What machine cutting area suits you best.?

Ok I'm curious to what cutting area suits people best.? Obviously we'd all like the largest cutting area possible but the reality is most of us have limited workshop space. So what I'm really asking is what cutting area suits your needs and space best.?

This can be either a Router or Mill type machine. So here's a few questions.

#1 Machine type, Mill or Router (no lathes)
#2 Cutting area X, Y, Z
#3 Ideal overall footprint size W,D,H (or space to fit into)
#4 Floor standing or benchtop.
#5 Material most likely to be cut.

Thanks.

#1 Machine type, Mill
#2 Cutting area X 300min, Y 200 min, Z 300min
#3 Ideal overall footprint no greater than an 8 foot cube (Like the mix of metric for small & imperial for big? I really do think that way :D )
#4 Floor standing
#5 Material most likely to be cut, Stainless, Titanium, Tool Steels and Aluminium with a side of Engineering Plastics and Composites ;-)

#1 Router
#2 X,Y As much as will practically fit onto #3. Z 60mm max.
#3 1m x 1.3m
#4 Benchtop (I'll need to move it a long way soon-ish)
#4 Plywood, hardwood, some acrylic

Two areas of interest:

Mechanical
#1 Mill
#2 X,Y, Z : 500x200x150
#3 1m x 0.8M x Z=?? (fit in the shed)
#4 Bench-top
#4 Ali, brass, mild steel

Electrical (PCB, etc)
#1 Router : High speed spindle.
#2 300 x 300 x 50
#3 0.8M x 0.8M x Z=? (fit into shed)
#4 Benchtop
#4 FR4, 35um copper cladding, enclosures - ali, plastics

Like Doddy, two areas of interest:

Chunky stuff
#1 Mill/machining centre /whatever
#2 X,Y, Z : 500x250x200
#3 0.9m x 0.8M x Z=??
#4 Bench-top
#5 Ali, brass, mild steel. composites
(nearly finished woohoo!)

Sheet stuff
#1 Router
#2 X,Y, Z : 2400x1200x150
#3 3m x 1m-ish x tall as necessary
#4 floor standing, vertical format
#4 MDF, plywood, ali, composites, plastics

#1 heavy built router
#2 ~800x450x150
#3 ~1200x800x400(height not critical)
#4 bench top
#5 aluminium bias (speed feed) with suboptimal for wood

My needs are a bit odd. Need to cut fairly large sheets of liteply for model making
Also fairly small sized pieces of aluminium with good finish and accuracy.

Good luck with what I guess you are planning. Maybe a well made 6040 size machine would prove popular.

Router, everyone wants bigger right?

I want a 3m*2m

My machine, If I rebuilt it now I would make sure I have 1.8m travel * 0.9m, but I actually have 1.2m * 0.7m, 0.8m if I convert to belt drive.

Height 5cm seems good I gave myself 9cm and now am adding 3.6cm of MDF to reduce the travel.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by routercnc

My needs are a bit odd. Need to cut fairly large sheets of liteply for model making
Also fairly small sized pieces of aluminium with good finish and accuracy.

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Not so Odd actually, I get asked for this often, usually by model makers or RC guys.

That would be the ideal size for me; does such a machine exist? and yes, I'm a model engineer so needs to be cheap!
Brian

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BDH

That would be the ideal size for me; does such a machine exist? and yes, I'm a model engineer so needs to be cheap!
Brian

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Not sure which size your referring to but please look at the first post and answer the questions. This would help me greatly because you are the perfect person to answer because your brand new to CNC.

Oh and to answer your "Does it exist" question then it probably does but if not then we can make it exist, that's what we do best.!

Sorry about that, I really should read the whole thread before answering!
Ideal size for me would be 800x450x150.
Brian

Next one i am looking at will most likely take a full sheet...2.4 x 1.2m

#1 Machine type, Mill
#2 Cutting area X 300mm, Y 200mm, Z 200mm
#3 Ideal overall footprint size W,D,H Bridgeport footprint or less 1200x900mm
#4 Floor standing or benchtop. either floor standing more practical for flood
#5 Material most likely to be cut. - steel

starting on CNC but thinking Denford Triac for size comparison

One day a pattern will hopefully emerge, but not yet!
For me:
#1 Machine type, Router
#2 Cutting area X 500mm, Y 600mm, Z 150mm
#3 Ideal overall footprint size W,D,H 750x900x600
#4 Floor standing or benchtop. Benchtop
#5 Material most likely to be cut. - Wood

Beginning to understand that everyone's requirements vary considerably, no wonder no two builds end up the same, and yet have so much in common!