I'm looking to get a CNC router, some for wood but mostly to do polycarbonate and large parts for enclosures.
I don't need to run it all the time, and I'm not a cabinet shop, so I need accuracy more than I need blazing speed. I just can't seem to find find a medium-duty 5x10 machine with ATC that works reliably without being cheesy. I want the woodworking equivalent of a Haas VF3.
From what I can tell, the tiers are as follows:
Chinese: really poor quality, possibly passible iron, pirated or handheld controls. Cheesy.
Domestic low end: shopsabre, camaster, shopbot etc. Windows based controls, questionable build decisions, no accuracy specs. These seem to be overgrown hobby machines. I can't tell if they don't have actual engineers designing the machines, or if their target audience doesn't care. No guarding of the motion components, no lube systems, aluminum parts everywhere and perplexing design decicions. Cheesy.
Domestic mid-range: This is really where I'd like to be, but I can't find anyone without significant downsides. DMT look promising but their ball screws are very undersized and they drive the long axis from the center, which doesn't seem very rigid. CNT Motion have electrical issues and are still wincnc. They're close to me and spec acceptable accuracy, but the only stories about them online have them losing milimeters of travel. AXYZ just don't seem interested in talking to me. Multicam have a reputation for bad support (and still WinCNC).
Domestic high end: Onsrud, thermwood, etc. These are machines I am sure I'd be happy with using, but they're huge and really production-oriented.
I need something that will reliably hold +-.005 position accuracy across the envelope, in a climate controlled space. Assuming I want to stay under 90k to with a C axis and an aggregate head, is there someone I've overlooked?
I don't need to run it all the time, and I'm not a cabinet shop, so I need accuracy more than I need blazing speed. I just can't seem to find find a medium-duty 5x10 machine with ATC that works reliably without being cheesy. I want the woodworking equivalent of a Haas VF3.
From what I can tell, the tiers are as follows:
Chinese: really poor quality, possibly passible iron, pirated or handheld controls. Cheesy.
Domestic low end: shopsabre, camaster, shopbot etc. Windows based controls, questionable build decisions, no accuracy specs. These seem to be overgrown hobby machines. I can't tell if they don't have actual engineers designing the machines, or if their target audience doesn't care. No guarding of the motion components, no lube systems, aluminum parts everywhere and perplexing design decicions. Cheesy.
Domestic mid-range: This is really where I'd like to be, but I can't find anyone without significant downsides. DMT look promising but their ball screws are very undersized and they drive the long axis from the center, which doesn't seem very rigid. CNT Motion have electrical issues and are still wincnc. They're close to me and spec acceptable accuracy, but the only stories about them online have them losing milimeters of travel. AXYZ just don't seem interested in talking to me. Multicam have a reputation for bad support (and still WinCNC).
Domestic high end: Onsrud, thermwood, etc. These are machines I am sure I'd be happy with using, but they're huge and really production-oriented.
I need something that will reliably hold +-.005 position accuracy across the envelope, in a climate controlled space. Assuming I want to stay under 90k to with a C axis and an aggregate head, is there someone I've overlooked?