What CNC Router Should I Buy? - A Guide to Buy a Quality CNC Router

What CNC Router Should I Buy? We believe that every customer wants to buy equipment of great quality with professional and timely service support available when needed. This is the typical thoughts of every rational consumer. And most buyers would compare the configuration and price of machines from different vendors when they shop around. I don't know if buyers have noticed that some machines with similar configurations and appearances sometimes have many price differences. Why?

Take the basic cnc woodworking router as an example; some cost between $3,300 and $4,000, while others require $5,000 to $6,000. Are they the same? Please bear in mind that you get what you paid. 

In the current situation of such fierce competition, no one CNC manufacturer is pursuing high profits, and everyone is just making a reasonable profit. Since it is not because of big profits, why are some machines more expensive? Do we really just need to compare specification sheets and prices? EagleTec CNC wants to say that several other aspects need to be considered in addition to cost and configuration, but buyers often overlook these elements. In today's post, let's have a look one by one.

Let's guide you to check these hidden differences one by one through a 4x8 cnc router that is often seen on the market.

Are two machine bases that look similar really the same?

Let's do a test; please observe the two types of bases shown in the picture below; which one do you think is more robust?

We believe many people would go with the left one because its legs seem wider. Indeed, the left side one uses a square tube with a larger profile as a raw material. So, it looks visually more potent, but it's not. Let's look at the wall thickness of the two. The left side uses a 2mm thick square tube, while the right side uses a 4mm thick square tube. In fact, the right one weighs 2 times as much as the left one. And you know what else?

The left wood router is about 550 ~ 650KGS, while the right is up to 1100KGS. The machine on the right will be 450~550KGS heavier than the one on the left. According to the price of steel, through a simple calculation, we found that the cost of the machine on the left side can be about USD450 less than that on the right side because it uses less steel. Therefore, the first advice we give is to pay attention to the net weight of the machine you will buy.

Is its manufacturing technics scientific and advanced?

From a physical point of view, we stack the mechanical parts (rails, racks, beams, columns, plates, etc.) on the router base and then bolted them together. How to minimize assembly errors? It depends on the manufacturing technics of the mechanical parts such as the base, beam, side plates, mounting plates, etc. These parts must be finished by CNC machining centers for a high-quality machine as EagleTec CNC did. But this process is expensive.

Of course, there are also lower-cost processing methods, which are to use ordinary planers instead of CNC machining centers to do these things. According to the measurement results, the part error produced by the planer may be 100 times that of the CNC machining center. On the other hand, the machining cost of a CNC machining center will be at least USD200 higher than that of a planer. So here's the deal: please confirm the fabrication technics. Are the mounting foundation of the guide rails and racks on the base and beam milled by the CNC machining center? Are the side plates, X and Z slide plates, the mounting surfaces, and mounting holes of the spindle plate also processed by the CNC lathe?

Do you check the electronics components carefully? 

As buyers, we need to identify the electrical parts carefully. Even for electrical components of the exact specification, there are differences in quality and price. Let's look at some specific examples. NC studio control system is divided into genuine and pirated versions, and the cost difference between the two is USD550. As for step drivers, the cost of Leadshine DMA860H is USD253 less than that of YAKO KA2811MA. But the speed performance of the latter is better than the former. Then let's take a look at the following two pictures of the electric control cabinet; what will you find?

Compared with the right one, the main electrical components on the left are lower in the specification, such as the driver, control board, and inverter; it also lacks small electrical components, such as fuses, relays, AC contactors, and terminals. Frankly speaking, cutting corners on the electrical part will not affect the machine's function, but it does affect the device's performance. Due to this, the electronics part is often ignored by buyers. It is reasonable to say that the cost of the electronic control part of a high-quality machine would be at least about 500 US dollars higher than the ordinary one.

Is the CNC coming with timely and professional support when needed? 

Timely and professional service support is essential for a high-quality CNC router machine. As a responsible seller, we will factor the cost incurred in this part into the device's total cost. It is also a guarantee that we can provide good support to our users. Please imagine how a supplier can provide users with good after-sales service without supporting related costs? You probably do not get a low-cost machine, just a machine without any assistance and support. Please remember the truth is always that you get what you paid for.

Eagle CNC is committed to building CNC routers of great quality, so we promise our users that our cnc machines conform to the standard above. Top sale models are available now, including 4' x 4' cnc router, 5x10 wood router, and atc cnc router. For more information about our products, please contact us freely.

Original Post from EagleTec CNC

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