Newbie- Looking at a MAXNC 10 CL???? Please help

[Bakerfifty]

Hey folks...I am new around this forum and new at the bench top mills....
I've been looking around and found a MAXNC 10 CL-B.

I don't know much more then the specs on this machine. If anyone has some pros / cons on this machine I would like to hear it....(Real life vs. a spec sheet)

Thanks

[Stepper Monkey]

Please feel free to do a search around here for threads about the MaxNC units. There are many, and all bad news. Just be glad you asked about that machine BEFORE you bought one, many that find there way on here are not so lucky.
It isn't really a functional CNC machine as much as an assemblage of parts meant to look impressive on paper. It is pretty much a trap solely to catch newbies. Just look up past threads, here and elsewhere, it will tell you all you need to know. Here's one to start but there are a lot more; Anyone have a MaxNC?

[Bakerfifty]

can you give me some information on some good mills to research...mostly proto typing metal parts, some steel but mostly aluminum...thanks

[Stepper Monkey]

If you want something the same size, try Sherline or Taig. If you want the biggest mill for the money try an X3.

The Sherline is smallest and lightest of the bunch, nothing wrong with it at all. Nice machine, it's size just limits it. It is still way more machine than the MaxNC, well supported and much cheaper.

The Taig is my favorite of the three. Simple, tough, accurate little machine with a huge user base. Ugly as sin, no frills, just rock solid and useful. Only slightly bigger than a Sherline and about the same cost, it is capable of some very impressive feats for its small size.

The X3 is huge in comparison. It weighs several hundred pounds and has a larger capacity and more power than the benchtop mills. If you are doing heavy work or hogging out a lot of steel its really the only choice, and is an excellent value for its capabilities. It is a bit too unwieldy, expensive, and maintenance intensive, however, if you don't need that level of capacity or have that much space to dedicate.

This subject comes up a lot, there are plenty of threads that cover what I just summed up in more detail if you search about.

[Harryman]

For the same money, get a Taig.

I had a MaxNC and the only positive thing I can say about it is it's a nice blue color.

[HACKSAWMILLING]

my maxnc is a clam and they dont support it well if at all

[Fixittt]

Originally Posted by Harryman For the same money, get a Taig. I had a MaxNC and the only positive thing I can say about it is it's a nice blue color.

hahaha yeah its a nice blue color, except for when you get alot of miles on the ways, then the purdy blue color gives way to a shiny aluminum color.

I do not recommend a maxnc to anyone........ If you have one, get rid of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ohh wait, I cant really get rid of mine yet.

[robert-h]

I'm not starting an argument but I have two maxnc-15cl, and I use them almost evey day with no problems. One of them is 9 years old. I also had a 10-cl but sold it because of the small size, but I had no isues with that one either. I'm curious as to what the problems people are having with them. I'm not affiliated in any way with maxnc.

[Fixittt]

for what they are, they are a hobby machine and people should not expect much from them.......

problems I have encountered...
electronics blew up 2 times with in the first year.....
Belt pulleys were mis aligned from the factory and it shredded a few belts.....
Spindle Motor mounts are flimsy to say the least. lead screw couplers had to be remade as they stripped out within the first year.

I had massive tool runout in my spindle. Lack of support even from the new owners of the company.
Rigidity is just not there........
I could go on and on, but the machines do not in any way reflect the performance listed on the website.

I have had my maxnc 15 OL for 10+ years and it took me a totally revamping of the machine to get it to make descent parts. The only thing that is original on my machine is the frame. Everything else that wasnt blue has been replaced.

These are my opinions and experiences.

I was lead astray by the company when I asked them about exactly what I wanted to do. I asked them if the machine was capable of machining copper at a pretty steady rate. I was machining 1 inch thick copper blocks with channels in them at the time. I was assured that the machine was more then up to the challenge. Needless to say, It wasnt, and I was green. I was never able to successfully cut one block without broken tools ect. I was even running flood coolant. The blocks that I did manage to machine, took 46+ hours each. needless to say, the dayton spindle motor didnt last to long either.

I now have my MAXNC 15 cutting precision wax models. but at what cost?

[Harryman]

Glad your machines are running for you, my experience was not the best.

The electronics were waaaay buggy, I held my breath every run hoping it would actually finish without crashing. It sucked starting a program to run overnight and coming in the next day with it stalled somewhere. I always had to reset the electronics before every run so there wasn't any way to resume where it stalled, you had to start over. Grrrrr.

No rigidity = no accuracy. If you placed any load on the mill while cutting, it would flex and/or the table would move. You couldn't tighten the gibs very much or it would bind so unless you were cutting wax, you had to take wafer thin passes at anything.

Spindle motor was annoyingly loud, ran hot and burned up with regularity. Motor mount was a joke, had to make a new one.

Being a total noob, and not knowing about resources like this site, I believed the propaganda that it was a decent machine. I struggled and struggled with it not knowing any better, it was only when I got a decent machine that I realized what a mistake it was.

[Fixittt]

As harry mentioned, I get a chance to play with some industrial cnc machines. and not having the budget to replace the machine, I highly modified mine. Took alot of work and alot of engineering, but I can honestly say that I probably have one of the most accurate, high speed maxnc`s to date. not to mention I will put money down that I have more runtime on my frame then just about anyone else. I no longer have to worry about running my machine. Its solid stable and fast. But I am still afflicted with the structural issues with the design. Way adjustments, frame flex just to mention a few. The soft aluminum construction insures that the machine will not wear evenly across the ways. Gib adjustments are a pain. proper adjustment in one spot leads to twisting and binding in another. Gibs to tight will force the backlash nuts to compress introducing backlash into the system. not to mention I have to tram the machine constantly, just about once a month. And yes everytime I tram the machine, it is not where I set it the month before.

[robert-h]

Thanks for the feedback. I must have machines that were made on wednesday.
I have made injection mold halves on my max's, I have machined combustion chambers on kohler racing motor cylinder heads. I have run programs that are 750,000 lines of code with out a hitch. True, the max is best suited to machine aluminum, but I have also run stainless, A2, D2, O1, 4140, 4130.
Like I said I am not a rep for maxnc, I just have'nt had any issues.
I am a full time machinist. I work all day every day in the shop, then I go home and work in my mini shop. So if any nubees want help feel free to pm me and I'll do my best to help.