Add another to the list, just horizontal extension this time.
Appropriately in the horror stories thread. Any time you see a portaband at an event that isn’t on a stand, it is guaranteed to be a horror story in some way or another 
On the CNC Router/mill. Get a router first, and get the biggest one that will fit in your space nicely. We use ours to cut Bumpers and field elements in addition to robot parts, and the space is really nice especially when you nest several parts into a single setup. Also In our experience with both an AVID router and an old HAAS, you need some sort of coolant to cut aluminum with small bits so plan on a coolant mister or something like that if at all possible.
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Update, we have been forcibly relocated. Currently, we don’t have enough time to learn CNC with all the logistical nightmare of commuting that’s about to come, so we were looking at laser cutters for rapid prototyping as a couple of us have had experience using them. Any recommendations for lasers somewhere around the $7500 mark?
Also, is it worth getting a mill over a drill press to “future-proof”? (Budget for this one is roughly 5k). My one concern is that no current team members have used a mill so I have no idea how much of a learning curve this is.
Thanks for your guys’ patience, very new to having this amount of financial freedom so I’m tryna not go too crazy with the budget and maintain a good balance of tool quality to tool price.
Well, if they know how to use a drill press they can at least use the mill as that. You should be able to find good enough bridgeport or clone in that bit of washington for $5k delivered.
Laser cutter is not a great RoI unless you build your entire process around it, and they tend to have more hidden costs (chiller, upgraded tube, ventilation). The current “meta” for large machines goes Omio/other router, mill or a nice drill press, then laser or waterjet.
The problem is that with a laser cutter we can actually use it in season whereas for a CNC we would likely have to learn that in the off-season. I’m definitely planning on trying to get a CNC but not for a bit until we’ve moved in.
That’s a tougher call; I’d probably make the decision based on what funding seems to be coming down the pipeline, available shop space, lead times with the lasers/routers you’re looking into etc. Time is running out faster than you probably realize.
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If you get something like an Omio, you can try it at home and transport it to the lab in your car after your new place gets set up. It is not difficult to transport in a hatchback with fold-down seats, or a similar SUV.
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The challenge may be to get the related infrastructure in place before the build season.
If you get a mill, don’t forget the initial tooling and accessories costs and the ongoing tooling and consumables costs.
Shop space isn’t an issue, due to complicated school politics we can put it in my advisor’s room which has a 220V socket. Funding is a guaranteed 5k a month with noticeable delays, however booster club has provided a grant. Lead times according to mfg is roughly 4 weeks. For CNC, Omio lead time is roughly 7 weeks from what I’ve heard which leaves us basically no room to configure it.
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This is a good point, however, lead times for Omios to my general location would require precise planning for this.
My thinking exactly, I shove a laser cutter near a window and I’ve got most of it done. For CNC I would have to learn toolpaths, cam, endmill choice, how to design for it, etc.
Last I checked they can ship in a week or two. Are they on backorder, or are you located way out in the woods or something?
for us, the laser is a (not critical, but still) very important part of our CNC routering process. Before we cut anything on the Omio, we run it in the glowforge with wood to see how it will be physically and test it in its application before we spend a bunch of time CNCing it. Not saying that that is crucial for jlr, but just saying that it’s an important and functional use of a laser.
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This was our intended use case as well, if cnc parts are needed we can order them from sendcutsend or local teams that are willing.
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School purchasing delays from global vendors vs domestic vendors.
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WCP and Swyft are both domestic resellers for the Omio. I don’t think you’ll be able to get a laser capable of making robot parts for anywhere near what you are looking for
Update: we’re looking into the ThunderLaser Nova 35. Advisor wants some secondary opinions so if you’ve used one and are willing to talk a little bit about it, please email [email protected].
On another note, as we get closer to build season I realized that we don’t have a way to manufacture bearing holes since our old drill press got removed. We’re looking into a manual mill to use with an annular cutter to cut bearing holes in plates and tube. Any recommendations? Is a standing mill better than a benchtop mill? If a benchtop mill, any special workbench or any recommendations for some?
(Didn’t mean to reply to one person, not a Discourse user)
Bigger and heavier is better with mills. I’d recommend a Bridgeport or clone if you can. We used to use a grizzly bench top mill, but it didn’t have the power, rigidity, or travel to make the sorts of parts we needed. A Bridgeport should handle anything an FRC team needs in a manual machine. You would definitely want a DRO. I strongly encourage a mill with 36” of travel, many are 30” and you notice when you try to make drive rails.
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want to share?
Wanna get evicted mid build season 
? In all seriousness, it’s a trade off but a mandatory one unfortunately.