How to make the right choise.
If you are looking for information on how to choose a new CNC machine or your new cnc router, maybe you are looking to increase the productivity of your workshop or business.
If this is your first CNC machine, maybe you want to eliminate physical human work and the reason may also be the increase of labour costs.
What you really need to know, before purchasing a new cnc machine, is that there is a wide range of CNC machines.
First of all, there is a difference between professional CNC machines and unprofessional CNC machines (also called hobbyist machines).
Here we are not talking about CNC machines for hobbyists, but we will focus on professional CNC machines.
Many consider the cost of a cnc machine the most important factor, but please pay attention: this is not the most important one.
The market is full of low cost CNC machines that claim to be perfect, but in reality they are just hobbists machines when it comes to performances.
The true cost of a machine is not only the cost to buy a new CNC machine machine. If you buy a cheap CNC machine you need to add other costs caused by other factors:
Here is a list of 7 factors to consider to make the right choise.
MATERIALS
To chose the right one for your shop the first thing to consider is the material you have to machine.
For example, are you looking to a plexiglas cutting solution? Are you searching a router to cut or mill pvc? Are you into aluminium cutting or in the facades and cladding production? Is your production very diverified, like a signage shop?
AUTOMATION
The lack of automation can increase labour costs and time. Automatic tool change system or automatic measurement of the tools are time saving solutions
SOFTWARE
A difficult or a not friendly software can drastically increase the time of set up or the time of product design. The lack of performing nesting software can dramatically increase waste.
RIGIDITY
A machine that is not enough rigid can cause a vibrations and the quality of the final part che be unsatisfactory
BLOCKING SYSTEM
If the blocking system is not performing well, you will lose an incredible amount of time to set up your CNC machine.
SUCTION SYSTEM
Also if the suction system is not working well, your workshop will be dirty and your workers won’t be very happy. This can also effect the health of the operators in production.
ACCURACY
Accuracy is another important factor: if you produce aerospace or automation components maybe you are looking for a very high precision, and the measurement of the parts have to be made in a controlled temperature room, in order to have credible results.
VERSATILITY
If you are a signage shop, maybe you are not looking for the best mechanical precision, but in this case you need a versatile CNC router, that can cut a very wide range of products like acrylic, mdf, dibond, forex and similar products. so in this case versatility is one of the key for a good choice.
AFTER SALES
Another important factor is the after sales service, but this is also a misunderstood point: some customers are looking for a company who has a service around the corner, but this is not always the best choice.
Many companies, especially the most organised and the far-sighted ones are looking for companies that can solve the service issue easily and fast, and they prefere the service directly by the OEM (original equipment manufacturer).
This is mainly due to 2 factors:
- the direct service from the manufacturer has a successfull rate close to 100%, a rate that is always higher than a local service;
- the remote service is usually enough to solve the issues and the customer can save travel costs.
Our suggestion
Considering the abovementioned factors, the most important thing is to test directly the machine. In Protek we encourage our customers to visit us and to test directly the machine with their materials and their design in order to recerive a credible demonstration of the quality of our CNC machines.
Check here our machine catalogue: www.protek.it/machines/