Looking for insight on buying cnc router

[BMurphy]

I am looking to buy a cnc router in the next six months for working with 3/4" veneer ply and melamine. Have been building custom displays for my distribution company for several years now, and others in our industry want to start buy displays from us. Problem is that we are need to speed/easy the cutting process.
Started looking into all of these different machines and all I have to say is WOW. Information overload.
Questions:
1: What is a good machine for cutting plywood to shape with some dato, rabbit and drill work? I realize the more you spend the more you get. Looking to spend anywhere from 18k to 35k.
2: Are there any machines to stay away from. Problems with dust?
3: What would be a good set of programs to use. I am good with computers, had to learn Unix to run my server. What programs would be good for cutting ply with some dato's and rabbits?

I know there is no easy simple one answer to all of this, but if I could get some help in which direction to go.
Thank You
Brian Murphy

[keyne]

Shopbot has a good reputation, useful machine and good customer service. You might want to call them, and/or check their forum. It comes with software you need for the operations you listed.
FWIW i don't own one and i don't work for them.

[ger21]

Will you be drilling a lot of different sized holes? If so, you'd be better of with a machine with multiple drilling spindles, but that would probably be way over your budget. Since your budget is very low when considering the larger commercial machines, I'd also recommend looking at Shopbot. Check out their user forum and ask lots of questions there. From what I've seen, you should be able to get more info about a Shopbot than any other machines anywhere else.

You might want to look at this one. http://www.holzher.com/seite92.htm
We have quite a few larger Holz-her machines. They have excellent tech support, too.

As for software, what software you choose has a lot to do with the machine you buy.

[BMurphy]

Thanks Keyne and Ger21.
Ger21, the holes are all the same size. They are for hanging premade metal pockets on the racks. Nothing too fancy. Mostly need a machine that will make the work of cutting, dato, and rabbits into one step. As things are now, we cut the panel, rabbit the back, then set up for dato shelves and dividers. Some of the racks are over 4' in length. Kinda a ***** to dato, any way you try. Not very fast. It would be nice just to plunk a board down on a maching, run the program, and let it do the work.
Thanks for the insight.
Murph

[Drassk]

It almost sounds like what you're looking for is more suited to a CNC point to point boring machine like a Biesse or a Morbidelli. Perhaps you should check those out? A used machine from x-factory.com is well below the price of a CNC router but has a lot more versatility with panel-processing so far as I can tell.

[BMurphy]

Drassk,
Thanks for the insight. I'm still a newbe and trying to figure the whole thing out. There are just some really cool tools out there.
Thanks Again
Murph

[MarkT]

B,

I would recommend you look into a quality used point-to-point / machining center. There are some great buys out there, you must be careful, but do not "shy away" from the idea! Many good used machines are available in the 25k to 30k price range that will do exactly what you want, and then some! I try no to recommend specific brands, however your application is ideal for a machine/control that supports parametric programming. The immediate benefit for you is that you do not have to budget $ for a CAM system intially. If your product line diversifies as you grow, certianly you could purchase one later, but for individual panel processing, a control that supports parametrics would be top consideration for me. Peruse through www.exfactory.com, great site to view used machinery and get a feel for prices. If you need any assistance feel free to email me at ntek1@aol.com or email me through my website www.cnccustomservices.com
Best of Luck,
MarkT

[Robocut]

Murph,

Find a local company that sells and services CNC's, preferably a company that can demonstrate to you how they work and explain and show the differences between different software. You are correct in getting informed, you will be unable to make a good decision until you have the tools to judge what you are being told. Go visit some shops. Contact different manufacturers. Find a salesman you feel comfortable with, no smoke and mirrors. Do not base your decision on price alone. Ask yourself how much you are paying a person to produce these parts now. Do not spend any less. Compare a monthly lease payment to this and take it out 5 years (this will equate to a comparable number). Look at your hourly cost vs. the BIG scary total of the machine. Do a for real assessment of costs. Get a machine that will last. Do not get into the ongoing buy and sell thing where you never get out of debt on a machine. Quality will return itself to you. Get what you need. Understand the physics as they relate to your parts: weight (rigidity), construction style (rigidity), upgradeability, proprietary vs. non proprietary parts, open architecture (software), support etc.