Quote:
Originally Posted by artdutra04
If I only had a few thousand dollars to put into a milling machine for a FRC team, I'd be much more likely to look into a good-condition, used manual milling machine before I would get a mini-CNC mill. CNC mills are nice if you already have manual equipment, as there are a lot of occasions where it takes longer to make "easy" parts via CNC than it does to just make them on a manual milling machine.
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Or to put it another way, just because it's CNC doesn't mean it is better.
You can make absolutely outstanding parts with a manual mill, and you can turn out scrap with a CNC machine. And scrap is even more likely from a cheap CNC machine.
You can also learn more about machining from a manual mill.
There is no such thing as a cheap milling machine. Either you pay up front for good quality, or you pay after the fact in poor quality, frustrating setup & operation, and wear/damage.
If you have $40k for a nice Haas, go for it, you won't be disappointed. But if that gets cut to $10k (or $4k), go for a nice manual mill, used. There are used tool dealers all over who can help you find what you need and can afford.
Don