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  1. #1
    Hello, My name is Mike and im 20 years old. I have been using Solidworks for a few years and have become quite fluent with the software. I am keen to turn some of the parts I design(mainly Rc related) into life by the use of a CNC. I understand the concept and have sent Dxf and Stl files to companies to have parts cut and printed for me but would like my own CNC.

    Could any of you folk out there point me in the right direction for a CNC.

    Basic requirements

    1) Be able to cut woods,plastic,carbon& glass fibers, Aluminium
    2) be easy to assemble if required,easy to setup
    3) cost less than £1200 for machine including electronics. ( CAM and Mach3 already acquired)

    it would be a rel help :)

  2. #2
    mekanik's Avatar
    Lives in Barrow in Furness, United Kingdom. Last Activity: 15 Hours Ago Has been a member for 9-10 years. Has a total post count of 786. Received thanks 96 times, giving thanks to others 176 times.
    Hi Mike
    Welcome to the forum.
    If you let us know the size of components you intend to produce, our more knowledgeable members will point you in the right direction, a lot tend to build there own as you can end up with a good machine for a lot less cash than some of the commercial stuff that's available.
    Regards
    Mike

  3. #3
    hello mike
    there is nothing off the shelf that I know of within 1200 quid range other than these Chinese 6040 machines that are all over ebay

  4. #4
    im thinking something along the lines of 600x600x100mm working area... Could you guys fill me in on what you reckon is best of these which I have found so far.

    CNC1 - I have seen videos of this machine with good results gutting aluminium

    CNC2 - I like the look of this machine but there is not much about it online...looks good but i hear allot of chattering while cutting aluminium

    CNC3 - I like this one because of its low cost but am feeling quite skeptical of its linear movement mecanism, looks like it could be sloppy after allot of use


    Thanks guys, so far this is what i have managed to find with my limited knowledge on these machines.

  5. #5
    you be pissed off in no time shelling out for them then cutting aluminium

    these are the 6040,s I mentioned 3-axis CNC 6040Z-S65J Router Engraver Milling Drilling Cutting Machine CNC 6040 | eBay
    at least some of them come with a water cooled spindle but I still wouldn't buy that,with aluminium in mind ,although some get by with em and they have a following,with a 1400 quid budget consider making one
    Last edited by dazza; 03-06-2014 at 03:10 PM.

  6. #6
    Hello FlyHighRC,

    What sort of tolerances are you looking to achieve with the aluminium?

    What thickness of alu are you wishing to cut?

    Is cutting time a factor?
    CNC routing and prototyping services www.cncscotland.co.uk

    ADD ME ON FACEBOOKS

  7. #7
    Hi

    i dont think i would bother with any of those, like the others sya, you could build your own for that, a little more money, you could build one 10* better. There are already some good designs on here and some already done in sketchup for the size your looking for. I will try find the ones i was looking at in sketchup, they was compleate, I would imagine all them have rigidity and accuracy problems.... You may get away with cutting a wing profile in foam with them, but i think, ( am also into RC ), you might struggle with smaller componants on them. especialy hard small parts ( alu car frame, helli bits, cam holders ). Do You FPV ?

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by george uk View Post
    Hi

    i dont think i would bother with any of those, like the others sya, you could build your own for that, a little more money, you could build one 10* better. There are already some good designs on here and some already done in sketchup for the size your looking for. I will try find the ones i was looking at in sketchup, they was compleate, I would imagine all them have rigidity and accuracy problems.... You may get away with cutting a wing profile in foam with them, but i think, ( am also into RC ), you might struggle with smaller componants on them. especialy hard small parts ( alu car frame, helli bits, cam holders ). Do You FPV ?

    Well CNC 1 has been on youtube and seems to go through aluminium fairly easily..6mm 6061 alloy and seems to do it in very little passes. If i wanted to build my own are there any build videos of a known machine where the parts are easy to findbuy and assemble? Id imagine getting the thing tuned would be a bi*ch.

    Yeah I am into FPV. I Design Quadcopters mostly. I do love flying FPV and also do allot of survey work
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  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by FlyHighRC View Post
    Well CNC 1 has been on youtube and seems to go through aluminium fairly easily..6mm 6061 alloy and seems to do it in very little passes. If i wanted to build my own are there any build videos of a known machine where the parts are easy to findbuy and assemble? Id imagine getting the thing tuned would be a bi*ch.

    Yeah I am into FPV. I Design Quadcopters mostly. I do love flying FPV and also do allot of survey work
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Smoke and Mirrors.!! . . Yes they show it cutting aluminium but what they don't show or tell you is how much it takes out the machine.!
    Cutting aluminium correctly needs a much stronger spec machine than any of these. Most machines will scratch Aluminiun away but to cut it correctly and accurately requires rigidity and NONE of these have enough to cut aluminium to any decent standard and survive. They will even struggle on cutting hardwoods at deep depths and decent feed rates.

    My advice as usual is to save up a little and build your own or save up a lot and by something much better. The reality is that there isn't anything available to buy off the shelf much under 2.5K that is worth bothering with. The 6040 and these cheap Kits etc are just hassle and false economy, they under perform, break down wear out very quickly if pushed hard, even when not pushed hard they can be fickle things.!

    The other thing you need to be aware of is the feed and speeds, Soft materials require higher feed rates and these cheap machines with poor under spec'd components and electronics often can't reach the correct feed rates to give good finish and tool life. If they do manage to reach them then they are often performing at Max capabilitys which puts them under excess stress, at best this leads to inaccuracy and missed steps but worse than that it shortens there life span very quickly.

  10. #10
    Following my previous comment is it possible to build a machine? for my budget range and achieve good quality?

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