Anyone know anything about CNC machines (bonus points for 3d printer knowledge too)...
I want to buy a metal-capable CNC as well as a 3D printer to supplement it. Mostly to do random projects. But could use advice on what to purchase.
I am also curious about the software side, ideally id like to get a CNC that is easy to work with from a software level and bonus points if i could somehow use the same software to design for both CNC and 3d printer since parts for any particular project are likely to come from both.
I've only worked with homebuilt (rather, cobbled-together-in-the-lab-by-grad-students) CNCs, so I can't recommend specific products, but I'll try to pose some questions that you should consider, and maybe in doing so your decision will become clearer.
You say it should be metal-capable. What metals and form factors are you worried about - cutting shapes from sheet steel, milling complex 3D forms from aluminium billet, safely handling something weird like titanium or magnesium?
What size working area do you need? Is that a desktop CNC machine? A freestanding one, maybe the size of an armoire? A full commercial VMC, about the size of a minivan?
Are you comfortable maintaining it yourself, or will you need a professional to keep everything aligned/lubricated/operating? Come to that, do you want to build your own instead of buying a premade one?
Regarding 3D printers, I have a Printrbot Simple, but unfortunately I can't recommend it unless you only want to make orthogonal surfaces - diagonals and curves are terrible. You might consider something modular like the Snapmaker 2.0, which has attachments that can be swapped out to make it a CNC machine, laser cutter, or 3D printer, but of course this will involve compromises that single-purpose designs don't have to worry about.
@khird I know that at a minimum I'd like to work with aluminum.. would be nice if it could be steel too.