Probotix

[Eaglezsoar]

comparing the meteor with the FLA-100 it seems cheaper to buy the FLA with nema23 and just purchase a spindle seperate

does anyone know of a good 3phase with vfd?

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/variable-frequency-drive-motor

[Durandal]

I think there's a bit of a disconnect between what some people are talking about when they say mill aluminum, and what others mean. That Probotix Fireball does a pretty good job taking a .5mm cut into aluminum at around 60 mm/s, but that's not milling, that's engraving. The very fact that the aluminum sheet is just laying on the table should tell you all you need to know about what kind of torque that machine is capable of putting out. In an Actual CNC mill you need to clamp the workpeice in a vise which is itself firmly bolted to the frame of the machine, because trust me, when even a 1HP motor grabs onto the part taking a 12.7mm deep cut at 25 mm/s, you'll know! Or maybe not, if the part flies up and hits you in the head at 90 MPH.

Sorry to cut into the conversation if this is slightly off topic, but are you specifically interested in the router-gantry type CNC machines or are you looking for the more traditional mills?

The routers/gantrys at the hobby level seem to only work decently for wood, plastic, and sheet aluminum. If you want to more complex shapes and mechanical parts you should consider a Sherline or Taig mini mill.

This! A Sherline CNC setup with tools starts at around $2800, uses open source software, and has a 1/3 HP motor. It's not the fastest, it doesn't have a huge build area, but it cuts accurately and safely.

Or you could go the DIY route and get one of the Chinese mills like the X2 or X3, then build your own CNC kit for it, using the mill itself. It's been done many times, the machines are powerful, large, fast, and cheap.