rob_SOR
6th May 2008, 10:51 PM
I've been lurking a while, there's a heap of great machines and experiece here and my head is hurting trying to absorb some of it! Apologies in advance for the loooong post but I figure its best to try and give some background info.
I've played in the past with a very basic 3 axis printer carriage based machine driven by the old Stepster program, now I'm needing something a little more practical. I'm looking at routing some plastic boxes and think a small desktop router may be the way to go. At the moment I dont have the inclination or time to fabricate my own machine so I'm looking at buying a finished machine or a kit. I'd really like to buy from an Australian source - new or used would be ok.
My needs are:
1) routing polycarbonate boxes, will thickness ~3mm
2) box sizes - small lunchbox to big lunch box size. :)
3) it would be nice to do 2, 3 or more boxes a once.
4) the holes to be machined range from 3mm holes to 25mm holes and slots.
5) I estimate an accuracy of <0.25mm in 50mm of travel would be needed.
A true 3 axis system would be preferred as the machines second use may be in model making with the kids - terrain, parts etc. At most I'd also do a small amount of aluminium routing/milling and maybe build a 4th axis sometime down the track.
I've considered:
>> ShopBots - getting pricey, need to import.
>> CNC Sharks & Pro's www.nextwaveautomation.com (http://www.nextwaveautomation.com) - good price, HDPE structural parts??, need to import.
>> Cornerstone www.cstoneq.com.au (http://www.cstoneq.com.au) - Look ok, no specs avail, no email reply - but they are Australian (or at least agents for Cornerstone CNC?).
>> Isel 015 from www.cvtech.com.au (http://www.cvtech.com.au) - look good, good gantry clearance - Australian - no prices available & my emails to them bounce....:(
The Sieg X3 retro fits look great but I'm not sure the table/travel is big enough. Very cool & versatile machine! It's also a little pricey ~$1500 for the mill + ~$3500 for a full mech & elec kit from www.cnckits.com.au (http://www.cnckits.com.au).
I wonder if there are any other alternative machines/kits available in Australia, I can't find anything on the used/new machinery sites. Any suggestions, advice gratefully received.
cheers
rob
I've played in the past with a very basic 3 axis printer carriage based machine driven by the old Stepster program, now I'm needing something a little more practical. I'm looking at routing some plastic boxes and think a small desktop router may be the way to go. At the moment I dont have the inclination or time to fabricate my own machine so I'm looking at buying a finished machine or a kit. I'd really like to buy from an Australian source - new or used would be ok.
My needs are:
1) routing polycarbonate boxes, will thickness ~3mm
2) box sizes - small lunchbox to big lunch box size. :)
3) it would be nice to do 2, 3 or more boxes a once.
4) the holes to be machined range from 3mm holes to 25mm holes and slots.
5) I estimate an accuracy of <0.25mm in 50mm of travel would be needed.
A true 3 axis system would be preferred as the machines second use may be in model making with the kids - terrain, parts etc. At most I'd also do a small amount of aluminium routing/milling and maybe build a 4th axis sometime down the track.
I've considered:
>> ShopBots - getting pricey, need to import.
>> CNC Sharks & Pro's www.nextwaveautomation.com (http://www.nextwaveautomation.com) - good price, HDPE structural parts??, need to import.
>> Cornerstone www.cstoneq.com.au (http://www.cstoneq.com.au) - Look ok, no specs avail, no email reply - but they are Australian (or at least agents for Cornerstone CNC?).
>> Isel 015 from www.cvtech.com.au (http://www.cvtech.com.au) - look good, good gantry clearance - Australian - no prices available & my emails to them bounce....:(
The Sieg X3 retro fits look great but I'm not sure the table/travel is big enough. Very cool & versatile machine! It's also a little pricey ~$1500 for the mill + ~$3500 for a full mech & elec kit from www.cnckits.com.au (http://www.cnckits.com.au).
I wonder if there are any other alternative machines/kits available in Australia, I can't find anything on the used/new machinery sites. Any suggestions, advice gratefully received.
cheers
rob