This is a case of you get what you pay for. The premium that you pay to a US dealer is for the after sale support (hopefully). Personally I would not buy an expensive machine directly from the manufacturer in China. The only machine I have bought from China was a cheap table top 24x48 kit because I just needed a quick and cheap XYZ positioner for a non-machining project. I tossed all of the electronics in the misc. parts bin and installed my own controls. I'm pretty sure you could install Mach3 on any of those machines without too much difficulty.
I don't know anything about the AXYZ machines, but I do have some experience with the MultiCam machines. They seem to be well built for a mid-range machine. I do find it to be a nuisance that the controller will not allow many functions that I like, but the system is designed for the operator rather than a tech. Loading the program is really not that bad, you can do all the editing/design off of the machine then just select the edited file to run. My Multicam customer just has a laptop on a bench between his machines and is able to do all of the editing on the shop floor. The laptop is connected via serial connection to both machines, the newer MultiCam machine use ethernet connections for file transfers. Most of his work is aluminium also. MultiCam wants to charge for support also. It would be relatively easy to convert a MultiCam router to Mach3. Many MultiCam routers can operate on single or 3 phase power. You might also look at ShopBot machines, the only one I personally know of seems to be working fine for their needs.Used Axyz/Multicam- (~$10-20K)
I've been a little biased to axyz tables (not sure why) and is kind of my first choice- It seems to be one of the big plays in the sign industry along with multicam. While not terribly important, it always made me curious why AXYZ didn't have a sub-forum on this forum, are they not common enough or for some other reason? That worried me about "community support" While looking at A vs B vs C Machine threads, multicam always seemed to come up as a popular favorite as well which is why I'm considering them as well. Both of these machines seem like they accept vetric as a CAM software so I'm not too worried about the transition on these either. However, have any of you found it to be a nuisance that the controllers just load and cut files vs the computer based controllers like mach 3 where you can edit and cut from the same console?
Before considering a full on industrial machine, look at the power requirements and the power you have available in your shop. I'm pretty sure in all cases they require 3 phase power. I bought a 4x8 Thermwood basket case and had to replace the 10KW spindle with a 3HP because I didn't have enough power available to run it and do not have 3 phase in my shop. The machines are built for hard industrial use, they are substantial and accurate. I would look for a machine with a dead computer and plan on installing my own control system. Mach3 would not be a good choice for these machines. While it would run the machine, there would be a loss of performance. The existing computers have some method of loading files, normally the files are generated off line using some standard CAM software and the machines are connected to the shop network for file transfers.Used High End Industrial Machines Weeke, Biesse, Busellato, Onsrud, etc. (~$20-30K)
Most of the ones I'm looking at are older 2004-2014 range, and this is only falls in my price range if I can find one for the right price (I have seen numerous end within this range at auctions) BUT the support scares me- It seems like if I don't buy direct almost none of them want to provide support even if it is their machine. And some companies charge just to take your phone call which is absurd to me.. Also most of them seem like they use their own software and some may be proprietary which worries me. However, machine for machine, these seem like the best for the money. Some of these machines come with their own computer however they dont look like the support usb comm so I'm not sure you would load files if they are designed on another PC..