[CNCZuser]

I need to make small ABS or PET parts, 1" to 6" or so, maybe 1" thick, for products. Finish is not critical; when 3d printing I just use 0.3 mm layers and the finish is fine. Machine needs to sit on a desk in an office, and be under $1000. What type of machine would do this? CNC router?

[awerby]

Why don't you just keep making them on your 3D printer? CNC machines that sell for less than $1000 don't usually work too well, and they need CAM software that will bring the price up. Also, they tend to be rather loud when cutting, spew chips everywhere, and probably would drive you out of your office. They can give you a better finish and hold tighter tolerances than a FDM printer, but you don't seem to care about that.

[CNCZuser]

Well, some parts need to be water tight, or shaped with large overhangs, which of course is not easy with hobby 3D.

[ngray77]

Everything in that price range is hobby/diy stuff. Do your research if that's what you want. Cheapest worthwhile product you should look at is a turnkey sherline or taig cnc package IMO.

[CNCZuser]

I guess that's what I don't know... to look at hobby stuff or not. That's why I compared to 0.3 mm 3D prints. I don't think I'll need any metal parts, if that helps.

I found this one for $1000:
RS-3020 Desktop CNC Router

[awerby]

I agree with ngray77. Check this site for the experiences of people who have bought those cheap Chinese machines. Apparently most of the mechanical parts aren't too bad (usually) but the majority of people who have gotten them to work reliably seem to be those who totally removed all the electronic parts (except the stepper motors, which are usually good) and replaced them. Those Chinese spindles are generally okay mechanically, but the Huanyang VFDs they come with have a bad reputation, so figure on replacing that as well. They usually contain a 24v power supply, which makes it hard to get good performance from the steppers. They typically ship with the free demo version of Mach3, so budget another $150 for a licensed one if you want to run programs with more than 500 lines of code. The documentation that comes with them isn't reliable, so setting up these machines can cause severe acute hair loss. And forget about getting tech support in English. But this could be an interesting experience for you; you might become an expert troubleshooter...

[Auarhau]

If you don't mind assembling the machine, take a look at the shapeoko 2. It's a very capable machine for it's price and should be perfect for this kind of jobs. And you will have money to spare to build an enclosure for it (cnc machines are loud).

[Anniepoo]

Have you considered resin casting? this is a process of casting by pouring urethane resin into a silicone mold.
It's a simple, low capital process, probably a casting will be substantially as accurate as a 3D printing, and the strength is comparable. Further, you could hand sand your 3D printed master to improve the surface finish and have that same surface finish on the cast parts.
Smooth-on sells good materials for this, or if you live near a Tap Plastics store, the relatively low quality/price ratio of the Tap Plastics material can be offset by being able to go in the store and ask questions.

[CNCZuser]

Yes I know about casting, but some parts that I need require carving/cnc.

The shapeoko seems interesting; seems it is a low cost open source unit with it's own forum.

[CNCZuser]

OK here are the other ones I could find:

Front Page | Carbide3D
Othermill – Other Machine Co.
*NEW* Sprite Desktop CNC Machine, Turnkey System | MyDIYCNC - Home of the DIY Desktop CNC Machine
Makesmith CNC