Sendkeys makes a good counterpoint, I suppose there is no guarantee that a turn on and go machine would be a better product. The grass is always greener right.
I did not mention the company because thats not constructive and I do like the company. I am happy with portions of the kit, they have really good ideas and have been very helpful at times. They are also a small growing business and some of this may just be growing pains so I try to be understanding.
That said I am the customer and this was a healthy chunk of money so I can only be so forgiving. My intention with this thread is to help the next guy who's visiting CNCZone thinking about diving into this like I was a couple months ago to stop and think carefully before swiping his credit card. Communicate your expectations to the company before you buy and get an acknowledgement back in writing that says if things are not as agreed you can return the kit. Note I did not attempt to return mine and don't want to but such an agreement would be a good idea.
I would recommend the following...
Delivery - The expectation should be that they meet their delivery dates e.g. advise them to pad in some extra time if they need to. I would rather a company gave me a reasonable ship date with some time padded in and met or beat that date than to tell me its going to ship Monday and miss the date, and the next, and the next and get in a hurry to get it done. I'd rathery they take the time to do a good job. On the flip side don't go running to a competitor who gives you an unrealistic ship date when the other company just gave you an honest one.
Complete Kit - Agree that the kit will be complete when shipped then inspect the kit upon arrival carefully to ensure that its all there. They don't get paid until its complete and ready to ship, this provides them with some incentive.
Quality Control - Agree on a minimum level of quality, for the price its not going to look like 100 engineers from GE built it, but I would recommend agreeing that parts will be machined square without tool gouges or errors, that they will fit together as intended without additional machining on your part. Agree that they will inspect the parts before they ship for quality control purposes. Its your money, if they have a problem with this then look elsewhere.
Instructions - Ask for them before you buy, read through them VERY carefully to ensure they are complete and provide enough detail for someone at your skill level to successfully install the kit. If they don't again in writing state your concerns and agree upon a solution e.g. they will provide phone support and won't tire of you calling. With adequate instructions you wouldn't need to call for help so its not your issue.
Performance - Ask them if you can return the kit for a refund if it does not perform as advertised. If they are advertising zero backlash in all three axis get something that states if backlash is in excess of (x) you can either return the kit or they will resolve the issue. I paid about $1,000 for my Z axis kit, zero backlash ball screw setup. After I installed the kit I have 20 thousands of backlash that I'm told is my problem to resolve.
Time to Install - I'll set this expectation for you, installing one of these kits is no small task, expect it to take a few weeks to complete if you don't run into problems and want to do a decent job of it. Don't forget the wiring and electrical require serious time.
Electrical - Make sure you get something in writing on this, you don't want to get left holding a cnc mill with all the mechanicals installed and no support on connecting it to the drivers and power supplies.  |