CNCTOPBAOS Upgrade CNC 3018-PRO 3 Axis DIY Mini CNC Router Kit with GRBL Remote Control Offline Controller PVC PCB Acrylic Plastic Wood Cutting Engraving Carving Milling Machine

The media could not be loaded. Don't get too ambitious!This is a great starter CNC machine, but it is just a little guy. So I got this machine because I am a hobby starter. I start many hobbies but rarely stick to any one very long; so this was perfect for the budget I allowed myself and I've been pleasantly surprised with its ability. As long as a piece being carved is not wider than a piece of paper is tall you can do alot if you get creative. I've carved dozens of pieces on this machine now and it just keeps on keeping on. I carved a 6 foot long wall ruler once and just had to add a long board as a roller support on one end and break the carved up into 7 parts.Noise level: kinda sounds like a high pitched animal whine most of the time and sound like the bit might break at any point but I have only had the tip break off of one of the bits that came with it so far because I set one of the clamps right in the carved path... Wouldn't recommend carving inside with this thing but great in places such as a garage away from ears that don't appreciate the art process.Ease of assembly: Not hard to assemble in my opinion. Be careful with the direction the supports are facing on the board because if you get those wrong you will decrease your workspace by a lot. Connection to my computer was also pretty simple just using the included instructions. Easel has been my favorite free online software to use when creating designs and running the machine.I recommend getting some larger bits like 1/8in straight cuts and keep the spindle speed up about 8000 rpm, a cut depth of .03in per pass a cut speed of 30in/min and a plunge rate of 9in/min. Those are the settings I use most of the time but recommend doing your research and experimenting to see what works best for you.Overall it is a fun machine that if you are patient with will turn out some great pieces.

So far it's pretty good. It seems like it can cut out full contours... At least from what I could tell in the grbl software when I loaded up some g-code for a half sphere through fusion 360. I need to make some adjustments to the clearance passes though to adjust for max travels. No super critical projects yet completed, but if I can update with one later I will. I agree with others that have mentioned the use of the end stop switches. These would be extremely useful. I purchased the model with the offline controller and very much so like this option.I do want to make note that you cannot (unless I just haven't found out how to do this yet) single pass the g-code like a real CNC mill would allow a machinist to work for prove outs. This would be extremely useful to avoid crashes on initial program operations for something with depth.I won't say it's a completely no brain operation... Someone trying to use this machine would be advised to freshen up on g-code and design unless there are websites out there like thing verse for mini mills.Motors are not too noisy. Assembly is easy. Movements are quick and smooth. Also, since the grbl firmware doesn't seem to have any limits programmed directly into it, you could also upgrade the machine footprint to cut out larger items.

Everything was OK, although assembly instructions could have been better. I had to disassemble parts because order of assembly was not clear, and hardware was not clearly identified. One of the anti-backlash screws was defective, I sent a message to the supplier and they responded quickly. I was offered a partial refund which I accepted. The machined worked as well as I expected. the 3 stars was because of the instructions, not the part

Don't buy this if you really don't know what you're getting into.I'll grant that if you take your time, exhibit some foresight, and pay attention to detail, this will assemble into a very sturdy and capable little machine. Understand that it is SMALL, with a work envelope only about 6"x12"x2". That's about the size of one low shoe. Understand, too, that you might be brickwalled by the CAM used to control it from your PC; there aren't very many inexpensive or free options out there, the most popular being Candle(BRBL) 1.1.7... which absolutely refuses to run on any computer I own (and I own a LOT of computers). Next best candidate is LinuxCNC, which also also refuses to run on any Linux machine I own. I'm experimenting with UGS, and it looks promising. Fortunately, you can also use nearly any CAM to generate gcode and transfer it to the CNC router with a MicroSD card, using the tiny "offline controller" to make it run.Speaking of which...you should be aware that the "offline controller" is tiny. It's much smaller than you think it should be. The little screen, for example, is only about 1" diagonal and the overall size is only about the same as one deck of playing cards. You can use a Fresnel lens to magnify the display, though, and later you can add a much larger scale offline controller.You will find that this little machine really begs to be upgraded in many regards. You'll want to change out the solid motor-to-screw couplings early on to flexible couplings, and replace the linear bearings with polymer ones, and absolutely add dual limit switches to every axis. You should really consider replacing the spindle motor with a larger one, say 500W, which will require a larger spindle mount to match... and you might want a taller Z axis gantry and spindle carrier system... but that latter is much lower priority than the rest.It's a neat little machine for the price. It's not a drop-in, idiotproof machine but it's also not a complete turd. You might get lucky and be able to run Candle (or something like it) on your computer, which will make your life easier. Just don't expect much. After all, it's not very expensive.Do I regret having bought one? No. It'll give me lots of tinkering time, which I prize. I'd rather have bought this than a prebuilt shoo-in machine that costs ten times as much money.