Going to buy a OneFinity in the near future - Spindle or Router?

Spindle/VFD (Aftermarket)
21

Hi Kevin
Thank you for your valuable comment. Is a Palm router as loud as a normal one which has a 1/2” collet? Do you need to wear ear muffs in the vicinity of the 1f? Do you know if a housing built around the 1f would muffle the noise effectively?

Regards

Mark

22

I don’t wear any hearing protection and i have not built an enclosure.
It’s not quiet by any means but i don’t find it excessive. I think my dust collection is louder. Hope this helps.

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23

You should absolutely wear hearing protection no matter what cutting tool you end up buying.

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24

Hi

Thanks that is helpful - I will have to just see how it goes then but it doesn’t sound as bad as I thought.

Mark

25

I have been running CNCs since 2007, started with a router. It was what I could afford and the technology at the time. Today spindles are much more affordable.

  1. If you have the funds, buy it
  2. If you plan on only using the machine occasionally, couple of hour/week use a router
    The quality of the cutting will not be a noticeable difference however, your cut speeds could be less. Not a game changer.
  3. If you plan on using your CNC as a business and not a hobby, get the spindle
  4. Buyer’s remorse- Buy from a reputable dealer if you do get a spindle. If you buy a router you may say” I should have bought a spindle. $150-$200 that could have gone towards the purchase.

Best of luck with your decision, hope everyone’s feedback has not confused you😉

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26

Thank you - the more comments the better. Maybe someone can explain what a VFD is with regard to a spindle?

27

Spindles require three phase power. The VFD takes incoming one (US) or two (Europe) phase power and converts it to three phase. The VFD also can communicate with CNC controllers to set the spindle speed, or you can run it standalone without direct communication to the controller.

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28

Hey Mark,

The speed of the motor is then controlled only by the variable frequency of the three-phase current.

VFDs can drive asynchronous induction motors, some like Omron MX2 or Hitachi WJ200 also are able to drive synchronous motors (permanent magnet motors). The latter can be used for slow speed high torque applications like milling steel.

Regarding using a VFD see also the following informative postings:

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29

The only Chinese machine I’ve found that’s worth a half a damn has been the Foxalien WM3020, as it comes with ball screws & 15mm linear rails. But even at that, I felt compelled to create new side plates to eliminate all manner of misalignment. I did some substantial upgrades on it, and got it trustworthy to within +/- 0.005" repeatability when machining aluminum parts. Ultimately though, I stole the nice aluminum table off it and put it on the Onefinity.

So yeah, good advice to @Dantech on steering clear of any of the typical Chinese CNC machines. I can’t even recommend the X-Carve (one of the OG of home CNC machines). With belt drive & V-roller guidance, it’s ok for light casual hobby work, but not recommended for anything serious.

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30

If you go the router route (see what I did there) consider getting the 80mm mount and using a shim/sleeve to adapt the 65mm router. If you go 65mm now (like I did) and want to upgrade to an 80mm spindle (like I want to), then you have to buy a new 80mm Z-Slider and try to sell your 65mm at a discount. I wasn’t thinking ahead enough when I did my non-Elite to Elite upgrade and now I have that extra step/hassle when I am ready to up my game to a spindle.

Merely a suggestion to consider it. The shim is easy and cheap to get from PwnCNC and you set yourself up for a future upgrade and no harm if you don’t upgrade.

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31

Great advice - thank you! I will do that.

Mark