I have been asked by my company to set up a small 4-axis CNC mill for under $10K to cut coupons and light fab in my R&D lab.

This is going to be used on plastics (mostly) for cutting samples, and some aluminum & steel work

Would the Syil mill be your first choice? This is an R&D operation, so we would be using this thing lightly (and over 75% of the time cutting & shaping polyolefins & polyamides).

Also, what software would be recommended? Currently have AutoCad LT 2007. I think our designers have SolidWorks.

What would you do?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

themaddhatter
Lab Manager: SkunkWorks

If I were buying for a company I would look at something like a Tormach rather than a roll your own X3. The $10k should get you in the ballpark for a system that is much more plug and play. If you are just getting started the learning curve is steep enough, especially when there are bosses wanting results ASAP.

The Syil CNC machines would be a terrific choice. I not sure what RTP Burnsville is meaning by “roll”?

I think the biggest question is working envelope. What is the size of the parts?