What do you think of this? http://www.cnc-step.com/englisch/index.html
I'm a guitar maker and I need something like this machine to do some custom inlay work and some prototyping for guitars (templates special tools etc.) Maybe even do an electric guitar body occasionally and copy things with the 3dprobe.Speed is not really a problem for me.
Is there another manufacturer of similar machines in europe?
Michael

I looked their site....the prices they ask are not expensive,but exept the machine,you have to buy a controller box too,of course,which are very affordable i must say.For the money,its not so easy to find something cheaper. Other ones are: easgmbh.de,but there are more.
But be aware,all that stuff is not so rigid,more hobby stuff.
I prefere to build my own machine.

Thank you Arthur! It seems that the controller box is included in the price. I understand that the construction is not very heavy weight but maybe with slower speeds I could avoid some of the rigidity problems...

I see you are in Greece: Perhaps ask the chess set manufacturers at www.manopoulos.com what CNC routers they use. Perhaps the issue of distance/maintenance influenced their choice.

I originally saw their chess sets in Munich, Germany.
They are clearly machine made, but quite good quality!

"C. MANOPOULOS S.A."

FACTORY: 22 ATHINA STR., 176 73 KALLITHEA, ATHENS, GREECE
OFFICE, SHOW ROOM: 16 ENDIMIONOS STR. GR 175 64, P. FALIRON, ATHENS, GREECE
TEL.: 0030 (01) 95.90.943, 0030 (01) 94.21.791

But with a machine produced by a manufacturer that has a reputation for helping clients even if they are far away, there should be no problem.

The Shopbot (www.shopbottools.com) is an excellent tool. You could import it to Greece as a kit and learn to understand the machine more deeply yourself by putting it together. The bundled software is very good on 2D and 2.5D. Many people use it for guitar-related work.

I think that you will have trouble with the unsupported ways flexing.

Interesting comment Buscht. It is true that with the ShopBot there is support under the ways at specific points and not the entire way from end to end. But the size and shape of the way make it (the next few words are an educated guess) stronger and more rigid than the little cnc-step machine at the first post in this thread.

If michaelL wants to look into it he could look on and search the extensive Shopbot forum and find if users are reporting any trouble with the unsupported ways flexing. He could also check out user's opinions of accuracy, support, accompanying software, etc.

Chris, I was responding to the orginal question about the cnc-step machine. I think that the Shopbot is in a different category.

Sorry that I wasn't clearer.

Trent

Buscht,

Ah, I see.

In all honesty both machines seem fully capable of "some custom inlay work and some prototyping for guitars" - not heavy duty demands on the machine unless some unrealistic feed speed and cutter size/dia/cut depth per pass combination is accidentally programmed by the user.

Although I didn't mention it, I was thinking in particular of the little "benchtop" machine that ShopBot make, which is more like the CNC-step machine for size etc. and more or less in the same category.

Thank you guys for your helpful comments. For sure shopbot is a much better alternative even considering the price difference BUT... Importing machines from the USA in Europe can be a big problem. Shopbot for example should be shipped by ship(!!) That means 3 months of delivery time, maybe not a big problem. The other problems are customs duties and CE certification. This could be a real problem with customs clearance. Most machines of the shopbot class or minor,are not CE certified from what I can understand. It seems a lot of people have succeded in this but not without some problems and you are never sure...
If I could find a manufacturer of something similar of a shopbot benchtop in europe at the 10.000 euros range it would be perfect!! But from my research until now I could find only those little machines at below 10.000euros...(machines similar to shopbot cost 20.000 or more but construction seems more industrial, like http://www.i-mes.de/englisch/englisch.html . But I don't care for things like enclosures or vacuum tables or 24h working time or aluminum slotted tables etc.)

I have a small workshop and this machine will be used mostly for making templates and jigs and smaller parts. The production is very small so speed is not really an issue..

One more question. Is the touch probe a good way to scan a contoured guitar body. From the website of cnc-step I can see that it creates some surface damage on the original part. Is this controlable in some way? I would'nt like to ruin a finish of a guitar!!

Do you think this is a better solution? http://www.step-four.at/e_index.html

One other concern about importing American machines into Europe is compatibility with electricity supplies.Not only voltage but frequency need to be taken into account.

http://www.thermwood.com/