Hello,

I am looking to buy a 3-axis CNC router with the main purpose of milling PCBs but also more general purpose - small wood, plastic, foam, thin aluminium control panels.

Looking at all the Chinese 3020 / 3040 routers on ebay, they all seem slightly different, from the pictures but very little way of distinguishing between them by specification or quality. How can I distinguish between them?

Being able to repair and upgrade the machine is important to me and I like the idea of buying from the UK manufacturer/supplier, so that I know exactly what I am getting and be able to buy replacement parts - and Marchant Dice Ltd. / Worldofcnc.com was looking promising. But having emailed them a couple of times and received no reply, so I don't fancy my chances of getting support.

Does anybody have any suggestions as to what I should buy? My price bracket is £500 - £1500 and hoping to run LinuxCNC with it. I am more confident about the electronics and computer side of things, than metal working...


Thanks!

nick.