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  1. #1
    Al25's Avatar
    Lives in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom. Last Activity: 24-01-2013 Has been a member for 8-9 years. Has a total post count of 7. Received thanks 2 times, giving thanks to others 0 times.
    Hey guys,

    I really don't want to buy a Chinese, US or German made 3/4 axis cnc's.

    Does anyone know uk based cnc manufacturers?

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  3. #2
    Are you after a model similar to a 3040? but way better......

  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by jcb121 View Post
    Are you after a model similar to a 3040? but way better......
    i think that only comes from doing it yourself lol

  5. #4
    I am inclined to agree.

  6. There are folks on the forum that have helped and when able will help in the building of a machine. It really depends on what you want done and what type of machine you want. I strongly suggest first really getting a good idea of what you want to do with the machine and budget for the build. Remember that tooling will in a very short time frame cost more then the machine did too build so it is a serious budget item.

    Michael

  7. #6
    Al25's Avatar
    Lives in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom. Last Activity: 24-01-2013 Has been a member for 8-9 years. Has a total post count of 7. Received thanks 2 times, giving thanks to others 0 times.
    Quote Originally Posted by jcb121 View Post
    Are you after a model similar to a 3040? but way better......
    Way way better.

  8. #7
    Al25's Avatar
    Lives in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom. Last Activity: 24-01-2013 Has been a member for 8-9 years. Has a total post count of 7. Received thanks 2 times, giving thanks to others 0 times.
    Quote Originally Posted by m.marino View Post
    It really depends on what you want done and what type of machine you want. Remember that tooling will in a very short time frame cost more then the machine did too build so it is a serious budget item.
    I have a ruff idea on spec's and what I want the machine to do. But the freedom to extended its capabilities in the near future. Maybe then a custom build is the way forward..

    Quote Originally Posted by m.marino View Post
    Remember that tooling will in a very short time frame cost more then the machine did too build so it is a serious budget item.
    Could you give some examples please?

  9. Okay a good high quality (read reasonable tool life and good quality finish from cutting) can cost from £7 ea to well over £100. depending on material your cutting. I cut a lot of acrylic (abrasive), HDPE (Hard Plastic), various woods (Pear, Maple, Lime, Oak, and various others), and starting to cut Corian (abrasive and Dense) regularly. These require different bits to get different finishes and I use different diameter end mills for material removal as larger means faster and deeper cuts. Also if you do a slot of slot cutting you will want up spiral flue on the end mills to get swarf out of the slot and keep from re-cutting which also can damage the finish on the piece when you are done.

    CNC as a hobby is rather expensive IF you are making a serious go of the matter. My machine is for business and is slowing working to the point of being a full positive on the books. Go to Cutwell Tools well site and look at the speeds and feeds pages there. Look up feeds and speeds on a few other tool seller sites (serious trade sites have them sometimes). Tools have limits and different uses. HSS-E is better in most folks view for wood and plastics then carbide for the finish it gives (I have to agree on that though I use carbide more often then not). They also tend to be cheaper and be resharpened (IF you have the equipment and know how).

    Other tooling is clamps, vises, material for jigs you will design or get designs for that you make for your machine. Also the equipment to keep the machine true (checking once a month can save error creep from being a problem and is not hard) and if it needs tramming, doing it or if a shim needs adjusting or bolts tightened. That plus making sure that any needed lubrication is done regularly. keeping oil on the ball-screw (just a light coating once a week most the time) and a good lube of the ball nut once a quarter (more often if needed). plus any carriages that might need grease. These all add up.

    Some of this is tooling some of it is maintenance but I hope it let's you see that yes you can do this, but have your plans firm and know that changes will happen along the way. Trust me been there and sold the T-shirt. There are folks on here with more experience then me who might pipe up and add to this. I hope it helps.

    Michael

  10. #9
    Al25's Avatar
    Lives in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom. Last Activity: 24-01-2013 Has been a member for 8-9 years. Has a total post count of 7. Received thanks 2 times, giving thanks to others 0 times.
    Thanks Michael. Very Clear.

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