Hey Tony,
the advantages and drawbacks of the two different Series from Onefinity, the Original X-35/X-50/PRO Series with buildbotics-derived Onefinity CNC controller and the Elite Series with MASSO G3 Touch CNC Controller, is a frequently discussed topic in this forum. You may want to read what I wrote the other day, I tried to focus on the relevant things:
- Trying to decide on Elite vs. X-50 Series before I buy – the known problems are on both Series,
- Buildbotics vs. Masso Controller,
- Is setting up Rotary Axis simpler on Masso than on Buildbotics?,
and - You are completely wrong (About the history and the future of the buildbotics-derived Onefinity Controller on the PRO Series)
This will allow you to judge on the differences and point to more information on various relevant things regarding each Series.
Furthermore, what you must be aware of in the first place is that neither using a CNC, nor setting it up, is like buying a 3D printer and then printing something. Not at all. Regarding being able to use a CNC, you got to know that from a technical point of view, both Onefinity Series are hobbyist machines that show more than one aspect that I consider as not ideal and that will require you to spend your time in not working with the CNC, but improving or repairing it. See the posts above. Regarding setting it up, you have to know that there will be a long way until you really have a workplace where you put your workpieces in in order to let them be processed by the machine and be satisfied with the workflow, you will need to choose a lot of accessories including workpiece holding, which can be from simple clamps to pneumatic clamping and vacuum tabletops and much more. Plan for a longer period of trial and error until you are clear about how you want the workpiece processing to be realized.
Regarding what to produce with the machine, don’t think that buying 3D files of different objects available in the web will satisfy you, nor justify the costs of such a machine. Usually you don’t buy such a machine without having learned to create objects in CAD/CAM software and to export them as CNC toolpath. I would say that you need one year to master a CAD/CAM software if you are new to it. If you don’t learn this, it could happen that you finally own a machine from which you don’t know what to do with it, or you only make name signs and U.S. flags all the time because you don’t know how to do other things.