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Hi all,as a beginner to the world of cnc I was all set a few weeks back to buy a Chinese 3040 cnc,I opted to wait and gain more knowledge on here and through a few books etc,now I see the denford on eBay and was wondering is it better than the 3040? I might like to cut some aluminum as well and thought it might be more capable? Its going for 750 complete with computer and software.:concern:
The micro mill is basically a cnc Sherline machine. It's probably a nice little machine but small as its name implies! Ok for doing small work with light cuts. You can see more information on the Denford support website - search for denfordata. Actually I have a denford Novamill which is rather larger though still quite twee, but I think a lovely little machine, extremely rigid and capable of working quite tough steel and cast iron as well as soft materials. It's made by Denford themselves on the lines of a proper industrial mill. It all depends on what you want to make.
I'm currently getting a Denford Micromill 2000 up and running. I'm currently trying for tooling and toolholding, so it's difficult to judge how well it'll cut stuff like aluminium. Given the types of projects on Sherline's site though, I'm pretty sure that aluminium is inside its capabilities. (See http://sherline.com/CNCproj.htm )
I wasn't fortunate enough to get a PC loaded with the software with mine though. (I have the discs, but without the licensing dongle, I believe they're pretty much useless). I didn't even get the key to turn it on! On the other hand, I did pay significantly less than 750 quid.
Thus, mine's somewhat rewired (Denford have released complete wiring diagrams etc.,) and driven by LinuxCNC with a Gecko 540.
Obviously, it's not a mill that's designed to run continuously for hours, churning out parts, but, then I don't think the 3040 is either. The advantages of the Denford are that it has a much bigger Z range (vertically up from the workpiece), it's all reputable, traceable components and it comes in a solid enclosure with e-stops, door latches, home switches etc.,. Given the reports I've seen about cheap drive boards I've seen on eBay, I'll add that the drive board seems a fairly solid bit of kit; and should you be unlucky enough to blow one, the driver chips are cheap and easy to get hold of.
On the other hand, with the 3040, I believe you can expect a larger workarea horizontally[1], and IIRC ballscrews rather than leadscrews.
If and when I'm looking to upgrade my machine, based on my experiences so far, I'll be very tempted to try to pick up one of the larger Denfords.
[1] NB., out of the two the Micromill 2000 has a significantly larger horizontal (in Y) workarea.