I've been contemplating getting a dedicated 4th axis CNC router for quite some time now. I make small indoor bagpipes professionally and I think this could be a game changer for me. With things being weird with COVID times I think this might be the time to finally pull the trigger.
I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with the AVID Benchtop Standard vs the Benchtop Pro machines? I'm not planning on machining aluminum or taking deep cuts on anything really. My pieces are small, so I think the problem would be more with my pieces flexing then the machine itself. But my only experience with CNC routers is a few hours with the local makerspace X-Carve machine.
Knowing myself, I'll probably find reasons to use the machine's non-rotary functions, but 95% of the time it'll be dedicated to 4th axis work, both rotary and indexing work (if I'm using those terms correctly).
So the questions is, is there a big benefit for going with the Pro model, or, knowing what I'll be using it for, is there not much reason to spend the extra cash? I do want as much precision and accuracy as possible, but happy to same money if the I don't actually need the extra rigidity.
Thanks very much!