# Need some help finalizing decision



## joegambler0

Hi everyone glad to be here so after months of research I decided to get a CNC with a seven watt Jtech laser diode instead of a CO2 laser engraver cutter now all the companies I picked are good they're all within my price range they're all more or less the size I need but now it's getting difficult to choose between them just like if you're looking at a car you can't really compare a four cylinder to a V8 automatic transmission to manual transmission and two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive but that's what it's coming down to the cncs have rack and pinion they have lead screws or ball screws when it comes to electronics I'm not skimping I'm getting a good board and high torque nema 23 motors and at least 24v power so my choices have come down too Millwright Mega V rack and pinion very sturdy good reputation around to $2,000 price range the other one is the onefinity that's also going to be in the $2,000 price range they're the newest ones so not much data on them but they're sealed linear bearings with ball screws that would seem to be the best choice but I'm not sure and on the cheapest side there's the longmill that has just a simple V channel and wheels I have seen some nice work done with it but that design looks like the weakest and the most problematic again just going on opinion don't have any knowledge and then the two kits that I'm trying to decide on if I don't get the above three one is the openbuilds lead CNC either directly from openbuilds or from makerbuilds or even the AliExpress China bulkman 3D I'm pretty sure all the extrusions are coming from China anyway and with any of those I'm getting the openbuilds electronic package that's going to have the Blackbox motion control all the wiring and the nema 23 motors so not skipping on the electronics just trying to decide if I go to one of those kits who to get it from now another one I'm pretty interested in is the printNC from three designs it also uses ball screws and seems to be pretty well built but it's just regular aluminum channel that I have to drill and screw together seems like would be not as good a fit as the extruded v slot channels with corner brackets from openbuilds so what I'm looking for is a hobby CNC that can become a small business CNC without having to upgrade or change I want to have the least maintenance possible last the longest time and whatever can go wrong with it that I'm able to just order the part and change it myself because I do plan to relocate to another country not going to be doing a lot of plastics or aluminum just mostly wood and foam but I do want precision in case I do any inlay work so there you have it give me your opinions thanks


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## PlentyFarmLLC

That's a lot of words without periods.


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## CaptainKlutz

Welcome to LumberJocks!

+1 Where does one sentence end, and the next one start?

Suggest maybe a little less caffeine too?

Best Luck with your decision.


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## AlaskaGuy

Isn't this a Do It Yourself site? Put theses wherever you like them.

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## LeeRoyMan

Ease up on the guy. 
It's only one sentence. He just needs one at the end…..


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## MadMark

Since you're using a laser the gantry doesn't encounter any motion resistance other than it's own inertia and rolling resistance.

Most all units can hit 254 DPI (0.1 mm) repeatedly.

Base rigidity is key. Some units will walk as the gantry makes rapid X-axis moves. Tie the base to the table or other mount.

Don't expect to lase grey scale, laser is dot/no dot like a dot matrix printer. Grey scale *is* possible but it takes the right combo of material, power & speed to get right. Expect lots of scrap initially (practice on small pieces.)

You'll want to build a corner block at 0,0 so you don't have to recalibrate after each piece when doing multiple pieces.

*WEAR THE GOGGLES AND DO NOT LOOK AT BEAM WITH REMAINING EYE!*

These "small" lasers can cause damage literally in the blink of an eye. Beware hitting anything reflective and dome-like with the beam. This will cause specular reflection and the beam will literally go *everywhere* at once.

I worked with 10kw metal cutting industrial lasers at Control Laser back in the day and they took specular reflections very seriously. They'd block the beam from going everywhere by erecting beam stops around every station (including the top).

You might want to add air assist to clear the ash & fumes from the laser channel. Be sure to brush or blow the material after lasing to remove the charred dust. A wet wipe helps.


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## LittleBlackDuck

Phew *joe*... your *gambling* with my sanity with all those words. I hate reading so I got most of the gist from *Mm2* response.

I am a hobbyist and not in the trade… I have a 30W laser… and if lasering is your destination I might be able to help with non-comercial questions.


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