We’re currently looking into getting a cnc for the workshop. We previously were using a bob’s cnc evolution 4, and we couldn’t get it working quite right on the software side.
Also if anyone knows of some good software to get the previously mentioned bob’s cnc e4 running, that would be nice.
Omio X8-2200L-USB
NEXT!
Only came here to say that lol
here is a discussion on this CNC
@troy_dietz just realized you were one of the first to reply to my linked thread too lol
FACT: It’s the only router you’ll ever need.
If the Omio had 40” of Y travel then it would fully meet our needs.
It would be nice if it had like 6" more on the X axis because then I could make 1 solid belly pan instead of dividing it up.
Just make smaller robots…
We have a Laguna Swift 4x4. It’s pretty nice and has made basically every part of our 2020 and 2022 robots
I don’t think I’m ready to design like 2910 yet, 28x28 was a stretch for us this year
The mr1 is an extremely promising new budget option that is pretty wild for only 4k however travel is only 20x20. Although it would be a quute a bit more expensive the sortec cl 1007 is extremely performant would get you your 28 in x travel.
Can you put the thing diagonally? I find it very rare to need that much travel.
The Sortech looks like an Omio clone for 4k without electronics. Electronics take a while to make for a router and will run at least $500, and as much as $1500 if you buy an Avid kit.
+1 on the MR-1 though. MR-1 CNC Gantry Mill | Langmuir Systems
It’s in pre-order right now which means there’s a 50% chance it won’t ship ever. But I’m keeping my eye on it as an alternative to Omio that actually comes with support and replacement parts. Plus, it’s super rigid, has a low-RPM spindle (good and bad), and has flood coolant.
Considering they are a pretty reputable company, I’d say only 25% chance it doesn’t ship 
. But seriously though, I’m definitely going to put a little more look into this. Main issue of the MR-1 is its 220V, which we don’t have in our robotics room, but they do sell a transformer for it.
I used a transformer for a 220V spindle once. 3kW transformers are only about $150 on Amazon. You will have to be careful not to take super heavy cuts and trip the breaker though.
Good point. We’d likely just use it as a router primarily, so I wouldn’t be too worried about that for my team. I think I’d be submitting the PO for this right now if the y travel was 30" like the Omio
Im not a machinist but I noticed no one has answered this question yet. @B_Pence are you referring to a a CAM software, Gcode sender, or the actual firmware of the cnc when talking about “some good software”.
Total agreement. We just got ours about a year ago and it’s been an absolute pleasure to run.
For gcode we were trying to get ugs working. I don’t remember the specifics, but we couldn’t get it to work properly.
Edit: some of our problems may have come from using Estlecam for our CAM, we exported the stl files from onshape.
Edit 2: I think I remembered the issue, we had problems getting our parts to be the correct size, it would over or under cut.
Yeah this is looking very promising, especially sub-$5k.
Hope it goes beyond the hype. The CNC plasma cutter a seem mixed reviews. At least it’s not their first offering and a vapor company, they have already sold machines.
If you have the budget and the space, choosing a router that has at least a 4’x4’ bed is going to open up some options that are impossible or problematic with a small machine like an Omio. You would be able to cut full belly pans for typical-sized robots. You can cut holes or lightening patterns in extrusions greater than 30" in length in one operation (without repositioning or turning around). You can “permanently” mount a tube holding fixture and still have lots of bed space for cutting sheet. You can cut larger robot-related parts like those often needed for team versions of field elements.
We are very happy with our Camaster router. There are several reports of good experiences with Shop Sabre routers. There are a number of Laguna owners on this forum, and it seems that many are happy with those as well.
Just a point of cost comparison, when I had a Laguna swift 4x4’ quoted four years ago, it was $13k. Use their own controller box, no mach3.
It looked really well built, I visited the shop in Irvine at the time. That just was not the value machine we were looking for. We ended up with a used Velox.
I can see a school district wanting or requiring purchasing from an established company like Laguna, so buying an Omio direct wasn’t even possible for one school I consulted. For any school or team that has those deep pockets to pay for a Laguna, that’s great. Thankfully WCP and Swyft robotics offering US based purchasing opens the possibility of buying a Omio with a standard PO for those school funded teams.
