Genmitsu 3018-PROVer

Excellent product and support. I purchased the 3018-Prover with the expanded bed. However, when putting it together I couldn’t get the coupling between the motor and rod apart. I quick email to SainSmart and a new motor and coupling were on their way to me. After 6 months of happy burning and routering, I had an issue with the laser not coming on. Again, another email and a new laser arrived. Happy boy, up and running again. And finally, within the last 3 weeks. The laser would not come on again and the router would not spin up. I contacted SainSmart again and a new Laser control board was dispatched and arrived. Unfortunately, this did not sort the issue, so a new Main Circuit board was sent out. Duly arrived, fitted and all working again. So, in balance, yes I have had issues. You will do with all products. But it’s how you deal with it that counts. I cannot fault the quality of the kit and the excellent after sales service. Everything has been sorted straight away with no issues whatsoever and without question. So therefore still 10 out of 10 for the product and service and if I upgrade to a bigger machine, I know where I will get it from. Thanks again for the service guys.

Very happy with this little machine. It took me 4 hours to assemble but for those good with puzzles will be probably much less. The driver installation was easy and it also supports Windows XP, which was surprising 😳 The probe setting took me a long time to configure. I had to go through the website advertised on the last product picture and then there are quite lots of resources there. Then in the settings of one of the software you need to copy and paste some scripts for the thickness of the probe when zeroing it. But once that was done all went well. I wanted to try engraving wet wood which did not go well, as you can see from the results in the video I have attached. As usually evergreens are soft wood and I thought that by wetting it will have better results but I was wrong. Probably walnut will be a much better option. This amazing tool will keep me going busy for a long time. Noise levels are a bit too much as it is a very powerful tool. Be careful with the hands and cover your eyes with goggles. As this was the best value for money with a huge amount of machines bought by customers, I thought that it would be a great investment for a hobby👍 Another good thing wa that there were UK and EU power cords 😊

The frame parts are good quality but it is let down by the electronics. The controller is a pain in the ... to use, much better off connecting it to a pc and controlling it that way. The power supply quality is poor, was having projects freeze up continuously. After days worth of troubleshooting figured out the issue was the power supply. After some research it seems to be a common issue with poor or inadequate. Edit. The seller made contact with me with regards to the power supply issue. There was an Initial batch that had problematic power supply’s. They have since fully refunded me for the power supply I purchased to rectify the issues I was having. The customer service from seller is great and appreciate the honesty from them. I therefore added another star to my review :)

I bought the SainSmart Genmitsu 3018-PROVer after lots of research, because it had a number of safety features (end stops, emergency stop), the off line controller and Sain(t)Smart was proud of their support. Spending this sort of money, you don't want it standing on the shelf because something isn't quite right... I bought also the enclosure Genmitsu Acrylic CNC Enclosure - Enhanced Protection, Dustproof, Noise Reduction, the laser unit (not yet tried) and a few bits. Putting it together was quite straight forward with the help of the manual. There are also quite a few videos on the web explaining the process. The tricky bit is to work with it, as little errors will upset the process. The worst so far is that I broke a bit as the speed of the spindle wasn't quite right. The machine is not intelligent, so if you give the wrong instructions, it will do the wrong actions... Support of SainSmart is brilliant, quick, helpful and patient. There is also a user group - although it is on Facebook :-( - and loads of good material available on the web. I've 'designed' my first item (a box) on fusion 360 and now up to a more sophisticated model...

Cutting to the chase, this machine is great. It's built like a tank, assembly instructions were fine, and there are a ton of resourced available online. I got my machine on Sunday, and on the following Saturday was able to cut the piece in my attached picture with no issues. In fact, the only issues that any of my cuts have had were of my own making. The machine works very well. That said, prepare to do some learning, some troubleshooting, and some problem solving. This is my first CNC, but I have extensive experience with 3D printers, and they're the same way. This machine isn't there to hold your hand while carving out intricate masterpieces. It's a tool that you need to learn to use. Another reviewer said something like "8 hours of failure was too much." (I had the same problem that he did. It was solved by changing the "Safe Retracts" setting in Fusion360.) If 8 hours of failure is too much for you, then this isn't the machine you want. To make this (or really any CNC machine) "work", you will need some basic understanding of G Code, 3D modelling, woodworking, and electronics. You don't need to be a master at any of this stuff, but you're going to touch all of it. It will take time. You will screw things up. You will get sawdust in your hair. That's what makes these things fun. Now, more specific to this machine itself, I was very, very impressed. There are many very similar units on Amazon, and I selected this one because of the included upgrades, and the known brand name. I found the machine to be extremely well built, and straightforward to assemble. The inclusion of limit switches is important. While limit switches can be a bit frustrating, they are there to make sure you don't accidentally send the machine a command that will damage it, and the work perfectly for that. I find the offline controller to be wonderful. There seems to be a lot of hate for this part, but I like that I can run he machine "headless" and not have to leave a laptop in my dust shop. I actually had a much smoother experience using the offline controller than I did using the PC-based Candle, but they both do the same job. My motor doesn't wobble, isn't loud, and hasn't had any issue cutting through various woods at 300mm/min. I did several calibration tests on the machine as soon as I got it built, and didn't have to adjust anything. The only bad things about the machine are the hold-down clamps that are included (they work, but are the definition of "fiddly"), the included Vee bits (again, they work as they should, but why give me a bunch of Vee bits and no end mill?) and the size of the workspace. The 3018 is actually a great size for a small workspace like mine, where it will need to be moved and worked around, but just like everyone else, I'd love to be able to make bigger stuff. I've probably said enough glowing stuff about this device, but I'll sum it up, here. When I spend ~$350 on a piece of Chinese technology that's based on open source designs, I expect to get a pretty low-end product that I can usually upgrade to make it useful. In this case, I got a solid, well-deigned, functioning piece of gear. I haven't been this amazed at how well a cheap gadget works since the Elegoo Mars Pro. If you're looking for a cool tool with a steep, but fun learning curve, look no further. If you want to easily and quickly cut wood (or metal) parts with the push of a button, maybe wait a few years. Software That I Used: -Candle (included) for machine control -Easel (very limited free use) for design and GCode Creation -F Engrave (free) for GCode creation -Carbide Create (free) for design and GCode Creation -Fusion360* (free) for design and GCode creation -Inkscape (free) for image design *Fusion360 is the real workhorse, here. It has by far the most features, but also the steepest learning curve. If you're familiar with Fusion360, you'll have no trouble. Otherwise start with Carbide Create.

Ik ben zeer tevreden met de 3018-PROVer V2. Het product was goed verpakt en de handleiding is gemakkelijk te begrijpen. De meegeleverde software is eenvoudig te installeren en gemakkelijk in het gebruik.

Il pacco è arrivato con qualche giorno di anticipo, che mi ha lasciato molto contento. Il prodotto è ben impacchettato, tutto è tenuto ben fermo da spessi strati di polistirolo. Unico difetto, nella mia scatola dei bulloni ne mancavano 2 M6, ho contattato il supporto SainSmart che me li ha recapitati in meno di 4 giorni. Il montaggio è semplificato rispetto ad altri prodotti ma richiede comunque un certo tempo, io ci ho messo circa 1 ora e mezza a completare tutto, e non ho messo il proteggi cavo in nylon perché mi riusciva male. Sono comunque molto soddisfatto perché le risorse fornite (sul sito sono presenti anche video tutorial) aiutano moltissimo e non c'è nulla da fare di veramente complicato. Una volta montata la CNC si presenta esteticamente molto bene, solida e con un colore azzurro che mi piace molto. Io la vorrei utilizzare principlamente per produrre circuiti stampati di progetti DIY, le prime prove mi hanno dato molta soddisfazione anche se ho ancora molto da imparare! Nel complesso la consiglio a chi ha tempo e voglia di imparare e studiare le varie tecniche/tecnologie per la fresatura con la CNC, lo sconsiglio a chi invece preferisce avere una soluzione "plug&play" che faccia subito tutto bene senza bisogno di metterci le mani. Allego qualche foto, scusate per la mia scrivania super disordinata :) ==== Automactic tranlsation in English ==== The package arrived a few days in advance, which left me very happy. The product is well packed, everything is held firmly by thick layers of foam. One defect, in my bolt box there were 2 M6 missing, I contacted SainSmart support which delivered them to me in less than 4 days. The assembly is simplified compared to other products but still requires some time, it took me about 1 and a half hours to complete everything, and I did not put the nylon cable protector because it was bad for me. I am however very satisfied because the resources provided (there are also video tutorials on the site) help a lot and there is nothing really complicated to do. Once mounted, the CNC looks aesthetically very well, solid and with a blue color that I really like. I would like to use it mainly to produce printed circuit boards for DIY projects, the first tests have given me a lot of satisfaction even though I still have a lot to learn! Overall, I recommend it to those who have the time and desire to learn and study the various techniques / technologies for CNC milling, I do not recommend it to those who prefer to have a "plug & play" solution that does everything right away without having to get their hands on it. I attach some photos, sorry for my super messy desk :)

21年4月購入。殆どプリアッセンブリされた状態で、部品もコンパクトにしっかりまとまった梱包となっている。メカ組立は容易で、電気配線もリミット他モジュール盤を指定の場所に取り付け配線するだけで、線の長さもピッタリになっておりつけられた線番タグ通り接続するのみ。ビギナーとして始めるにあたり馴染みやすい。まだcandleを使って多少の彫刻加工しかしておらず、まだそれほど使ってないですが、木材で簡単な加工がすぐに始められました。装置ガントリ部固定ナットのうち１個に不良がありましたが、サポート(日本語)により、追加のナットを送付してもらえました。欲を言うならば、Ｚ軸ストロークがあと10~20mmあれば、使える工具幅も増えて使い勝手が向上するかと。同様に付属のプローブ厚みがもう5mmほど薄いほうがよいかもしれない。そしてアンチバックラッシュのバネは、もっと強いほうがいいと思います。 2022.6追記) 突然、Z軸動作不良でワークにエンドミルが喰い込み干渉のトラブル。調べた結果、ｚ軸モーターケーブルの断線と判明。本件、製造＆販売者のカスタマー・サービスへ連絡したら、素晴らしいサポート(日本語)対応で問題が解決。その他にも問合わせに丁寧な対応があり、購入後のフォローもなかなかしっかりしていると思います。

Ich habe mir diese Fräse vor allem für die Herstellung von PCB-Prototypen für meine Elektronik-Projekte zugelegt. Der Aufbau ist gut beschrieben und in ca. einer Stunde erledigt. Das Einfädeln der Kabel in die Kunststoff-Netze ist etwas fummelig, mit Geduld und einem Feuerzeug aber auch sauber machbar. Die Spindel ist relativ laut, läuft aber sauber zentriert und bisher sehr zuverlässig. Der Motor lässt sich auch günstig nachkaufen, falls etwas wäre. Der Bewegungsapparat hat viel Kraft und ist sehr präzise, die Steuerplatine ist sauber verarbeitet und bereits mit einer vorkonfigurierten GRBL-Version geflasht. Nach dem Aufbau kann es also direkt losgehen. Als Software wird eine ältere Version von Candle mitgeliefert, ich habe mir gleich die aktuelle Version von Github geladen. Damit lässt sich die Fräse sehr gut steuern, auch eine 3D-Vorschau und eine Heightmap kann erstellt werden. Ich habe mir noch eine zweite Krokodilklemme an das Kabel gemacht, um PCBs sauber ausmessen zu können. Für die Planung verwende ich meist Sprint Layout, als Präprozessor dann FlatCAM. Für das Isolation-Routing benutze ich ein 30° V-Bit mit 0.1mm Eintauch-Tiefe, dann einen 0.5mm Fräser für die Löcher und einen 2mm Fräser zum Herausschneiden. Bisher habe ich ca. 20 PCBs erstellt, die Genauigkeit ist auch für SMD absolut ausreichend. Fertige PCBs sprühe ich dann noch mit PCB-Lack ein, um sie vor Korrosion zu schützen. Auch Holz lässt sichgut bearbeiten, am besten geht natürlich weiches Material, aber bei entsprechend langsamerem Vorschub konnte ich auch mit Eiche gute Ergebnisse erzielen. Die Planung und das Erzeugen des Maschinen-Codes habe ich dafür komplett in Autodesk Fusion 360 durchgeführt, aber auch andere Software, die GRBL kompatiblen GCode erzeugt, kann benutzt werden. Die Reinigung ist aufgrund der schlanken Bauweise unproblematisch, und die mitgelieferten Verschraubungen halten das Werkstück sicher auf dem Tisch fixiert. Ich habe mir noch kleine Gummifüße gebastelt, damit die Schrauben beim Einspannen das Aluminium nicht verkratzen. Die maximale Breite des Werkstücks wird durch den Rahmen seitlich auf ca. 30cm beschränkt, nach vorne und hinten ist die Maschine offen und hat in der Tiefe einen Arbeitsbereich von ca. 18cm. Die maximale Höhe liegt bei etwa 5cm, höher kann die Spindel nicht angehoben werden. Für Namensschilder, kleine Formteile und natürlich PCBs ist das meist mehr als ausreichend. Für den Betrieb empfehle ich ein dauerhaft verbundenes Notebook, da man damit die beste Kontrolle und eine Vorschau hat. Mit dem mitgelieferten Controller kann man die Maschine zwar auch bewegen und GCode senden, durch das fehlende Feedback sind die Möglichkeiten dann aber eingeschränkt. Die Endstopps halten die Maschine bei Betätigung sofort an, dadurch wird verhindert dass man eine der Achsen zu weit bewegt und damit möglicherweise die Mechanik beschädigt. Auch ein Homing ist dadurch möglich, wobei man gerade bei dickeren Werkstücken aufpassen muss, dass der Fräser nicht an den Halterungen hängen bleibt. Auch der Not-Aus-Schalter ist ein praktisches Feature, weil man damit die Maschine vor einer Kollision oder bei einem abgerissenen Fräser sofort anhalten kann und Schäden vermeidet. Insgesamt eine sehr vielseitige kleine CNC-Fräse, auch gut für Einsteiger geeignet, für gute Ergebnisse muss man sich allerdings vertiefend mit CAM-Software auseinandersetzen und braucht in der Regel mehrere Versuche.