CNCTOPBAOS CNC 3018-PRO-MAX 3 Axis Desktop DIY Mini Wood Router Kit PCB PVC Milling Engraver Engraving Carving Machine GRBL Control with offline controller Hand Control (w/Offline Controller)

It was quite straightforward to assemble, kind of like legos but more metal. The quality of the CNC is quite good for what it's priced at and it cuts pretty well. I've been able to accurately cut PCBs even with the default setup.

I bought this machine for the sole purpose of cutting a particular shape out of anodized 1/32 thick aluminum sheets. When the machine arrived, one of the stepper motors was defective and did not have enough torque to move the lead screw. After contacting support, they were able to assist and I was up and running! If you are cutting metals, the v bits that come with the machine are not going to get you very far. After some research, I got some up cut endmills that cut the aluminum, but broke very quickly. After more research into feeds and speeds and adding some oil to the surface of the aluminum, I am getting successful cuts without breaking bits! A few things to help get started with the machine! You are probably going to break a lot of bits starting out, so be prepared to budget for this and maybe start with some cheaper endmills before dropping a lot of money on the high end stuff. You will need a spoil board under your project if you are cutting all the way through. You can 3d print something to work if you have access to a 3d printer, or you can use wood. Of using wood, make sure it is flat, or mill it flat after installing. Go slow. The spindle in this machine is mounted with an injection molded plastic part that has a single screw to tighten the spindle into it. This piece will flex with enough resistance and ruin your project if your feeds and speeds are not right. Be patient. This machine is not an industrial machine at all, but rather an intro into the world of CNC milling. There are going to be ways to upgrade it with a better spindle, an offline controller, etc, but try using the machine as is before dumping extra money into upgrades that may not net the results you need.

I built this CNC excited to get into machining, here is my experience on this 3018 variant: Pros to buying this CNC: Electronics worked first try 20 dollars less than brand name The motor polarity was marked (Does not matter, since a DC motor works regardless of +/- configuration) The 3018 is heavily modifiable, you can see in my photo set I have already installed a MDF mounting system, a bit height gauge and more. The modifications are cheap and easy. Cons to buying this CNC: No installation guide The Z axis was preassembled, but it was assembled wrong: missing the spring to prevent wobble which was not included in my kit. I will be removing this assembly and installing a 500w motor but this is relevant if you plan to stay stock (Picture 4 attached) It comes with one bit set which is cleverly not described since the included bits are mostly useless. The cheap plastic case they were in cracked when I opened it initially (The bits at least did have protective rubber caps on them that I have removed (pictured included bits)). Now maybe my experience was because of a defective unit, so I reached out to the seller. I sent them photos of my unit wobbling and not being plumb because of misshapen aluminum, they asked for a video which I also sent them. After leaving my initial review, the seller has since reached out and made amends to the frame defect I experienced, I appreciate this action on their part, I just wish it was sooner. --------------------- Note: Please excuse my heavy use of grease on all my axis rails and rods, I have this unit in storage while I wait for parts I have ordered, I like to keep things lubricated while they are in storage for extended periods of time. I have also validated measurements on the distance of my axis connection for the X,Y, and Z axis assemblies, all connections are measured in mm's to .1 via calipers and they are evenly installed, this is not a user to interface issue.

So this took me a bit to figure out. My y axis motor would randomly get stuck. Here is my suggestion. Use the software/offline controller and find the exact spot where the center holding rail clamp (not exactly sure what it's called) gets stuck or you hear/feel vibrations. Move only in 0.1 inch incremented while doing this. Place your fingers up against a slightly loosened clamp and find where your fingers pressure causes the greatest reduction in noise/vibration. Tighten the center while applying the pressure then place some oil on the rail. Easel is a great starter software. Also the manual does not say what should be the x-axis, y-axis and z axis motors. The board has the labels but the motors do not. This confused me because I have several machines at my job where these are arbitrarily defined. The spindle moving up and down is the z-axis, the spindle motor moving left/right is the x-axis and the plate moving forward/backward is the y-axis. The starting blades will wear fairly quickly (about 16-24 projects worth of sharpness assuming 9" x 3" x 0.75" pine/walnut) this device is not accurate enough to leave cuts in wood less then ~1/10th (upgrade a motor to a higher spindle speed and better bits to attempt higher accuracy, grain placement/direction also affects results) Clean the rails between each project. Lots of sawdust and very small grinding without oil causes the rails to get stuck.

Keeping in mind the size and power limit the work you can do, this is a remarkably solid little unit. More for carving/engraving and some "Light" mill work & routing. I found the assembly easy and had it running within a couple of hours. The software is crap (but I knew that going in) but there is plenty of good, free software out there that make getting started straight forward. More advanced Mill/routing work will have a steeper learning curve but that's in the CAD/CAM software, not the unit. The unit I got didn't come with a Z probe or limit switches (I knew that when I ordered) but the driver board is set up to accept them. I recommend adding the, I did. The newer Woodpecker 3.4 control board is not set up to receive an E-stop switch which it should (the older Cronos Maker board was so equiped). I'll wire mine into the DC Power line. A fair amount of upgrades are available but the base unit, as delivered, is solid. Plenty of You Tube tutorials for this unit are out there, Which I found to be of great help. All in all, Very satisfied.

Machine arrived undamaged. Came with a paper Part A: Assembly Instructions and Part B: User Manual, and remaining manuals, pictures and videos, controlling software, etc. on a thumbdrive. However, all the files on the thumbdrive were corrupted/un-usable. The was NO contact information to reach the Seller initially, but Amazon support directed me to a link to send the Seller a message. Still, the link says to wait several days for a response from the Seller. Not happy with the situation. Machine is un-useable as is - great paperweight at the moment.

No matter what I do, I can't get the Y-axis table to move without binding. I've adjusted the sliders, slide rods and drive screw repeatedly. I tried lubing the drive screw and rods. The table is square to the frame and I tried swapping out the motor with the X-axis motor but get the same results. This is not the first time I've assembled something like this and I build stuff for a living so it's not lack of skill causing the issue. I have no idea how well the machine works because I haven't gotten that far yet. The X-axis and Z-axis components move fine and the spindle fires up on command so if I can get the Y-axis problem resolved, it should work fine. Amazon suggests I return the one I have for a replacement but then I'd have to disassemble the whole thing and pack it back up. I'd rather get help figuring out how to make it work or get replacement parts but I can't find any tech support contact information. Based on other reviews, this seems like an uncommon issue but it is still an issue.

Va bien para arrancar, si querés algo que corte en profundidad, que no se vaya a trabar porque querés trabajos más grandes, entonces no es esta la máquina para vos. Si para tallado, corte de piezas no tan anchas y trabajos lentos, con paciencia