Re: Are you glad to have bought a Chinese made CNC Router?
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I have four Chinese machines that are operable. (one more in a basket) All have problems. If any one of them had been my first machine I would probably have been out of the CNC game a long time ago. My first CNC was a Taig with the old Xylotec knockoff deepgroove1 controller. It had its large host of issues, but everything about it was serviceable by a beginner and the machine manufacturer is local (180 miles). Both the seller and the manufacturer responded to questions and offered solutions to problems.
My first Chinese machine was a small 3020 router. I still use it for some types of jobs, but the entire control system that was on it went in my spare parts never to be actually used bin. Its not perfectly square, and it has enough bind that it loses steps over long jobs. Not enough to notice during testing, but enough to notice when setting up the next part. If I hadn't gained the knowledge and experience from getting three other CNC machines working (one was a full on retrofit of a Hurco KMB1) I would probably have a dust collector in that one.
My next Chinese CNC was an RF45 clone with an American CNC installed by an American company. It just didn't work out. There was an out of straight problem in the Z column that in the end I was just not able to work out. I gutted the machine and I am in the process of using the cast iron parts as beginning stock to build a linear rail machine. Everything is going to get machined off and straight on the Hurco. The RF Clone had a host of other issues as well. Its best suited as cast iron parts for a new project only.
My next Chinese machine was a Syil X4 Speedmaster. It had a crooked saddle. It would measure about .009 out of square on a travel of just under 6 inches. If I had not had the backing of the sales person I bought it from I would probably be screwed. He threatened to stop selling Syil, and they express freighted me a new saddle from China. After getting jerked around by Syil for a couple weeks all of a sudden I had a new saddle in a couple days. When I took it off I found there was no oil line to the X-axis ball nut. The fitting where the oil lines came off didn't even have an opening for it. I also found a huge unfinished area of the saddle dovetails. Again as a first machine with no experience in machine building and repair I would have probably just been done.
Because the sales person was so good to me I bought two more Syil Speedmasters. I bought the X5s, but with extended Y axis rails so I could work on bar stock six inches wide. I bought them on the condition that the machines would be torn down and all issues fixed before they were shipped to me. Unfortunately my salesman moved on to another job. The guy who replaced him wasn't as thorough or as conscientious. The owner of the company tried, but ultimately I got crate machines just like they were shipped from China. Not torn down and checked out machines. One machine had no spacer on the Y-Axis fixed bearing. That meant it had a stupid amount of backlash. More than a 1/4 inch. I had to partially tear down the machine and machine a spacer on the lathe. It had another major problem. I'd have to go look at the machine to recall what it was, but I think it was an oiling issue with the Z. It also had a cooling fan fail and a pump motor replaced because it sounded like a school of tiny blacksmiths beating on tiny anvils. The other X5 was worse. It had an improperly machined oil passage in the Z and no oil was getting to the Z-axis ball nut. The Z-axis ballscrew was either so worn or so poor in quality that it was nearly unusable. It had excess backlash in the screw and nut, and it was noisy. It also had measurable variations in pitch length over its length. Worse, when I finally started cutting parts I noticed that the spindle was noisy. It produced a rough surface finish. It acted to me like a worn out spindle. I know because I have worn out spindles. I replaced the spindle on my dime and the machine produced much better parts.
Notice that last part? On my dime. With those X5s the salesperson I bought them from was no longer with the company and I simply stopped getting good support from the seller. The owner swore his salesman was returning my emails, but I never got them. I checked my spam folders as well. Even when I called the salesman didn't seem to want to take care of me. He just wanted to get me to say it was ok and move on. I could not even get him to talk to Syil about the problems or take the time to get me prices to PAY FOR parts. I contacted Syil directly. They initially talked a good game about wanting to take care of me and get me replacement parts for all the issues, but ultimately it was just talk. They put me off initially for two months says, "We can take care of you in February. No problem." And then nothing. I actually fixed all the problems myself on my dime. I figured I couldn't afford to sit around with machines sitting idle, and when (if) Syil shipped replacements I could just put them on the shelf as spares for the future.
In conclusion 5 out of 5 Chines machines had major problems and needed work. Most needed major work. I currently have 4 of them in service and I use three of them nearly everyday, but if I hadn't fought my way through the Taig, then redesigned an old MaxNC, and completely retrofit a Hurco KMB1 from the bare machine back to a fully functioning middle weight bruiser any one of those Chinese machines would likely have been my last if they had been my first.
If I buy any more light weight CNC machines (rather than building my own) I'll probably go with Tormach.
Originally Posted by Tomcat104
