looking at the chinese cnc 3040 and would appreciate some input

[manakawari]

my current milling machine (roland mdx40a) is not suited for metal ..it can cut it but its very slow and im afraid that im going to break the machine if i keep it up...we have a large demand for metal work so im looking for a low cost, small footprint solution for some spillover work that my mdx40a cant handle.

i dont need many bells and whistles, i just want a machine that can perhaps cut metal faster than my mdx40a but am unsure of the specs i should be looking for.

i came across a low cost build your own cnc mill from china, its a cnc3040..they advertise this machine as being suitable for metal(when i say metal i mean soft metals not steel)...but im not sure how the specs of this machine compare to that of the mdx40a from roland , im not sure exactly how much better this machine might be, if really better at all.

im thinking that since this machine is so cheap i can modify it or upgrade it to make it even better for metal work, like perhaps creating a shallow water bowl on the bed to keep metal that being cut submerged and cooled or even intergrating a real flowing watercooling system but in all honesty, im not even sure i need that,basically im curious if this machine will be any better at metal than my roland machine based on the stock specs alone.

aside from the low cost i actually like the idea of building it myself, this way i will get a feel of the construction and i think i will be better aware of how to fix it if i have problems in the future or will have more knowledge of perhaps modifying it to make it better suited for my specific use.

again, im sure there are better machine but for a metal cutting machine under 1000 dollars???

if there is such a machine maybe you could share that too..

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[aarggh]

If you don't think your MDX40 is up to the task, you'll very quickly find a 3040 is even less up to the task. The only metal cutting machines your going to find under $1000 are cold metal saws and metal cutoff saws.

Anything CNC related is going to at least be closer to $2000, and at that price more than likely still won't be suitable for your workload.

cheers, Ian

[manakawari]

thank you, but more specifically, i was hoping to hear exactly WHY its less up to the tast than the mdx40a.

more like torque and rpm bla bla bla, ..something technical that would explain why its not at least as good for cutting metal.

from what i understand the carrage design of the mdx40a is terrible for metal but im less familiar with the machine specs that would be ideal for metal and how the mdx40a compares to the cnc 3040.

what i can see is that the cnc 3040 design seems to allow for far more customization , so if the machine is at least powerful enough, i dont understand why i cant mod it to make it a decent metal cutting machine??

at the very least it wouldnt be "WORSE" than the mdx40a right? and if so why?

thanks id really like these questions answered because i feel it will help educate me and help steer me in the right direction.

cheers!

[aarggh]

The 3040's are a little flimsy in my opinion compared to the larger models, and usually made with thinner stock. I also don't like the crappy brushed DC spindle (if you can call it that) supplied as standard compared to a decent air or preferably water cooled spindle. The ones on Ebay are cheap enough, but a lot suffer from controller issues. And a lot are using acme or trapezoidal thread drive screws and unsupported round rails, all of which in a machine like that will reduce performance and reliability and introduce mechanical issues.

Probably the best ones in this class you'll find on the market are the ones from Carving CNC:

CNC3040 3020 Series - carving-cnc.com

But shipping might be a killer and push it well over $1000. I think you'd also need to factor in a new spindle and VFD to cope with routinely accurate machining of metal. And before others jump in and say, "but it's got a spindle", the difference is akin to having a choice between a plastic and a metal toothpick to dig a tunnel, the plastic one may do the job in the end, but it will perform badly, give crap results, and take far longer. If your running this as a business and time is of the essence as you've mentioned in your many posts, the crappy little brushed DC spindle these come with simply won't stand up to it.

These machines are quite good value, and are generally pretty good construction wise, you may be able to beef it up a little in key areas, but there's not a lot of room for improvement on them. The round unsupported rails might be okay given the small dimensions, but supported rails, even if you had to go to a bigger machine, would be far better in my opinion. A 6040 would be the better option and would allow more room for beefing it up.

cheers, Ian

[alexlee]

Hi,nice day.This is alex from China,a cnc sales manager from SUDIAO.
I agree the aarggh said,Actually 3040 can cut soft metal,no problem.But it is so small,then the lathe bed not very big,so when it cut with high speed,the machine will rock.So i think that is the problem you should consider.
Maybe a little bigger machine is a good choice,like 6090 size.With constant power spindle,Cast steel lathe bed,servo motor(This i am not sure,usually stepper motor is enough).I think this kind machine maybe suit for your need.
But this machine cost is a little than your burget,maybe need 3000$,You can consider about.

[manakawari]

Hi ian..i really appreciate your reply..i looked at the site you provided and they appear to have other machines..they have a 3040,and the larger one you suggested as well as one called the x4 and the x8...what would be the difference?? I think the x4 appears to be the size of the 3040 but is made with better parts...its about.. $1400 bucks for the x4...this is within my budget so i was wondering if this machine might be a more reasonable option??..i just dont have the space for anything bigger than the 3040 and i will be using it for rather small pieces anyway...i was hoping you could maybe guide me to a machine on their site that is the size of the 3040 but perhapps is more powerful and better suited for metal...thanks so much for your reply

[aarggh]

No problems, looking at the x4 it's another 20 or so kg's heavier, and apart from the fact it has a proper water cooled spindle which you'll love, it also has more powerful steppers, better ballscrews and more solid construction, so I'd say it's a very good choice if that's the size your more or less limited to.

It would be fairly easy to bulk it up even more quite reasonably cheap, for example a solid aluminium (or steel if you have to) plate bolted to the table will increase the mass and reduce vibration and resonance which is always good.

The other advantage with Carvings machines is that they'll work out of the box unlike the ones on Ebay. I would also keep in the back of your mind that sometime down the track when the machines proved invaluable, upgrade to a G540 and a larger power supply, so you can get that extra grunt and performance from the steppers. The extra at some point really be worth it, and give much better machining results.

cheers, Ian

[235r]

Here's a good little LOCAL machine choice Shopping Cart Software & Ecommerce Software Solutions by CS-Cart a little over a grand but a good machine that will handle micro-step unlike the ebay specials (found that out the hard way). Good luck, Rob

[aarggh]

Here's a good little LOCAL machine choice Shopping Cart Software & Ecommerce Software Solutions by CS-Cart a little over a grand but a good machine that will handle micro-step unlike the ebay specials (found that out the hard way). Good luck, Rob

The Carving CNC machines are quite a different beast to the ebay specials with the TB6560 problems. From all reports their controller, while using the same or similar chipset, is correctly designed and implemented, unlike the ebay ones that all have various versions of the same faulty board design and layout that means it cannot work as it should, and is prone to the drivers blowing frequently.

cheers, Ian

[etiennebertrand]

You can see here :
https://imaginierie.com/impression-3...brication-cnc/

[etiennebertrand]

You can find a complete manual with parameters settings there:
https://imaginierie.com/2-different-...manufacturing/