> CNC retrofits (even when successful) tend to be never ending projects. This is partly because the kind of person who retrofits a machine is seldom satisfied with it.
There are two primary reasons for the infinite refit:
1) No definite project for the CNC
If you have a definite project, you have a deadline and want that project done. The project also has a monetary implication so you have a budget.
I bought a Formlabs Form 2 for this reason. I didn't want to dork around with 3D printers--I needed to print parts. And it worked, we were printing parts within 3 hours of unboxing the machine.
2) Too stringent budgetary constraints
A lot of people doing CNC refits are scrounging parts from EBay, swap meets, etc. Consequently, the project doesn't have a definite plan--it proceeds in fits and starts when a critical number of pieces have been found.
I’ll just throw this out here for people interested in 3D printers: the Prusa i3 mk3s was a very similar experience for me. I actually wanted the kit but no localish vendors had any, so I ordered the preassembled version. Open the box, set it on the table, load filament, and go!
I’m probably ordering a Formlabs Form 2 for work in a couple of weeks because of some of their specialty resins, but did want to point out that around $1000USD can get you a workhorse if a printer!
Another option that I’m also looking at is the Prusa Mini. We have a bunch of small parts to print, and getting an army of smaller printers to work in parallel looks like a significant speed improvement.
I had this problem early on When I wanted a 3D printer. I ultimately spent more time working on my printer than printing things. It was very frustrating. Whenever I talk to people who are looking at getting a printer I always ask them “do you want to work on a printer or print things?”
There are two primary reasons for the infinite refit:
1) No definite project for the CNC
If you have a definite project, you have a deadline and want that project done. The project also has a monetary implication so you have a budget.
I bought a Formlabs Form 2 for this reason. I didn't want to dork around with 3D printers--I needed to print parts. And it worked, we were printing parts within 3 hours of unboxing the machine.
2) Too stringent budgetary constraints
A lot of people doing CNC refits are scrounging parts from EBay, swap meets, etc. Consequently, the project doesn't have a definite plan--it proceeds in fits and starts when a critical number of pieces have been found.