Hi even though i have the budget to make my own cnc machine i was wondering if i could get some feedback on the pros and cons from buying a cnc router from china. i will give a break down of the costs for doing it my self.
frame cost
£3500 ($4,764) this includes the steel box sections with fabrication and machined for the top rails or £2400 ($3267) if i weld it my self
total size is 3000mm x 1600mm
aluminium plates
£1500 ($2042) this includes machining
waiting for price on the tbi ballscrews and hiwin rails but im guessing around £2000 ($2722)
motors are the 10Nm closed loop stepper motors on all axis £600 ($816)
rotating ballnuts on both x axis these are roughly around £900 ($1225)
2.2kw water cooled spindle £295 ($401)
already at £8,795 ($11,973) then you have all the additional proximity switches, cables, software ect...
these chinese ones on aliexpress how do they counter act the whip on the long ballscrews hence why on the diy route i have the rotating ballnuts?
the biggest cost is obviously the frame so i am in the process of looking for a used one and just replace all the electronics for better ones but when looking on aliexpress they have some nice machines but the price is weird because one looks decent and is the same size (3000mm x 1500mm) using tbi ballscrews but for only £2873 ($3911)
Would you buy a car without seeing an example in front of you?Never mind the fairly significant matter of taking it for a test drive and then finding that once it has been delivered,the nearest mechanic with relevant product knowledge is 7000 miles away.Which when coupled with time differences makes it hard to phone the factory for advice.
I would give some thought to your idea of finding a used machine and doing a retrofit as it is a quick way to get the hardware.You need to determine how hard a life it has had and which parts might be kept.On the other side of the coin,you will have to deal with correctly configuring the hybrid machine.If you believe you have the competence it will result in a decent machine for a more modest outlay and you will have a deep understanding of it.If its a commercial thing you need to factor in the hours it will devour between arrival and producing parts.
You could as an alternative buy what looks a lot like a Blue Elephant machine from a man in Essex and be producing by the end of the week.His most basic machine would cost you about as much as the pile of parts you listed.
The Chinese router ballscrew question is pretty simple. They are slow. They generally use large nema 34 motors and they keep the acceleration and velocity relatively slow, compared to an expensive servo system. The costs are also misleading because of the shipping and importing costs, which they sometimes claim are included, but rarely are.
buying a cnc router from aliexpress
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