Pocket NC 5 Axis Mills...

[Doug]

Anybody have first hand knowledge of the Pocket NC 5 axis mills?

Please spare any lectures on this being a toy. I know based on its pricing what it might be. And I'm not a CNC noob. I've been involved in CNC ownership since my first CNC in 1986.

My interest is in demonstrating CNC'ing and this machine being desktop might be a good choice. The 5 axis is a big plus too.

 

[mhajicek]

What exactly are you asking?

I know someone who has one, as a toy, to experiment with learning 5 axis basics. It's capable of cutting wax and plastic, and aluminum of you go really slowly with very light cuts. It is neither accurate nor rigid.

So if you want a CNC toy, go ahead and get one. Whether it will work well as a demonstration depends on what you're trying to demonstrate. IMO it wouldn't impress very many people; they'd likely be more impressed seeing a robust 3 axis mill making a blizzard of aluminum chips.

 

[Radar987]

It can't even drill and tap.

I can already picture it, a college student getting a summer job at a machine shop after claiming in his interview that he has 5-axis machining experience. Then on day one he has trouble figuring out what G83 and G84 are.

 

[Mike Henry]

If you are going to get a Pocket NC, give serious consideration to the V-50 CHB, which reportedly has a better spindle (made by NSK). I was planning on one to play with until I heard about the new larger model that will probably be demoed at IMTS 2022 in Chicago. Here's a link to a video that covers some of the target features.

Manufacturing Day 2021 Pocket NC Tour - YouTube

Probably still a toy to most here, but looks a lot more capable for small 5-axis work.