I bought a CNC...Again

[wyz2285]

Years ago I bought a 6040 CNC router and while it did work, it did not impress me at all with the accuracy and capabilities. Nowadays with the online CNC services and ease of 3D printing I did not want to step into this messy world of automated machining again.
Then I found out Carvera, the automatic tool change kinda atracted my attention so I followed up on it. Checked the user group and youtubers for about a year and I'm convinced the ease of use is still far away from being close to the convinience of 3D printing despite it comes with a workable CAM and has support for Fusion 360.
But wife had an unexpected income and insisted she wanted to buy me something. Since I only buy things that contributes to self growth or the well being of the family and couldn't think of anything urgent, I figured I'd get the machine and force myself to learn how to use it, I could use more CNC knowledge.
Now that I received it, man it's such a hassle to use. It's not smart/capable enough to machine complex parts yet the setup to too buggy and complex for frequent use on one off simple parts. I'm sure it's a delight for folks who are used to tune homemade CNC routers but do not get fooled by all the youtube videos and user group posts lol, if you're new to CAM get ready for a lot of broken bits and wasted material.
So anyone here bought one? Care to share your experience?

[Gippeto]

I have the even jankier 3018 (the original). I don't expect much from it...so I'm generally not disappointed lol. It engraves stainless instrument tags with a drag bit, cuts foam patterns for lost foam casting or mdf patterns for sand casting. I also use it with a laser module for making pcbs. I have also used it to mill delrin, which it handled fine. I've not tried to mill aluminum with it. Building something a little heavier with light aluminum jobs in mind.











For CAD/CAM, and depending on the project I'm using FreeCad (CAM through the Path workbench), Carbide Create, KiCad and Lightburn. I send the gcode to the machine from a tablet using Gcode2grbl via bluetooth module...no cables to go bad. It's been a largely headache free setup.

[wyz2285]

It's good to see you Gippeto!
Why didn't you try Fusion 360? I heard so much about it (seems almost everyone is using it for modeling and CAM)
I was really hoping to step into real 3D milling instead of 2D and half with the Carvera. I also got the 4th axis too.
Seems a few broken bits and ruined material is inevitable lol

[Gippeto]

I actually started out with Fusion 360 back when they were allowing everyone to use it for free non commercially. Once nearly everyone was using it, they made some changes, and removed rapid moves from the gcode and limited models unless you got a subscription. The lack of rapids increased run times dramatically and sent me looking for an alternative. I don't make money with it, so spending money on a subscription was not an option.

FreeCad gets better all the time and gets the job done for 3d modeling and CAM. Thinking there is a workbench that does slicing, but I started out with Cura and have stuck with it. FreeCad will do 3d milling, and will handle your 4th axis as well. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... m+4th+axis

I like that it runs on my laptop and is not cloud based. Model storage is virtually unlimited and there are no issues with lagging internet connections. There is a learning curve, but grab your coffee, the Tylenol, pick a series of youtube videos and put some time in learning the basics. It gets easier...really.

You could also check out Blender, it has a CAM suite (FabEx) add on that looks promising... I've yet to play with it.

Just start out slow. Initally, set your cut depth at 1/4 the bit diameter and drop the feed and rapid rates, this will slow things down and give you extra time to hit the "oh shit button/estop" and help avoid breaking as many bits while learning. Watch your clearance height and double check your Z zero against the work piece. You can pre-run the file before sending it to the machine as well...it helps spot moves that might be not quite what was intended.