-letter faces and backs. We may do some acrylic letters for interior walls and the like as well. We've been cutting the backs and faces by hand on a bandsaw and jigsaw, and farming out the wall letters. But this one popped up as I was cruising Craigslist one day, so now I'm considering it. I know there's a learning curve to it and set up and parts and such, but the first and main question is if the machine is physically capable and/or good for our use? My guess is that I can get it for less than a couple grand.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Click to expand...
We have had a shopbot for over 10 years (no vacuum). Without a good vacuum we never got good results on cutting acrylic letters or cutting aluminum and getting a nice finish. If this unit has a good vacuum you might get better results then we did. Over the years we purchased a laser (this is what you need to cut acrylic with a nice finish) and we also purchased a Multicam with vacuum and a mister which cuts aluminum well. We still run our shop bot and mostly cut larger pieces on it (wood, HDU). Hope tht helps.
 
letterman7

letterman7

New Member
Depends on what it's outfitted with. Some SB's have a spindle on them, most have the Porter-Cable router. I've been running my PRT Standard for 15 years with a router head with little issue cutting acrylic. You just have to know your speeds and feeds and have the right bits. Aluminum is a little more tricky as routers typically don't have the power to cut efficiently. That said, I have cut up to 1/2" aluminum with mine - using lots of cutting fluid and taking my time.

That model number is meaningless. That is a motor number for one of the drives.

*edit - I just went to the auction site and found the listing. That looks like a PRT Alpha, a slightly upgraded version but still an older model. Almost identical to what I'm running. Personally, anything under $5K is a deal for this as parts and service are readily available. I think you'd find yourself branching out into other areas (carved signage, for instance) if you made the investment.
 
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player

New Member
Shopbots are not structurally or mechanically as strong as Multicam or AXYZ units. But for cheap if you don't mind lots of fiddling go for it. There are other mechanical ways to hold materials besides vacuum..
 
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studebaker

studebaker

Deluded Artist
We run a 4x10 Shopbot with a Porter Cable router head and it cuts thick and thin acrylic very well with it. It will cut everything except 0.040 aluminum... It cuts dibond and alumapanel just fine. Bot not solid aluminum, it just clogs up the bit within the first three inches, even with a misting system. Maybe we were using the wrong bits...

Our table has the vacuum hold down system, but we don't use it. We just drill the screw holes with the shopbot and screw it down...
 
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