Chinese Mini CNC Milling machine - Need Advice!!!

[Jose81]

Hello to all. Being a total newbie when it comes to CNC in general i am hoping someone can assist with the below questions.


First of all what i need to achieve; Basically to be able to engrave or cut through very very thin (0.2 - 0.5mm) sheets of soft metals like aluminium and copper but with a lot of detail and accuracy, think jewelry, patterns etc.


Unfortunately my current budget is very limited so i can only buy a cheapo Chinese made mini cnc milling machine on the $150-200 range. The model i have in mind is the 1610 GRBL something...


So, my questions are:


1. These models are advertised as mostly woodworking machines, will i be able to engrave and cut through the sheets i mentioned above using an appropriate drill bit?


2. Is such a model able to deliver when it comes to accuracy and detail? Think a circle of 50mm in diameter to give you an idea of each piece size.


3. Are there any special limitations/considerations i should have in mind?


4. Is there a better choice within my budget to consider?


Any advice will be most appreciated, thank you in advance.

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[awerby]

Hello to all. Being a total newbie when it comes to CNC in general i am hoping someone can assist with the below questions.


First of all what i need to achieve; Basically to be able to engrave or cut through very very thin (0.2 - 0.5mm) sheets of soft metals like aluminium and copper but with a lot of detail and accuracy, think jewelry, patterns etc.


Unfortunately my current budget is very limited so i can only buy a cheapo Chinese made mini cnc milling machine on the $150-200 range. The model i have in mind is the 1610 GRBL something...


So, my questions are:


1. These models are advertised as mostly woodworking machines, will i be able to engrave and cut through the sheets i mentioned above using an appropriate drill bit?

[A drill bit is good for drilling holes, but if you want to cut sideways, you need an endmill. ]


2. Is such a model able to deliver when it comes to accuracy and detail? Think a circle of 50mm in diameter to give you an idea of each piece size.

[A circle like that will likely be flattened at the quadrants, due to backlash. But the main problem you'll have is runout. The spindles on those tools are just a motor with a setscrew-type bit holder on the end of it. This isn't going to hold the tool very concentrically. The smaller it is, the larger a proportion of the tool diameter it will be. The tool will cut erratically, and then break.]


3. Are there any special limitations/considerations i should have in mind?

[Yes; holding the stock down will be difficult. If it lifts up during the cut, it will break your endmill and distort the cut. You can either rig up a vacuum pod, glue your metal sheets to a backer board, or sandwich them between a couple of sheets of sacrificial material.]


4. Is there a better choice within my budget to consider?


Any advice will be most appreciated, thank you in advance.

[If you really want to produce cut-out items from thin metal sheet like that, I'd suggest investing in pancake dies rather than this rather inadequate machine. You can send the work to someone who does spray-etching. Or get yourself a drill and a jeweler's saw; piercing is not that hard, and it goes pretty quick once you get good at it. I think your results will be better, and you'll be able to sell them as hand-made.]