The CNC system will definitely increase productivity with repetitive production. But don't overlook the learning and work you will need to do on setting up the computer control such as devising fixtures for holding your stock and learning CAD/CAM software. I don't know much about computer controlled lathing. Lathing is essentially 2 dimensional. So it is simpler than the 4 dimensional CAM work I am doing. But don't underestimate the learning curve on the computer side. Fortunately, Flashcut really just works for its piece of the puzzle. (That's a lot of what you are buying with Flashcut. Many people have made an entire hobby creating what Flashcut sells as a turnkey system. See the CAD CAM EMD DRO mailing list for examples.)
I assume you are currently using some sort of lathe. You will want to compare the Sherline 4400 to your current model as this will effect the sorts of productivity you can expect. The Flashcut system can be used on a wide variety of lathes and mills. (You can easily move it to a different lathe or mill if you find the machine you are using isn't cutting it. Pun intended.) The Sherline lathes that Flashcut offers bundled are among the smallest such machines. Other desktop lathes to look at are the Taig, Prazzi and Minitech. Check out
http://www.desktopcnc.com/lathe for a table of various models. You will probably want to consider build-quality, parts availability and your duty cycle. Some of these machines are really not intended for fulltime operation. There are large variations in build quality of some of these machines esp. when it comes to the asian imports.
I worked with Andrew Werby at ComputerSculpture.com. He is in Oakland and has lots of experience with these sorts of machines. He was very helpful in sorting out the type of machine, control system and motors I was looking at.
- Richard