The assembly guide is okay, the parts are well packaged and the assembly fairly quick (3h for me). As my first CNC it looks clean and sturdy, i don't expect to cut metal with it (yet!)
the first cut was really satisfying , here is a christmas decoration after 8 min of cut, 200mm/min in 1.6mm plywood with a 1.5mm diamond bit. This first project was the opportunity to learn about the basics of cad and cam and was a good introduction to the work to come!
Seaching on the web for diy lamp projects, i had a look at heliox's lamp which had the dimensions / functionalities i had in mind :
I hesitated big time on what machine i wanted to get into digital fabrication : 3d printers looks amazing but their slow pace and their use of plastic is a bit of a show stopper for me ( unless i managed to get a full precious plastic (https://preciousplastic.com/ ) filament production line , i don't want to create more plastic waste than i currently do). Another obstacle is the price and maybe the learning curve ...
So i set up my mind on buying a 3018 CNC which seems to have a good community around it .
I did my first intership in a rail factory where they had this massive CNC for cutting the rail profiles and it left me a lasting impression .
Plus i have a few woodworking ancestors , so cnc cut plywood would be my choice !
Now regarding the design, I found the following website fascinating and well documented on how to create amazing mechanical tentacles :
sebsplane
