mcwdoit CNC Router Machine Kit, 3018 Pro GRBL Control 3 Axis DIY Engravering Milling Machine, Desktop Carving Cutting Tool Set for Wood Acrylic Plastic PCB MDF, XYZ Working Area 11.8 * 7.1 * 1.8″

The media could not be loaded. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - for those looking to try CNC for 3-axis wood or soft metal (works OK for aluminum bracelet & bag tag engraving so far) at an entry level price. It was packed very securely. It arrived quickly. All parts were present with a few extra of some small (and probably easy to drop/lose) fasteners. With the included offline controller and bits, I was able to do my first carve in about an hour after I opened the box. Customer service answered my emails within 24hr and all of my questions were answered completely.Software:The included software installed easily on my Windows 10 PC and worked with the included USB cable without problems.Hardware:After my first couple test carves ( What can I say? I HAD to try it out right away! ), I got a bit geekier and losened all of the mounting points, and rebuilt it on a marble counter top so that I knew I was starting with a flat surface. I shimmed the uprights on the gantry so that they were also flat with the counter top ( I used the included flat-stock wrenches as the shims to ensure level with the counter and the same height ), and after tightening down the gantry, I ran the still slightly lose aluminum table all the way to negative Y limits and positive Y limits, securing the mounts that were at limit in both situations to ensure that the mounts kept the table square. I ran the spindle to the corners of the table and measured the distance between the bit I had installed and the table. I adjusted the table guide rails as much as I could and tightened them down. It was almost completely level (within a couple thousandths ) Next step, I may punch shims out of transparency sheets and reset the table mounts to account for the difference. For now, I used a flat end mill to plane some MDF as a waste board, giving me a "machine flat" work surface ( made a big difference engraving designs across 6" of Al. ).The new control board ( grbl 1.1f compliant ) is covered ( the old one was not ) and includes a fan. Both boards have connections for a laser attachment. Both boards have open connectors for the offline controller, homing/end stops (easy to find on Amazon and appear to be really easy to wire), and for a touch plate for Z zero setting. The laser attachment will be somewhere in the $100-150 range. The stop switches should be less than $10 ( though you'll have to make your own mounts ). The touch plate is also less than $10.So far, I've done 2.5D relief carvings on MDF and maple, engraving in a few Al stocks. Next, I've ordered a laser head to attach and I'm looking forward to trying that out with the also included laser grbl software. (See UPDATE below & pics) With good leveling, it should be easy to carve PCBs similarly ( there are a lot of tutorials on YouTube for that as well ).I'm looking forward to trying the laser, particularly for vaporizing coating on metals in a negative photolithography fashion, allowing me to electro-etch metal plates, jewelry, etc.If this machine is assembled without attention to level and adjusting, the results might not be perfect. But, the design itself, without a lot of geeky adjusting, will get you pretty close. With a little more attention, like I described above, it's a pretty solid entry-level machine, and can give some professional looking results on soft materials within the limits of the work dimensions ( pretty big compare to previous generation machines ).UPDATES: Have really gotten into this machine for v-carving, 2.5D milling, & laser applications. Really love the opportunities to make modifications & expand relatively inexpensively as a hobby & creative outlet. Have recently combined 2.5D milling topo maps with leather laser engraving in a project.

I am glad I bought it; zero regrets. This is the first basic CNC mill I played with. I got a great set of parts that were easy to assemble into a working system and I learned a lot. Now that I have disassembled it (see below) I can reuse parts for other robotics projects. On the "pros" side, it works to make very shallow cuts in wood (probably engrave aluminum, too; I did not try it). Anything else is very imprecise, occasionally random.Steppers and spindle are strong enough to allow for good milling of wood and probably for a (slow) milling of aluminum. Rods are accurate. Frame is OK (I would add two strips for extra rigidity of attaching X/Z assembly, but it is OK as is). But couplers for stepper motors and spinner attachment are really bad. This should be easy and cheap to fix, and could turn this unit into a much more capable CNC.Couplers for attaching stepper motors to positioning rods move if there is any resistance, that is when milling more than a hair deep. This should be trivial to fix; there are many ways of good attachment for two metal items together that cost pennies. The spindle attachment is even worse -- spindle goes into a wobbly plastic ring. Any lateral force moves spindle assembly around and the bit off vertical, killing precision. Same as with couplers -- OK when engraving, but deeper milling is inaccurate. It would be more expensive ($20-$50 maybe?) to add a rigid spindle attachment but would allow real milling, not just engraving.Bottom line: at least 4 stars, and many good parts. But could be much more capable.

This is a fairly good product but NOT ['I say NOT'] for a newbie beginner. - you need be a techno geek like me (with +40yrs HAM Radio & MS-EET) or a professional CNC Programmer/Operator. .First, they have upgraded the 3018P but did NOT proof the assembly/manual/parts. Extra drill/ream to the new PCA cover w/cooling-fan is required, bolt size for PCA (w/cover) mounting are now too small - easy stuff to overcome. I did notice the electronics is not ESD bagged. Pre-made stepper motor cables are to long.USB Memory drive was corrupted -- need replacement or CD or link to DL software. Very good email comm's with seller and very helpful with links to programs. Docs have no links and doc's are not all that accurate either.It comes with a remote Controller allowing you to test your CNC3 - that is a super handy feature and gives you immediate thrill of XYZ/Spindle controling. It can load pre-made nc file to run (without PC attached) but I've not got there yet. Remember, an inherent export of any CNC is DUST from the cutting bits; how dusty do you want your computer/location to be? I'm affixing a vacuum to the CNC3.The dark secret NOT covered in the manual is the CNC3 Controller software process require to do the simplest of designs. The GRBLController.exe is NOT a CAD/Designer program. There are online services that cost or a very limited free service.. I'm now seeking a Simple CAD/Design program that can save my designs to a file format that is either convertible to G-Code or G-Code export directly for the CNC3 GRBL Controller to use.Lots of extra process steps and learning curves to invest/overcome, hence NOT for newbie beginners or those who think you can carve out a design quickly - NOT a plug-n-Play item. It is all this extra software you must discover on your own that is a pain. There are some good Youtube vid's that are very helpful - but that software hurdle is being illusive or extra costs.An 3018Pro User Group would really HELP and minimize after-sales frustrations.