A CNC Mill For Less Than $200 - Is It Worth Buying? (CNC 3018 Pro)
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- G'day everyone,
I have been wanting to get my hands on one of these cheap CNC kits for quite some time. It is more of a curiosity, rather than an investment. I want to know what can you get for $200. I have seen these CNC machines on ebay for a long time, but I recently saw a listing on sale for less than $200, so I took the gamble. This is a CNC 3018 Pro from Vevor. In this video I'll unbox it, assemble it, go through my first impressions and take a few test cuts in various materials. I hope you enjoy the video.
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
0:36 - Unboxing
1:21 - Going Through The Components In The Box
4:28 - Assembling The Mini Mill
6:13 - Overview And First Impressions
7:47 - Spindle, ER 11 Collet And Cutters
10:32 - Rigidity Concerns
11:41 - GRBL Computer Controller
13:00 -Test Engraving In Wood And Aluminium
15:34 - Making Toolpaths In Fusion 360
16:08 - Cutting Profiles In Wood And Acrylic
17:52 - Test Cuts in Aluminium
18:25 - Final Thoughts
#CNC #CNC3018 #Machining
CNC 3018 Pro 
Наука
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Once it was assembled, I think that my first projects would be to machine out replacements for the problematic plastic parts, or at least reinforcing steel plates to go over them
I'm wondering if this machine is even up to that task.
@@Jianju69 It's really not
Maybe you should just not buy a piece of shit to begin with.
@@JTMarlin8 now it a verifiable pos 😁😆🤣
Do you think this machine would cut a design from vinyl records?
I bought a 3018 three years ago and I've made hundreds of acrylic Edge Lit signs and wood plaques. It paid for itself in the first couple months selling my work. Maybe I got lucky, mine has ran flawlessly. I upgraded the spindle about a year ago, everything else is still original.
What brand/model did you go with? I've been looking on eBay for something inexpensive to route 50 x 50 x 20 mm graphite blocks for metal pour molds but have no idea where to start.
@@jbb3141 did you find what you look?
Sounds good enough for pcb boards to me.
I've been watching a lot of reviews of these and this is by far the most thorough and clear, with an actual parts quality viewpoint. Even broke out the indicator. I needed to know these things, thank you!
Most these "pros" very so much it makes it moot. I got a pro that is nicer then thsi from another company. They slap "pro" on everythign hobby kit wise these days. Mine has Saintssmart logo on it the mount is better, and its just over tweaked. I seen other reviews point out the saintsmart model is nicer version, and again its a chinese made kit been out for a long time now, so there is a ton of cheap versions out there that "do the same thing" where they slap Pro on it and skimped on some spots, especially knowing many people will swap out the mount, and motor on these things if they keep using it or just moth ball it and move on to much nicer CNC for double the price once they learn on this thing.
Nice! Good of you to bite the bullet for the rest of us. I'm sure you are right, many of us have that unit in our watch list. Waiting for more reviews to come in, it's too good to be true as things are right now. Thank you so much for taking the plunge on all of our behalf!
For my part, I'm a broke Mom who would ultimately love to build my own machine. In the meantime- something like this is exactly what I need. There are so many things I can learn from for a very minimal amount of money. Idc about perfect right now. I'm delighted this exists so I can learn with my hands instead of just watching creator vids kinda just...idk watching the world go by. For me, this video means everything I appreciate it very much, thank you!
Good luck to you. And yes....a lesser expensive machine like this is a great start point other than the frustrating parts of troubleshooting. You won't be as nervous to messing up a very expensive spindle or homing tool.
I'm thinking of getting it to cut wood. Looks like anything more than that is a no go.
Great video, I’ve been thinking of getting one of these for PCB milling and plastic engraving, I’ll be very interested seeing how you go with the upgrades. Keep the videos coming, I always get something informative out of them.
I've always wanted one of those machines and the price on this is Affordable. I appreciate your obvious background and expertise in evaluating this inexpensive machine and I'm interested in how you might improve it for aluminum use. Thank you so much.
Arguably one of the must underrated machining channels on youtube. Loving the content, Mr. Artisan. Would love to see a CAM video at some point.
No worries, thanks for the suggestion
One of the things I've heard is really important for those small CNC routers in aluminum is using a 1 flute cutter to reduce tool pressure, and lowering the spindle speed to get as close to the correct SFM as you possibly can, so you're cutting actual chips instead of dust.
Thanks for the insight. Strangely controlling the router from the computer I have no spindle RPM control, but controlling it from the offline controller I have total control. Cant wait to get my hands on some one flute cutters. Cheers
A 1/4" diameter HSS tool cutting cast aluminum the spindle RPM should be at least 9,167 RPM If you're using carbide tools then it's pretty much as fast as you can go isn't nearly fast enough. The HSS was calculated for 600 SFPM and carbide is 2,820 SFPM So almost 5 times faster. Or about 43,084 RPM.
@@1pcfred @Paul Frederick Yeah, a 1/4" diameter tool is about the largest you can fit in an ER11 collet. I was gonna mention too, but forgot, you can also increase the size of the tool to get more SFM at the same RPM, which is a good idea, since torque tends to drop off at low RPM. Downside is that your minimum corner radius is the size of your cutter, so it's often enough that you don't want to do that, in which case it's important to drop the RPM.
@@auxchar you need to raise RPM when you drop tool diameter to maintain surface speed.
This looks like a good learning tool; I think people would outgrow this pretty quick but they'd be ready for something bigger because of it.
Speaking of your 3040, I'm currently in the process of upgrading my 6040 with servo motors - which are vastly overkill, of course.
But hey, I consider it a test bench! Those iHSV57s should work wonders on an import mill like yours, and I'd already have everything setup!
Except for the mill, of course ...
Angus does this have to be tied into the wwweb to use? Thanks
Got one of these a few weeks ago, came with 2.5W laser for $289 AUD, crazy low price for a beginners machine. There are some guys who have got the 3020 Pro Max which addresses the rigidity, linear slides on X,Z and bigger rails on the Y, 300W motor. However it is double the price, if you want to make small aluminium parts slowly then it is probably worth it.
I've been looking into these as a "Intro to cnc" for myself. Looking forward to the modding videos
Very nicely presented! For $200 it's a great deal.
Your mention of the parallel port reminded me of a pcb milling machine I made back in the 90s. I controlled the steppers in real time with binary counting over parallel port. Windows 95/98 allowed this and I milled hundreds of pc boards. I wrote my own Gerber 274X conversion software in VB6. I upgraded to Phidgets USB control in 2005 with some code mods. It's now in my garage shop in use! Kind of cool to see this sort of thing has taken off, and 3d printing.
That's awesome.
if you add a spray mist to the machine it will help with the finishes by reducing re-cutting chips . I was an aerospace machinist for 43 years , there are off the shelf replacement bushings/bearings for that machine by the way that are vastly superior but there's nothing to do about the plastic other than replace with aluminum .
do you know of any supplier Europe side, i'm very interested in buying one of these and slowly specking it up.
@@NewExperienceExplorer Not sure of any in Europe but the majority of these things are made in China and should be available thru Alibaba if you use that online supplier .
Add spray mist?
@@prestonian1066 Look it up old chap!
I like the straight to the point narrative and the comments on the various aspects that affect the build and working of the machine.
About 6 months back I went on EBAY or was it AMAZON....can't remember....and bought one of these 3018 CNC routers mainly to see how it went together as I knew just by watching the various videos that it was a bit weak at the knees for a machine that cuts into materials more harder than soft wood...........it's still in the box untouched, but looked at in depth and will be sold on after the build, and from that I designed a more improved version and bought a swag of 2040 extrusions, 10mm aluminium plate along with a couple of SBR linear rails and 1204 ball screws..........I intend to make it perform like a pocket battleship as the motor is a 150watt brushed type.
I already have a CNC mill so this is just an amusement exercise in off the shelf component design to pass the time and keep the marbles well oiled.
So far, as this is yet another iron in the fire, the build is 3/4 finished and gets worked on a couple of hours at a time just as the fancy takes me.
The new build will be more expensive than the bought in item but that was not the object of the exercise......it also worked out slightly bigger in the X,Y and Z due to the off the shelf components that I didn't want to cut.
can't wait to hear about the new and bigger machine, I got a 3018 last year, have done a few upgrades, I'm loving it .
Thanks, excellent review, looking forward to hearing about your upgrades
I bought a CNC2418 some years before... with a 2.5W laser and a drill... kept me entertained five moths... because I basically lasered and drilled about everything I could find and try. My neighbours were lucky to be on vacation... else I would have lasered and drilled them too. The learning curve of these machines is a bit higher due to no end stops etc. But great value for money.
I have the non PRO 3018. I really like it. I made really precise pieces made of plywood and made a bigger CNC with this one. For wood I use fast feed rate and small depth of cut. I t works better for me than slow feed with large depth of cut. Also end switches are nice upgrade.
same here...I 3D printed some limit switch mounts and some manual crank additions, but unfortunately...I just haven't gotten into CNC as much as I would have liked...heck that $80 "laser engraver" got more use than my 3018 just making little images on cutout cardboard for the kids
I also added limit switches, but encountered the problem that once the spindle starts up, there's enough EM interferance that the some of the limit switches are falsely triggered, ending the operation. Added capacitors to the spindle motor, but that didn't help. Will try coax wire next. Limits work great in laser mode though.
@@NeilFraser You probably used switches in NC combination, this means that the switches break contact when activated/touched. Use them in NC combination, that means that they short when they are activated/touched, that way there is no loop to be able to make inducted pulse.
With anything as underpowered as these tiny machines, you really have to. Keep the strain on the motors as low as possible and you'll be okay. You're not doing production runs, you can afford to take your time.
Great video I’ll look forward to seeing your progress in future videos. It’s something I’ve been wanting to try for some time but unsure where to start. A great help.
Visual’s and commentary perfectly aligned as usual.
Learnt a few things new 👍
Plastic, aluminum and steel have one thing in common, they all flex under stress and tensile loads. For industry applications use steel or granite bed, enable increase production rate at optimum profit usually at a priming price. For hobby aluminum and or plastic bed to lower production rate (to obtain same flex in steel) for nonprofit applications to a least market price.
I use the same machine for facing 3d printed parts. It works great for that. But I don't need engine piston precision for what I'm doing. If you need super precise parts, the 3018 won't do you justice. But if all you need is 0.1mm precision, it's great, and you don't need anything more. With that being said; the 775 motors are not the highest quality. They'll burn out after 100 hours, or so. but the replacements are, only, about $10-$15USD; depending where you look. However, there's plenty of 3D printable mods, that will allow you to add a Makita, or similar router. But, for my needs, the 775 does a great job.
I got the cheaper version and the frame is all extruded aluminum, so it's a little more ridged. I cut plastic and mdf all the time with it. I have used the v bit that came with the machine to etch lines into aluminum so I get my holes and cut lines correct and was able to get a logo on it as well. It just took multiple passes of about 0.05mm each time until I found it reasonable. The tip did break so it is no longer a point on the end but still works. I recently got a drag bit for engraving and that worked great on aluminum. I do find you really need a spoil board that you can flatten because the work plate doesn't ever seem to stay level.
This "pro" was garbage mine was all aluminum, more rigid, better mount, and same basic motor though. Like a lot say "pro" and be not pro, they got same basic stats but the quality changes so much based on who made it. But I seen some built for weaker metals they cost more first thing I noticed is much nicer mount for the motor and a motor upgrade was put on it as well. The ones I seen all say for wood or acrylic, you really need to upgrade it for metal work, and no one should be using just the stock bits, its not a 3d printer get set of different ones for it and thank yourself later.
If you only do model making and mainly work with balsa wood or plastic, then this small C&C machine is absolutely sufficient. But if you want to work on aluminum or even steel, you should choose a C&C machine with at least 1.5 HP or approx. 1 kilowatt of power and a machine frame made of solid aluminum or, better yet, cast steel.
10 years ago I bought something like this on ebay, it was made from bunch of polypropylene blocks, no profile. It still cuts a pcb's. But I tried alu and It was decent. It was a long journey that started from this little plastic CNC.
Hi. For proper cuts in wood you have to use Wood cutters. The geometry is different (chips evacuation) and it makes a huge difference. Try 2 flutes bits designed for handheld routers. Spiral ones if you can find them. And in wood, the results vary a lot when you cut endgrain or inline. And also wheter the bit is Upcut or Downcut.
Absolutely!! You took the words right out of my mouth. I've been running and building machines and a lot of other things for decades.
Great video I've been looking into getting one of these glad to see they are somewhat capable
I would love to see the upgrade options and I would love to see a full tutorial on acrylic with this machine!
Toss the endmill and replace it with a roughing mill - which is sort of a cross between and endmill and a tap. With this machine, a roughing mill will produce a better finish and be able to cut deeper than an endmill, because it cuts in nibbles rather than slices.
I didn't even think they made roughers that small, I have a few larger ones, but Ill have to buy some 1/8 in ones
@@artisanmakes do it. Pls.
@@artisanmakes What's the difference between aluMINIUM and aluminum?
@@smallblockchevy1022 the difference is whether you live in north America or the rest of the world. Same stuff different spelling :)
@@smallblockchevy1022 the accent
I have what may be dumb questions, but I have always wondered how much comes for $200. I think the money bought a very capable little starter machine that someone starting out would have loads of fun learning and using it. Now for the questions. Can you use the machine parts as patterns and build it up larger in size and out of aluminium instead of plastic. That way you can mount a proper router or HD motor, some beefy stepper motors, but use the little mills electronics controller, to run the larger steppers motors. If so that would be great because you said you like the way it works easily with your computer etc.
This type of machine is the best introduction into CNC machining. If you manage to become proficient in making little trinkets on this ( which includes) learning CAD and CAM software) , you can confidently step up to a bigger machine than you can use to make practical parts.
Thanks for making this getting started vid, it is just what I needed.
Sure, it’s not a 6040 with linear rails, but it can do a LOT for 200 bucks! I upgraded mine with an all aluminium z-axis/spindle holder and a more powerfull spindle motor for like 100 bucks more and I’m doing carbon fibre plates at around .5mm depth and 100mm/m feed with really nice results. Next step will be linear rails but that is probably at the edge of the amount of cash im willing to spend on it before buying a more proper machine. Still, great machine for learning and very easy to transition to from 3d printing
Thank you. You cover al the important machining aspects such as run out and rigidity.
We, I run a small charity, have been running one of these machines for the past three years. We use it to cut out a product from HDPE, and the little thing runs 8 hours a day 5 days a week. We have never had an issue with it, it just runs and runs, we haven't had to replace the motor or any other parts. We did dump the supplied controller, added a Raspberry Pi, so it works wirelessly now, and some micro end stops.
Overall it has been a great machine that has paid us back thousands of times over. It is being replaced by a larger CNC so we can cut more product quicker, but i'm sure we will find something for it to do. It engraves brass quite easily so maybe name plates.
I set these up for a living the huge versions of this, haas and makinos. Kinda cool to see what I would consider a pocket sized version of what I work on.
Having a little CNC machine to make parts sounds great. I have a few parts I would like to make but this machine couldn't handle it and spending >500 on one just for a couple little parts is pretty expensive. Still, it does seem neat. I would like to own one at some point, which seems possible given how quickly the cost of a capable CNC machine seems to be dropping.
I've been doing some custom woodwork lately, mostly birdhouses and indoor trim, but I've been looking into CNC machining, especially since I got into AutoCAD. A machine like that would be a great addition to the shop, and give me an opportunity to expand my business! Thanks for your review.
Glad to hear it, and hope autocad hasn't been to much of a hassle to learn, I Know it was for me. Just be aware that there are larger 3040 CNC machines that might also be suited to your type of work. Cheers
Token comment for the algorithm- awesome video! Can’t wait to see the aluminum upgrade, as I bought one of these things a while back to see if it could do some actual aluminum milling, and have as of yet not gotten very far with it, as I didn’t realize CNC would be as hard as it has seemed to pick up… I thought it’d be easy like 3D printing is, hehe
Seems perfect for a hobbyist, thank you for the review.
For my 1st cnc its worth the money and now I’m on the verge of building a small shop and getting a bigger machine I would start small and if you really get into it then I would recommend a bigger machine thanks for the video
Wow, this is the exact machine I was looking at getting in combination with a printer. Thank you, this is precisely what I wanted to see.
May I recommend you make videos about any upgrades you build on this machine. I was thinking of designing a vacuum suction bed for rapid reset/ turn around with a mini compressor and a chip / dust extractor mini vac for cleaner cuts.
@@reallyfurious This you can buy a shopvac kit that mounts to the head of this thing or 3d print it and hook it up to a shop vac that greatly helps clean up and reduce it cutting chips helping quality a bit.
i bought my 6030 about 12 years back for about $1500aud. the electronics failed like straight away and i spent a couple months going back and forward with the ebay supplier getting new parts form them only to have the parts fail instantly until one day they stopped responding. i left it broken for a year or so until i got in contact with a guy who helped me out. another $1500aud saw a brand new custom electronics package, new water cooled spindle, new stepper motors and a re wiring. she works a treat now and i can happly machine brass.
Well I will say that I started my CNC fun with one of these little machines. At first the machine worked great. However it came to a point where it would not work anymore. I replaced the control board twice with no luck. Even replaced the power brick. Every time I would plug it in it would start smoking the circuit boards. Ended up selling. Wasn't a Vevor brand. Moved to a 3040 CNC (Vevor Brand) and that was a good machine. The bed size was definitely better than the 3018 but was kinda right there for a useable size. I Found a outstanding deal on a Vevor brand 6040 4 axis machine that was 3 months old so I now have a even bigger machine. I have not owned or tried other Chinese brand CNC routers but it seems like the Vevors don't seem to have all the issues that other machines do. Plus there USB. I run my Mach3 on Windows 11 without any issues. Machine runs great!
Vevor tends to use the same mechanical components as any other Chinese brand, but tend to have better control boards. I have a vevor 3018, non pro, and it's control board has been flawless. The only issue i've had is short router motor life with the 775's. But that's to be expected.
@@cwalke32477 I am convinced that the electronics might be a hair better. It seems like all those China CNC machine brand and the tan machines on Ebay 3040/6040 size have to have the wires replaced. My 3018 wasn't a Vevor it was a off brand but it was cooking control board drivers. I replaced the board and same right away. I must have a stepper issue. Oh well I don't own it anymore. I have been very happy with my Vevor machines both 3040 and 6040.
What an explanation, so neat and clean.
Superb
Great video! Appreciate the small details and explanations👏
Wasn't expecting a comment from you guys, big fan of your channel :)
WOW! Thank you so very much. Knew nothing about this type of machine and at the price would have ignored anyway. On Amazon for £159 or £249 now when I work out what’s going on I may purchase and that s because of you!!!
Bob
England
As I CNC op, extra screws are great. They strip and come loose all the time in an Industrial setting and you'll easily replace one or more each week with an aged machine.
man you just brought to light for me something I thought was beyond reach
I bought it once and now it's in the closet. Everything worked fine except for setting the spindle to the "home" position - the spindle tried to break through the base or go to the ceiling, and overall it went crazy.
Good Unboxing and Reveiw i think for the Money it appears to be a okay Value ? sure it has a few Quirks and Faults but let’s face it for $200.00 who wouldn’t expect to have to do some tinkering and Modifications a big plus is. it basically worked as it was shipped to you for myself at almost 60 years of age i am still amazed that something like this can be made in another Country then where i reside ,Packaged up safely and shipped to my Doorstep for that type of money i’m a retired ProfessionalWoodworker and the last few CNC machines we purchased for Production purposes in our Shop were in the Millions Of Dollars per Machine Yes a completely different Animal of a higher Quality but it’s Intentions we’re to do high Production with a high level of Precission
Wonderful. Looking forward to see this series! And maybe a video on 3d designing?
I'd check the runout on the bare motor shaft. Also the collet adapter or collet might not be machined concentric ID to OD. When a tool runs out, only the outside (high) flutes are cutting. Two flute far superior. Shorten everything up.
I wasn't really trying to reduce the end mill run out, rather trying to reduce the vibrations as a result of the wobble. Either way not much of an improvement
Ive had one of these for a while, its a worthwhile purchase but if you use it over time it will need lots of maintenance. Biggest issue is the linear bearings in the head, they are just press fit in so once mine came loose they have never really stayed in properly again.
@Trent Hitchcock cant loctite these unfortunately, they have no form of bolt or screw to keep them in place literally just pressed in
Looking forward to see some upgrade videos to that machine.
My dad has a cnc (router) and when i tried to measure tool runout i noticed a preatty big rigidy issue (more like huge) enough to visually identifiy in fact and its all made of aluminium (albeit its a very large router like over a meter long by 200+mm)
Getting back into CNC after 15years of rusting. The old CNCed X1 needs a Hand Tools Rescue rebuild and the lathe too. Parallel port on tiny PC using FreeDOS and TurboCNC. So much easier theses days, even Raspberry Pi's can do it.
Just a little bit of awesome inside information about some tooling u should be using from now on! Im sure very very few will know this as I have only just learned it today and your the first machinist actually first person I've shared this with! Use P63A metal instead of the common HSS , has acts like mild steel in comparison if you can get it ? Thought it's good to share and yess I know it's not a good time to talk about Russia I don't back there cause but this is just a coincidence that its Russian, anyway buddy I really like your contet all wrapped up with your well spoken and talented results from your loved machines!
I've had one of these 3018s for a couple of years, and it boggles my mind that you were able to engrave aluminum on it, though I'm sure it would break after a few minutes! I broke quite a few high quality bits with this machine as the chatter was horrendous, even with additional stabilization, regular cleaning, and tediously slow carving settings. I'll be getting myself a better machine soon. This machine is fun toy for basic experiments, creating simple small templates, and carving softer woods or plastics, and it struggles to do even that, so I would definitely recommend aiming higher if you're serious about CNC.
What will you be getting that is better?
@@matriximaster That's a good question, I've seen quite a few interesting options in the range I'm considering (4'x2'), so the price range is not comparable, but I'm most serious about the AvidCNC and X-Carve as a balance between price, quality, and portability. The lower-end models are in the 3-4k range, so I'm still planning projects to justify the price and figuring out the financing, but I think it's definitely the way to go for me at this point to help streamline production, which is my main reason (aside from the reliability and added carving capabilities) to buy a bigger machine.
If you start all of the slot nuts on the screws for the gantry supports then feed the gantry support onto the aluminum frame it is much more simple and less aggravating.
After watching this, I immediately ordered one. I'm not expecting much but I've been wanting some kind (any kind) of CNC machine since the 80's -- just to play with. Now that I'm 71 I just decided to bite the bullet and check it out. Plus, for 200 bucks I can't afford not to. :^) Thanks for the video.
Just sane... :^) Saint
Best of luck. For engraving it is a lot of fun
Now I want a cnc mill.... Great review, thanks!
That intro had some fantastic This Old Tony vibes. Bravo.
This whole video has The Infamous Minilathe vibe. It's great.
I'm interested in something like this. I need to watch some more videos about upgrades and such. What would be the next step up in terms of a machine you can just purchase?
Thanks for sharing!
I've been casually considering a machine of this sort, or a similar one. I've been watching a fair number of videos on both this machine and also for a fair number of similar ones of varying sizes. I figured that there would be some nontrivial limitations to one of these, but wasn't sure where they were. You showed where some of them were, and that has pretty well decided me to not buy one of these, but instead to hold out for some kind of a machine that deserves to be called a mill...
Maybe if you come up with some ideas about how to overcome some of the shortcomings of the machine I might change my mind.
Isn't the machine capable of milling it's own metal upgrade parts? Similar to budget 3D printers, you probably want to print some upgrades early on...
Years ago, I went to a machining trade school. Learned CNC on a Haas machine.
My instructors would fall out of their chairs laughing at this thing.
Of course, a Haas can be more than 1000x as expensive.
For $200, you get 1/1000th the precision.
"I got it down to a tenth."..."a ten thousandth of an inch?"....."no, a tenth of a millimeter".....
"oh"
@@peterbelanger4094 you've just described "disruptive innovation" (many fortunes are made this way).
100x less precision at 1000x less cost and still very useful!
@@dl5244 Not this cheap "pro" version it makes my pro look like "elite pro" edition lol. I mean I can 3d print better parts then what came with this one. And they do have kits that are rated for metal out the gate but they got the upgraded mount, and motors wich really best upgrades out thter for it. A new mount and better motor, really makes this thing shine more. But its still entry level even with all that it will make metal easier, but still slower then a more expensive machine. That is why these little cheap kits are over amazon. I seen some for 120 saaying they are "pro" some for 300 saying pro. you check why one is 120 one is 300 you find out quick these are not Ender 3s were all ender 3s are the same more or less. A 3018 pro from one brand isn't the same quality as another brand.
Great review! Question, what CNC machine would you recommend thats under $2000?
🇬🇧 Wow! incredible value. Great review 👍
Thanks for the review, I was hoping to see some pcb milling before taking the machine apart.
Vevor actually makes some ok cheap stuff. Actually I have heard the cooking equipment is great. I have a 2 ton vevor motor hoist it has been great. I have the 5 ton hydro 3 jaw puller it’s great too.
Excellent video review
I also want to buy this cnc machine and then upgrade it to also be able to make aluminum parts. So looking forward to your videos!
great vid bud thanks so much. what model was the larger mill you got.... would there be intermediate models by the same manufacturer available?
Your speech and editing really reminds me of this old Tony, this is great
If all else fails you could always attach a big laser to it.
Thanks for the videos, very enjoyable.
there are TONS of 3D printable upgrades for the 3018 on thingiverse!!!
Why spend the money on upgrades, when could have bought a decent machine: fit for purpose?
You could use the plastic supports to make molds, and then recast them in aluminium. Much stronger.
Hey Josh! I just bought a Sainsmart Genmitsu Prover 3018 This was very helpful.
I'm used to larger, corded routers ruclips.net/user/postUgkxfQ5_mgwq6PcudJvAH25t-I4D-3cTPz4z so this was a different experience for me. Basically, this is an incredibly sweet machine, fits well in the hand, etc. It has slightly less power than I'm used to, but that's understandable. Maneuvering freehand takes some practice. These days, it's especially nice to be able to avoid power cords. This is above the level of a hobbyist but below a pro level.
I would like to see if it can do a printed circuit board. The poor concentricity of the spindle makes me doubt if the result would be usable for anything near modern line widths or spacings. Oh yes, I started my board layouts when the "standard" was using a 2.54 mm grid. Hardly anything can be designed that way today.
G’day & thanks, sir!
Nice review👍
Thank you! Looks like the home hobbiest entry
Thanks for the review - I am very interested in learning about this subject.
The thin diameter of the motor shaft, and the sloppy fitment of collets, etc is the big issues with these machines. I use a lot of very small lithium powered dremel type machines and the runout is horrendous! I've found that the runout and vibrations can actually bend the shaft, especially if the idiot manufacturers have milled a flat on it for the grub screws to clamp against.
Surely there is a motor available that has a larger 5-6mm shaft and some precision in the diameter and straightness? Do small "stepper shaped" motors go fast enough?
When I went to metalworking school, they spoke a lot about how rigid the tool head must be. That's why the big shop mills are big iron blocks.
Ideally, for cnc, you should have the table move x-y and the head only travel z, secured to a solid vibration dampening structure.
That is if you want to cut metal, for wood and lighter materials, you can get away with a gantry setup. But even at that it still needs to be as solid as possible along it's axis of movement.
It helps to learn about how vibrations travel through various materials and between objects. Vibrations are your biggest enemy in machining.
John Coops: I don't know if it's what you're using, but if you have the Parkside rotary tool (quite common Dremel copy), they skimped out on a bearing at the front of the tool, so the one bearing close to the motor has to take all the radial load and torque and there is a lot of runout and vibration. There is still a small housing for another bearing molded into the plastic housing of the tool, so adding a bearing is trivial and makes them a lot better, or so they say (I've ordered bearings for mine, so we shall see!). If you've got the same tool, might be worth looking into.
Thanks for the info
Thank you for telling us about that CNC.
Great video, I’ve been thinking of an inexpensive CNC to make simple parts but I think being able to do Aluminum and Brass would be a must. How would this one be with milling brass?
It won't do it in its stock set up, I'll be adding a new linear rail soon to increase the rigidity and that might fix it
@@artisanmakes Is what you are thinking is having the milling bit between two rails rather than cantilevered out?
Great video mate, best review I've seen so far. How would the machine go cutting say 3 or 4mm thick carbon fibre? I would like to make some basic shapes like wings and splitters for RC cars
its been about 8 years or so since I last machined carbon fiber. I sure it could do it, but im not sure as to what the accuracy might be. A CNC 3040 might be more capable a machine for that, or any other similar sized CNC mills/routers
Always thought of buying one of these machines. Will be interested to see what you do on the rigidity issues. Great video!!!
best move would be to use the mill to replace them with aluminum, but i'm not sure if this machine is capable of it lol
@@seancostello4158 They sell nice ones prebuilt for these, nicer "pro" kits come with them stock as well. I think this one might been 3d printed plastic for the mount, and yes you can make a nicer mount then this kit had with 3d printer using petg. This thing makes the pro kit i just bought look like its the "elite" edition still same crappy stock motor, but the mount is more stable, and its aluminum and particle board frame instead. They got all metal frames with the nicer metal mount, even better motors as well now, just those are like 100-200 more then the "pro" kits lol
Thanks man - Subbed!
Creative video, thanks :)
That is great, I'm upgrading my 3018 to 5050
Ayeeee nice video! Been thinking of a getting a table top mill... but one thing as a youtube expert, i didnt like was... when ya set your tooling ive found the best thing to use is a chip bag!.. paper gets rough sticks and everything sticks to it dirt,grime,chips,coolant... but a chip bag stays clean, smooth on the touch off and a simple wipe cleans it rite up without it ripping up and lasts 10x longer.. idk try it and let me kno what ya think!!
That sounds like a pretty reasonable suggestion. I don't think I have heas of using a chip bag must is definitely sounds like it could work
Very useful guide
I don’t know if you upgraded it yet but I would love to see you changing stuff and modify what needs to be fixed
Thanks! Been eyeballing one of these a while now. Want to use it to engrave my logo into my knives.
Cheers, it's probably not up for steel but could be used for a handle I guess.
I own one of these. They are fully upgradeable and putting it together teaches you how to repair and upgrade them. Replace the spindle immediately though. Way too much runout on the spindle it comes with. It tries to burn wood too much otherwise.
That reminds me of my drill press. It wasn't exactly cheap at about AU$200+, but it's only good for wood and soft metals, such as aluminium. That's because it's belt-driven between two sets of differently sized wheels that the belt sits in. The belt can be moved between them to adjust the speed, but the speed only gets to about half what is needed for drilling steel. The other day, I tried enlarging the hole in the centre of a lawn mower blade, but the drill press kept jamming. It kind of makes me wish I'd just stuck with using my regular power drill, although it's not as accurate for upright holes.
Very good review
Excellent video. In your opinion, which desktop CNC 3018 is best for machining/milling aluminium? The most rigid CNC at the lowest prices.