2 in 1 5500mW Engraver CNC 3018 Pro Engraving Machine, GRBLControl PCB PVC Wood Router CNC 3 Axis Milling Machine with Offline Controller and ER11 and 5mm Extension Rod

I bought this because I wanted to do a STEM project with my grand daughter. She is 12, and basically built the whole thing, with a little guidance. There were only a couple of assembly issues, and the only advice I would give is to attach the stepper motors to the worm drive things before you mount the stepper to the frame.A small amount of spray ptfe lube and it quieted a lot.The software that comes with it is fine, and free, and I couldn't make it work. It connected and all that, but it seemed to send the head off into the hinterlands. After looking online, I decided to get a 30 day trial of something called lightburn. I couldn't get that to reliably talk to the laser burner until I watched the intro video... It uses the USB-serial connection to talk to the burner and then immediately forgets the interface it used to talk to the device.My point is that something like this is half software and half hardware, and I'm not just talking about the internal software on the GRBL board.First thing I tried burning was some typing paper. Guess what? This is a visible light laser. The blue light reflects off of the white paper. Keep dumping heat into the white paper? Well, eventually it will char just a little, and that causes a cascade effect, and suddenly you have a larger than expected area of charred paper. Burning brown craft paper (as in a cardboard box section) gives you a crisp set of lines that look nice and crisp.I was able to run the laser at around 500mm/minute, and 70% power to get good crisp lines on craft paper.I have yet to try the wood carving mode. I have also not tried the offline controller.One thing you need to understand is that this is all standard parts. Standard GRBL board, standard software, standard stepper motors. It is a decent kit. It is not hard to put together, all the tools work.But it won't be able to do what a multi-thousand dollar rig will. It is fairly stiff, the black parts are decent machined plywood, bearings are pressed in, and we never felt like we were fighting the kit to get it built. There were enough screws, and a couple extra.

This kit is a great way to get started in CNC machining. I had low expectations but the machine was easy to assemble and has run many hours trouble-free. The primary downside for me is that the 3-D printed Z-axis wobbles as it moves up and down the lead screw, up to 0.007". This is problematic for small tools and means that you'll never get better accuracy than that on machined features. But considering the price and target audience, this is minor.The spindle is quiet with little runout, at least until you try to cut something. Then, depending on your material and cutting parameters, the entire unit screams like a banshee and threatens to shake itself apart. I like to joke that most of the 20 watts of spindle power is turned into sound energy. This isn't a dig at the unit; all machines in this class will have similar problems. Just keep the frame screws tightened because they will work themselves loose. Finishing with small endpoints works really well. A spindle upgrade will be needed for serious material removal.The included endmills are not great. I have found that roughing with a ball works best with very conservative step-downs. Figure out how to handle dust because you'll be making a lot of it.Software is extremely important to CNC. You'll need a package that gives you good control over cutting strategies and parameters. You'll need to get good at experimenting with them since you'll be cutting at the very edge of the machine's capabilities.I would recommend this kit to anyone looking for entry into CNC. Just be warned that if you have a hobby you think can make use of it, you're probably just acquiring a second one.

The 3018 Pro machine can be a challenge for anyone not familiar with CNC machining. The learning curve to use Cad-Cam software, such is Fusion360, can also be challenging. This is not a plug and play machine. One must be willing to put in the effort to make it all work. The end result will be rewarding. Watch the videos, they help.I did install limit switches for homing and soft limits. After a lot of searching as to why the machine would not home, an obscure webpage said the Woodpecker Camxtool v3.4 board had the silk screen identifier for X and Z backwards. Titoe did confirm this. Once the leads were switched around, the machine homes and works great.

This little guy was super easy to put together, but the instructions are quite terse. There's no information on how to turn the laser on and off and there was no hardware for mounting the little laser breakout controller box. But that's not the real problem. The real problem is that the motor provided can't handle the load of the Y axis (the bed). I've meticulously aligned all the linear bearings and the drive nut. There is no binding happening, but the Y axis motor will randomly skip steps which makes the whole device useless. Stay away!

El spindle no tiene mucha potencia

Un peu complexe mais avec de l’aide avec les vendeurs ça a bien

Le laser ne fonctionne pas j'attends toujours pour des pièces

El precio me parecía justo y de acuerdo con el producto.El láser y el CNC muy funcional.Pero al ponerlo en práctica se movía en discordancia el eje X y Y, dando brincos en los pasos del código G.Solicite apoyo técnico en el correo electrónico que viene en el manual y nunca obtuve respuesta, vi videos, he hice todo lo posible por convencerme que podía quedarme con el producto, pero al final termine convencido que no debo de tener un producto defectuoso.Por estos motivos voy a devolverlos, no sé si tuve mala suerte en recibir un mal producto.

Worked fine for first 4 laser runs. Then started squealing when moving and accuracy is gone