Hi, I'm Andy. I'm creating the world's most affordable desktop CNC machines

**lucan07** · 16-03-2016

Take a look at http://www.vicious1.com/ same intention and that one will cut aluminium badly soft woods and plastics quite well, as Clive says a cutter will just bounce off the item without sufficient rigidity in the design.

**goldtop** · 16-03-2016

Hi Andy, just a quick word from someone who might be your typical customer:

I decided to add a CNC machine to replace some work I currently do manually (pillar drill, etc) and to hopefully give me more options - you know all that sexy 3D carved stuff that looks like so much fun. :) I thought I'd be spending a few hundred, but the more I read, the more I realised that it was always going to be a machine in the thousands of $$. Simply to get speeds and rigidity for working with materials that aren't really that challenging.

Speaking as a newbie, I'd say that I'm surprised that your calculations showed that those single flat rails are strong enough. Surely they will bend against the direction of the cutting bit's movement?

It's a tough crowd here, expect some bruises and no-BS arguments from some, but their heart is in the right place. Treat it as a reality check and a way of getting a better product.

Perhaps you can keep your material/speed/etc specs so simple that you can find a market. I wish you well. One last thing: as you're doing this as a business, I don't think the target price given on your Website is high enough for you to put food on your table.

Good luck. :)

**Sienci** · 16-03-2016

Hi Goldtop,

Yes, CNC machines can be pretty finicky and expensive quick, but at least you can sit back and relax while they do the work. ;)

I did do some quick FEA on the rail, and found that it's actually fairly stiff for my purposes. Here's the test if you want to look at it. I'm thinking of using larger rails in the next few iterations that are going make this machine even more ridgid, since the material cost per food is only around 1 or 2 dollars per foot.

Click image for larger version.

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**komatias** · 16-03-2016

Andy,

Welcome aboard. The ideas you implement are interesting but again you need to specify your target market. I can see you doing well on kickstarter actually. Especially with the 3D printing crowd.

There is a huge "maker" movement in the US and Canada that are looking to make craft type stuff. Anything more and you start needing serious machines and not toys.

Not being dismissive of your machine here, just trying to help:

Your machine will perform "OK" when cutting light, small jobs with the drawback of being loud and slow. In the real world time is money so for me, along with the others above, your machine is cute but a toy.

If you want to lightly engrave plastic, cigarette cases or route PCB's then I think you may have a winner if you can make it for less than $200 and include your own software that has bells and whistles like the lightforge laser machine and that stupid pancake printer.

Either way, should you wish to sell it in Europe, make sure you use ROSHH materials and read about CE marking it.

Best regards

George

**magicniner** · 16-03-2016

That looks like a great thing for people with no CNC experience to play with, it could prove a great DIY tool for very light work and some model making, and a cheaper option to the disposable Chinese machines which many buy to learn with only to find they need much more mass and rigidity.

- Nick