Buying a used CNC

[bobby milam]

Looking into getting a 4X8 machine. I found one used in my area but am leery of putting out that kind of money and it ending up being a huge paperweight for me. I'd like to find some kind of inspector to check the machine out before I buy but can't seem to find the right keywords in google to find someone like that if they exist. Any ideas of where I should try looking? I'm in the Dallas area if that matters.

[Gary Campbell]

Bobby...
My guess is that you would be looking for a service tech. Sorry you didn't post earlier, I was in Dallas last week, San Antonio the week before. Wont be back in TX before mid August. There must be others you can find.

[David Falkner]

Was it in a cabinet shop or production area? If so, the moving pieces may have so much wear that you'll never hold a repeatable tolerance of any respectable amount. Is it in an operable state now? In other words, is it still hooked up and running? You might be able to do your own inspection if you can see it running and put through the paces.

But like Gary said, having a service tech inspect it is a good idea.

David

[Bill George]

Looking into getting a 4X8 machine. I found one used in my area but am leery of putting out that kind of money and it ending up being a huge paperweight for me. I'd like to find some kind of inspector to check the machine out before I buy but can't seem to find the right keywords in google to find someone like that if they exist. Any ideas of where I should try looking? I'm in the Dallas area if that matters.

What brand is it? Have you used a CNC before and what are your plans for using the machine, commercial work or hobby? Like others have said, if its been used in a commercial shop running everyday 8 - 10 hours then it may be just worn out.

[Jim Becker]

Relative to the "wear and tear", I do think that "what it is" can make a difference there, too. Some machines are more stout and durable than others relative to usable life without major overhaul. It's also nice to ascertain why it's up for sale. It may be wear and tear as suggested. It could also be that the owner is upgrading to something larger and more capable, even if the machine is in good condition. I agree that getting it looked at by someone experienced makes sense if you can make that happen.

[Brad Shipton]

What year and model is it? Lots of industrial machines have hour meters. Be careful if too old as it could be XP based or have poor methods to communicate with it. At some point you will want to plug in a USB stick or hook it up to your server, and that was not available that many years ago. I looked at used ones and to update all the electronics would have been $30k. That was for a Selex, so a machine that is wired with all Fanuc will be a lot more. If it looks okay after looking at that, I would get a tech to look at the mechanics. There are lots of moving parts, and a cabinet shop full of goons can be hard on equipment. You can go to sites like Machinery Max and find out the auction value of past sales.

[bobby milam]

I went and checked it out today. It was a Chinese machine that had seen it's better days years ago. The search continues.....

[Bill George]

You might look at the Fine Line Automation line up, Made in USA welded steel frame and gantry. Just a little more than the Chinese machines and about half the price of a Camaster. Can be purchased with or without controls which are Mach 3 based ESS boards.
https://www.finelineautomation.com/ Some assy required. You could order it with just the NEMA 34 motors and use any control system you want. I have the 4x4 system ordered , will be shipped next week and I already have two jobs quoted for it.

Prewired NEMA 34 motors and controls, you would need longer cables for a 4x8 machine http://www.cncrouterparts.com/plug-a...tem-p-132.html

[bobby milam]

Thanks for the suggestion. I prefer not to have to assemble any of it and am looking for a heavy welded steel frame. Right now I'm looking at Camaster Stinger 3 and also trying to find out info on the Roctech. I like the Camaster but the Roctech is a much heavier frame, has servos, spindle and vacuum table included. I just am not finding information on it from users. I am only thinking about it because it is already in the US so don't have to deal with importing.

[bobby milam]

I looked at the link you sent on my phone and it showed a bolt together aluminum frame then I reread your post. I'll look at it on my computer and check them out again. Thx

[Bill George]

I looked at the link you sent on my phone and it showed a bolt together aluminum frame then I reread your post. I'll look at it on my computer and check them out again. Thx

The Saturn 2 is his new welded frame model and even the gantry. The older ones had a aluminum gantry. I am not sure where he is at on the 4x8 ft.model however as I purchased the 4x4 ft which has a working area of 51x51 inches. True it uses Mach 3 but on a ESS Ethernet board so no issues. Its not WinCNC but your not paying for it either and If you wanted WinCNC it sure could be purchased and used instead. CAMaster is a great product, and If I would have purchased that used one just 200 miles from me I would be using it instead. I am sure your on CAMHeads Forum they have a used section.

This is what I purchased along with the NEMA 34 electronics prewired and complete.

https://www.finelineautomation.com/p...-4?taxon_id=54

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for the suggestion. I prefer not to have to assemble any of it and am looking for a heavy welded steel frame. Right now I'm looking at Camaster Stinger 3 and also trying to find out info on the Roctech. I like the Camaster but the Roctech is a much heavier frame, has servos, spindle and vacuum table included. I just am not finding information on it from users. I am only thinking about it because it is already in the US so don't have to deal with importing.

If you want heavier and servos, etc., the Panther might be what you want to consider from Camaster. But I will tell you...the Stinger series is still pretty heavy duty. My Stinger II is like a tank, IMHO, and the Stinger III is just twice the cutting length on the y axis. The kind of work you want and need to do is going to impact on what the best choice is going to be. I've not heard of Roctech, so I can't help with any comparison there.

[bobby milam]

I have a quote from Camaster on both the Stinger 3 and the Panther. To get the Fast tool change, the lift assist and the spindle the price really goes up above my budget on the Panther. The Stinger 3 would be right at my max with what I want at a minimum. The Roctech is a much heavier table, has the servos instead of steppers and has the vacuum ready table and would be slightly less than the Stinger. Someone sent me a lead on another machine that I am going to research. Camaster is probably #1 on my list because of the support and the forum but if I can get more for my money and it is a good machine I'd be crazy not to look into it.

[Brad Shipton]

What is your budget and do you have three phase power?

[bobby milam]

20K and no I have single phase.