Hi all, Im about to purchase my first CNC machine for a business project im working on. Ive been planning this for a few months. I need to be able to cut and shape acrylic sheet to particular shapes and sizes. i initially looked at getting companies to do this for me in the uk, but they either couldnt as they only cut quare sheets, or they charged a fortune to cut my designs. i then looked at using a dremel, grinder and finally a router, which led on to the cnc router option. This is probably a bit overkill for what im doing really but the other people doing what im planning on doing (the chinese) all use cnc routers. The only difference is that they are knocking them out in huge factories with massive cnc's which must cost a fortune. After a little research i have settled on the ooznest workbee. ive looked at it a little on here and am happy with what i see. the option of a 150 x 150 cm workspace is a must for me. its also readily available in the uk. One concern i have, is that i have no experience whatsoever of CNC routers and their software. Im a plater by trade though and im confident using tools etc. I also have experience with software such as illustrator, photoshop etc, come from a bit of an art and design background and im pretty good with computers. I have a few business ideas for the ooznest that im exicted to get up and running. i should also mention, i really like the look of some of the builds on here and would love to be able to do something similar but i just dont have the time. i really need to be able to purchase i machine that i can just put together and get to work with. 1. Can anyone here offer and thoughts and opions, firstly on the ooznest itself for cutting acrylic and what extras are considered essential. 2. what are peoples preferences for the options of router available for the ooznest 3. Does anyone recocomend any other routers in the same sort of price bracket (sub 2k)
I would recommend the Makita router - has a lower bottom speed than the Dewalt and a better reputation for brush and bearing life. You won't get a 1500 x 1500 mm work area though - the work area for the 1515 workbee is 1300 x 1270 mm. I would suggest Vectric software for design and creating the code to run the machine - have a look at their website for details of the various software they sell - download the trial versions and play with them to see what would suit you. Alex.
Thanks for the reply Alex. I will loo Into the Makita router then. From what I've seen it's cheaper to purchase them seperately. About the vetric software Alex, you just mentioned something that sent a shudder down my spine. Creating code. This is completely alien to me. Is it not possible to just import designs etc. I was hoping to import my acrylic designs from a program called coreldraw but I hadn't thought much further than that. Coding is really something I hadn't factored into this
The software does the hard bit. I use CorelDraw occasionally, but with the Vectric software you can design in the software, create a toolpath and save it as code for your machine. There is a lot to learn, but you don't have to write any code yourself. Bedtime here (I'm also in the UK) but I'll try to find some explanatory videos tomorrow. Alex.
+1 on the Vectric software. Very deep capabilities at a reasonable price. I wouldn’t call the learning curve steep, but it does take time to become proficient. People also use Fusion 360 from Autodesk, but that learning curve is definitely much steeper than Vectric, IMO. Vectric has numerous online tutorial videos that are tremendously helpful, they are “must-watch”, especially the ones related to just getting started. As Alex said, you don’t do “the coding”, the app does that for you. But you need to provide it with some critical guidance and there are some workflow considerations to learn. Also, vectric has a top notch forum with loads of friendly, helpful, knowledgeable people. Thx, rink.
Thanks for the replies. Im 100% getting a machine so ive gone and got vectric aspire 10.5 to play with. Ive been watching youtube videos etc this week and im finding it a great piece of software to play around with. i just need a machine to have a go with now. on a seperate note. is there any chance someone could id this machine?
Workbee vs LEAD series... keep in mind the LEAD is more modular - if you intend any future modifications
If you have no experience and just want to learn CAD/CAM why not go get Fusion 360? It's free for none commercial use and it's really powerful. A lot of Tutorials on You Tube. Really good Forums. Once you want to go commercial they have plans/ rates for that. Then once you know what you are doing in terms of CAD and CAM You could get Vectric and or other types of Software to suit your needs? Try before you buy.
