Buy a good cnc woodworking machine
How to Buy a good cnc woodworking machine.
If you are here I assume you are thinking about buying a CNC router or some other CNC machine. Without a doubt these are amazing machines that can improve your business or project tremendously. However, there are many other types of CNC robotics that may be better fitting for your application."Is this the right machine for my application?"
Lets get down to the first order decisions that will help you decide if in fact this type of machine suites your application. First lets answer the following questions.
1)What type of materials do you plan to cut or engrave?
2)What is the most complex design you foresee cutting or engraving?
3)What kind of tolerances do you need to hold?
Keep in mind these are very basic questions. We will get into more detail later that will help you choose the right router type, if you feel this is the right machine for you.
1) What kind of material do you plan on cutting or engraving?
The reason this should be the first question you ask is because it can quickly let you know if this type of CNC machine is applicable. For example, if your answer was steel, We can almost assure you that plasma cutting machine may be the most suitable machines that will meet your needs. Routers are usually associated with carpentry, which is why CNC routers are usually associated with woodworking only. However, there are many other materials that can be cut or engrave.
So, if your answer to question one was any of the following:
Wood Particle Board Plastic Foam Composites Aluminum,Copper Tombstone,Granite,Marble
Then it is safe to assume that a router could still be the machine for you.
2) What is the most complex design you foresee cutting or engraving?
The complexity of the design is another important considerations. What is meant by this is primarily the overall size and depth of cut per axis. Do you plan to use the machine for cutting, carving, drilling, or all of the above?
The versatility of this machine is one of it primary appeals. However, with its ability to cut, carve, and drill there are drawbacks, such as speed. Now for the most part, this is not an issue. In most applications CNC Routers are quite fast and probably the fastest machine for the job.
However, if you are planning on only using this machine for engraving or cutting .
The second considerations is overall size and depth of cutting or engraving.
A standard 3 axis machine would not able to cut that piece if the sphere protruded any further than halfway. However, there are multi-axis CNC machines which we will get into later.
There are also overall size considerations. CNC routers are great for larger cut and for small. However, if you are cutting very small parts then the chances are you may need a CNC milling machine. Which brings is to our third question.
