hi all i am completely new to cnc routers and was wondering i want to purchase a machine but of course money is a factor when it comes to my purchase, i was looking at the workbee 1000mmx 1000mm on their site its around £1400+ but i have found the same machine on aliexpress for much much cheaper $580 dollars obvs not including shipping etc and from what i can see all i need to buy for the machine is the 3 axis controller kit for $113 as it comes with nema 23 steppers my question is , is this a viable option to building my own cnc router?is it technically a case of just buying the kit and electronics ? i use fusion 360 to model my parts and generate gcode, i have figured out to run the machine i will need UGS universal gcode sender to implement the gcode from fusion to the machine. if what i think is true you can get the workbee machine 1000x1000 for much cheaper than if i were to buy it from them! i contacted ooznest to ask them about the machine and they say because the machine is open source and is widely available on sites such as aliexpress etc but its not a ooznest product and i wont get the after care which im not bothered about anyways i want to build a machine from scratch but the only thing that i think i will need help with is the electronics so is it better to pay the extra £800-£1000 ontop to get the aftercare or go for the chinese copy which in essence it is for me i think they source the machines from china and stamp their name on it technically all your buying is aluminum extrusion and stepper motors and of course the 3 axis contollers so i cannot justify their prices for their machines that could possibly come from china ill add the link below any help would be greatly appreciated aliexpress search workbee i was going to go this option but decided against a wooden frame
Wrong on both accounts. While many of the parts that OpenBuilds and Ooznest sell may be sourced from China, they are carefully selected for both quality and tolerances. The same can't be said for the mystery machines that come directly from aliexpress. The other key difference is service after the sale. Will the vendors on aliexpress even acknowledge you exist should you have a problem 2, 3, or 6 months down the line? The other question that should be asked is do the aliexpress vendors in any way support the opensource and maker communities? Do they help educational and tech-ed programs? This forum thrives because OpenBuilds gives back to the community. Can any of the aliexpress vendors say that?
martin gray. Welcome. This post of yours was held in Moderation, but I have decided to let it be posted to the site because posts like these need to be seen. There are many points that need to be dealt with, and I feel you will receive many comments in the future, clearly and succinctly explaining why your statements are very much out of line. Where to start? You appear to be conversant with Fusion 360 and Gcode, therefore you are not a complete beginner in this area. I am glad you are considering the first steps into the world of CNC, and there is always the curiosity of why things are cheaper from China than anywhere else. It was always simple in the past to say, "because it is rubbish". This is not always the case nowadays. However, you will get what you pay for. Possibly inferior items with a false name attached, as is their want. No identifying Model numbers or names. As for Instructions, if you get any, will probably be in Chinese as well, and as informed, no Backup or support. You compare Ooznest or Openbuilds, (I think, because you never actually name the Company in question) with a source on Aliexpress, other than the CNC attribute, there really is no comparison. These Companies are recognised within the Hobby CNC world as second to none when it comes to quality, honesty and business acumen. To imply that they simply buy their materials from China, and put their name on it, only tells me that you are not ready to join the world of CNC without doing a great deal more reading and come to an understanding of how these Companies have Pioneered the Promotion of the Hobby CNC to the people throughout the world. As Ooznest told you, you won't get "Support" from your Chinese supplier, BUT even so, and even knowing the source of your CNC, we here at Openbuilds would always be willing to offer advice and information and NOT consider withholding such information. So, no, it is not a case of having to buy from a Recognised company to get advice! You go ahead and buy your machine from whatever source you choose, and we will help you any way we can, but please refrain from such inferences in the future on this site. I hope you will follow your desire to join the world of CNC and that we will be able to help you in the future. Gray
