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What CNC Router should I buy

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Esmae

New Member
grampa dan said:
There are some great programs out there that while not child's play are not that hard to learn. We use EnRoute Pro in our shop with wonderful success. Each program has things it does best and a few things some of the others do not do. Simply do your homework. Purchase a program and router that does the things you want to do. Keep room in the equation for expansion so you don't run out of program or router in the future.

I'm not at all a technical type guy and yet we can do things that amazed the folks that wrote our program. Before I bought our router I didn't know what a vector was, never mind operate any kind of computerized machine including a plotter or printer. Now we are one of the industry leaders in CNC 3D routing. Go figure! :)

-grampa dan
Click to expand...

Well said, that's the point i was trying to make. You don't need to be a machinist to figure these things out the software does it for you, it's not 1983 anymore :)
 
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econolinesigns

New Member
We have had an AXYS CNC for about 10 years. They are built like tanks and there tech support it great. We have never had to have a tech come to our shop. They send us the parts and walk us through fixing anything that breaks (only three things in 10 years). They also have never failed to answer a question. Never been charged for any support time. Would buy from them again if and when we ever decide to upgrade.
 
A

andy

New Member
AXYZ, Multicam machines can be sourced from UK suppliers very easily.

If you decide to buy from a UK supplier I'd do all the leg work via email and then hop on a plane to Heathrow so you can actually see what you're buying in the flesh... last time I flew to Cyprus a return ticket was only £200.

As to what type of machine you need? Zund used to make a machine specifically for contour cutting printed media.... hefty price tag though. As Dan as has already mentioned you can contour cut on almost any router machine but there is a knack to doing it.

For lots of contour cutting work I'd be asking for a servo driven system rather than the standard, cheaper stepper drive format. The positioning difference between steppers & servos isn't massive but contour cutting doesn't leave much in the way of margin for error.

Whatever machine you do get it's important that you get a decent American or European spindle... do NOT get a cheap Chinese water cooled spindle.. they are utter $hite. We use Italian Elte spindles and have been very happy with them... very reliable and repairs are easily done... you simply box up the spindle and send it back to Italy where the factory completely rebuilds it for a reasonable price.

Personally I wouldn't buy a thing from AXYZ... I've dealt with them in the past and found them to be right tight @rses.... when you spend £1000 on a spare spindle it's not unreasonable to expect you get a pair of ER32 spanners as part of the deal... not if you've AXYZ.
 
Ian Stewart-Koster

Ian Stewart-Koster

Older Greyer Brushie
He is from Greece...I wonder if there might be an Italian or greek manufacturer he could go to? At least it'd be close to home, from a support point-of-view.

The router is just one aspect with lots of options & variations.
The software is anotherwith lots of options & variations.
Cutters & spare parts have with lots of options & variations.
The learning curve is the fourth... as Dan Striker says- do not underestimate that!

I think I spent a full 30 days solidly, 'playing' (learning) with the software before I ever switched the router on. That month, weekends too, with no other income-producing work getting done at all, was very worthwhile, but it scarcely scratched the surface of the machine's potential.

Your imagination is the fifth aspect.
You also need the ability to see a project finished, and work it out backwards into its components to be able to make them.

P.S. get plenty of spare cutters-you WILL break them, and get plenty of spare and a vaiiety of substrates to practise on.
 
Ian Stewart-Koster

Ian Stewart-Koster

Older Greyer Brushie
Well, what about feedback then-did he get a router-what decisions did he arrive at?
Enquiring minds like to know the end of the story-it's only polite! ;)
 
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