I just purchased a Genmitsu ProverXL 4030 CNC router. It was a pretty good deal on Amazon recently, so I pulled the trigger. Pretty simple to assemble, it only took about 90 minutes to do so.
That being said, while the build was pretty smooth, the whole software side is confusing as hell. There’s a bunch of options, ranging from free and open source, to software that costs almost as much as the CNC does!
Unlike 3D printing, where you just add filament and press a button, this is so much more complex. There’s a plethora of bits for different purposes, and each one has specific settings. And they’re very brittle – I broke 3 endmills by dropping them on the floor!
I’m looking forward to learning to make new things with it – I’ve got some ideas for keychains using aluminum and acrylic!
