Genmitsu CNC 3018-PRO Router Kit, 3-Axis CNC Machine, Mini Milling Machine

I was just like you, reading reviews and contemplating if I should meander in to the world of CNC machines, a world that I know nothing about. If you're searching for these machines, you're already interested - so the only thing I can tell you is - get it. I have basic knowledge when it comes to electronics/hardware/software, if you're completely new to these things, the setup and usage may be slightly intimidating, but it IS easy enough that anyone can do it by following basic instructions. Like most mention - instruction manuals aren't the easiest to understand (for anything) but there are a ton of user videos all across the interwebs showing you how to set up/run the 3018. (seriously, if you need to learn anything, ever, about anything, ever, just YouTube or TikTok that ish) Out of box - I was a bit anxious. Any time you're opening a package that has hundreds of tiny parts it can seem like an uphill battle. If you dedicate a half hour or so of watching a set up video (all the way through), then setting it up while watching it again, it makes this set up a breeze. I had mine completed in about an hour, and after a minor issue was up and running. The V Bits that come with the machine are what I use most for cutting out designs. I also purchased some straight bits to use which, to me, are necessary if you're cutting out large pockets of material. As far as while this machine is running, people have mentioned noise quite often in reviews. I did not find the noise to be overwhelming. I have the 3018 set up in a room inside my house, and with the door shut, it doesn't disturb us at all. I use a Mac currently. I hate it, I was born and raised on a PC. So far I have found that Easel (it's a free application from inventables) is the easiest and most user friendly application to send G-Code, or your designs, to the machine. It's also incredibly user friendly for creating new designs for your 3018 if you're less than a novice and don't use any number of graphic suites (inkscape, illustrator, photoshop) along with Fusion 360 to create toolpaths for your designs. Windows users have a ton of more options to utilize your machine while connected to a computer, or you can upload your codes to the controller that comes with the machine to create your projects. I have used the 3018 quite often in the month I have had it. As always, there is trial and error involved. There is a learning curve when it comes to types materials to cut/carve at what speeds, and what types of bits to use. As you try a few projects here and there, you'll get much more comfortable about what to cut, and how to cut it. You can research and read about spindle speeds/materials/bits as much as you want, but you'll inevitably learn more from trial and error after having that basic knowledge from your prior research. So far I have mainly used MDF for my projects, though when attempting to use it on acrylic and copper, I can see the vast potential this machine has. CUSTOMER SERVICE for this product awesome. I had an minor issue during set up, and I was sent a replacement part incredibly quick. I was up and running the same week I received the machine. I have seen reviews complaining, but my experience reflects all of the glowing reviews about the help I received. This isn't a plug and play machine. You have to set it up. You have to learn it. At the price point, and with the capabilities this machine has - it is the PERFECT starter machine to get into the world of CNCs. All I can say is that you won't regret this if you try it. I'll upgrade the bed of the machine for larger projects, and eventually invest in the laser module to play with that as well. I would definitely recommend this machine and I would buy it again.

I was looking at small routers with tables about 1000 mm x 1000 mm and couldn't justify the price. I had this one in my wishlist so I could look into it further, but my wife saw it and bought it for me. (Yes she is a GREAT wife.) This is a terrific small CNC router table. I have had the table for about 2 months and have made a lot of wood projects. It does a really good job of routing with a great level of detail. I have been impressed with the level of detail that can be done. I made lots of small decorations for Christmas, as well as other projects. For those that are beginners and don't know, there is a web site where you can create your programs for free. The program is Easel; web site is inventables com and is really easy to learn/use. You have to have an account, but it is free also. It allows you to export the G-code and that code can be directly imported to Candle to run on the table. (Also it has recommended speeds and feeds, that is a big deal if you are a beginner.) I have ordered lots of end mills to use, I bought some packs that had various sizes, but have used the 20° V-bits, 1/8" end mill and 1 mm end mills the most. Most of what I have bought are 10 bits for less than $15. There is no need to buy the expensive ones unless you are really good (and then you would probably be getting a more expensive table!) Also I didn't like the way the backlash nut chattered when the axis' were moving, so I use pneumatic tool oil on the threads and the table moves VERY smoothly now. No backlash, no chatter! (Just move all the way to one side. drip a couple drops of oil on the threads and then move all the way to the other side.) You can get the oil on amazon or any big box home improvement store. Get a small bottle, 4 oz will last a LONG time. I have access to a 4 foot by 8 foot table for big projects, and the principles of this table vs. the large one are almost exactly the same. Cons: Does not have any safety switches so it is possible to drive the motors too far and run into the sides. When working with thin wood (1/4" or 5mm) the spindle won't go as low as I would like. Does not have a way to set the depth. I use the paper method but just purchased an add-on to fix this. It wasn't hard to assemble the table, however there are numerous revisions so the videos online are not quite like my model. Take your time, go slow, don't tighten down any of the bolts until you have to, because you will probably have to take it apart a couple times to fix mistakes. (especially with the directions of the bearings holding the table.) I spent a lot of time looking ahead at next few steps to make sure everything was oriented correctly. ************************************** Overall impression: Very happy to have it. Very capable in the 6"x 8" size range. Would definitely buy it again. No regrets.

I have purchased this to introduce my grandson to the world of automated machining. Given the price and general/overall high ratings of the product it looked as it would fulfill that need. Here is my first installment of rating the product. I have only opened the box and read the assembly instructions to date as I want this to be his "discovery". The product comes very well packed and ordered so first impressions are good. The assembly booklet is "picture book" oriented but because of the simplicity of the product assembly it is easily understood. There is only one measurement that seems to be called out and it is the placement of the gantry in relation to the rear mounts. There is only one caution and that is related to not over tightening the spindle motor collar. I think I read somewhere that these are 3D printed so one can over tighten and crack the mount. A driver software disc comes with the system to pair the unit to one's computer. I have not exercised that element as of yet. Once assembled we will exercise the unit with downloadable grbl code to test it out. We are in the process of choosing a design software package, preferably freeware. The candidates so far are Easel and Carbide Create. He has Solid works at school so at some point we will try and interface to that. In the back of my mind I am also looking at Corel Draw but I perceive at this point that we will have to have a converter from say DXF export to grbl. These seem to be readily available. I am not sure we will investigate the laser accessory for this unit due in part to its low power and its inability to cut through all but the thinnest stock. Ok it is a few weeks later and we have finally got this connected to a Windows 10 computer. Using the manual control functions of the grbl software handling system we are now able to control the Y, Z and X axis. That was encouraging as it did not come up the first few tries. We can't explain the failures the first few times other than to say the software is not "turn key" for the casual user ( I can say that with confidence because I was the manager of real time software development in my former life). I have never understood why the Chinese do not hire an English speaking translator to write the user manuals. Sainsmart is better than others but the grammar structure at times needs some cross outs and changes. At the moment we are going to add the necessary limit switches to protect the drive system as I didn't force the situation but I think I could have driven the Y travel into the frame using the manual control. It is now 8/17 and I have yet been unable to run any of the test code. Upon trying the Sainsmart logo all it does is turn on the spindle motor, jog a few mm shut the motor off, jog and repeat. I asked for help and the response asked me to send a video. I didn't think that was going to prove anything. I then tried the Wheel test code. It executed only the first step (downloaded the next step) and stopped aand left the spindle motor turning at what I assume is the correct speed. At that point I received an error code; “1: % <error:1” . The error windows gives a choice to ignore or abort. I never ignore error codes. And as one would have it there are no error code/clearance listings in the g code. All else works I can manually drive the X/Y/Z and spindle motor. I can also interrogate the controller for its parameters. All are as shown in the sample files. I have yet to hear from Sainsmart. A word to the wise. This is not a turn key system and maybe I can live with that if only I had sufficient support and support information. For the moment I am downgrading from 5 to a 4 rating. An update 8/25: I am amazed that few if any are having the problems I have been having. It can't be me or can it! Anyway I finally got the WHEEL test code to work by deleting the code "demarcation characters, the % symbol, at the beginning of the g code and at the end. The test code ran and it appears it followed the simulation path of the GUI. Yet I am still unable to run the Sainsmart logo. It seems to execute the code but there is no correlation between the GUI path and the actual tool path. It does not want to traverse the X axis??? Here is another data point I just noticed that the manual Y JOG function traverses opposite to what the screen UP/DOWN arrows. Any one else seeing this? I do not recall this action early on. I did not change the Y axis drive bit either, Cables are identical and connected correctly. Here it is 1/2/2020 and I am back at it. Sainsmart sent me a new board. So far it didn't work. I put the old board back in as I had wanted to try importing some DXF (laser files) through a very user friendly application called Easel. This application although simple is much more user friendly than Candle. In using it I was alerted to the fact that the Y Axis drive was reversed polarized. Through Easel I could change it and store the new value on the controlled board. Quite to my delight that has been the problem all along with the controller. It now runs the Sainsmart Logo as well as the others. I will leave the rating as a 4 for the time being although if I were to rate this system from a turn key perspective I would give it a '1'! Sainsmart has a long way to go in this area. This is an update as of 12/2020. The unit had to be put aside for more pressing work elsewhere until this period. Recall the struggle with the Y axis direction was reversed causing the unit to either operate incorrectly (reversed from the screen graphic)with such things as a circle or strangley with non symetic elements. After researching the EEPROM settings of the unit we were able to permanently reverse the sense of the Y axis motion permanently. This has cleared up all the previous issues related to this. I will leave the rating as a 4 since this points to poor quality control of the manufactured unit.

Background: I have a little bit of experience with manual machining in a machine shop during college, no formal CNC at all. I'm an electrical engineer by training and am decent at programming. TL;DR: Great machine to learn on, worth the money. Pros: - Easy to assemble. Instructions were very clear. The main frame members still had some sharp shavings on them, but no big deal. - Basic functionality right out of the box. What I mean by that is you get basic instructions to execute the sample g-code. - Compact - So far no damage to machine from simple mistakes (like driving a motor past its limits) - Very common machine. From everything I've seen this is kinda the 1993 Honda Civic of starter CNCs, everybody has them or knows someone who does. Cons: - Aside from assembly and running sample g-code, no instructions. I knew this would be the case as I was buying this for my own education but I can see where someone might have expected more. - No limit switches included. There are pin headers on the control board, and some purchase options (not sure if the vendor has them) which allow for easy expansion but they are not a part of this. - Only comes with engraving vee-bits. Most 3d work is better done with end mills. - The supplied bolt-and-plate parts for securing work to the table are a PITA. I haven't taken the time to work out a more convenient alternative yet... Other Thoughts: - There are hundreds of videos, blogs, forum posts, etc about how to get started. There's value in most of them, but don't expect a lot of consistency. It was my experience/impression that most of them are either so basic and vague that they were useless, or assumed a basic functioning knowledge of how CNCs work. I was able to piece things together, but be patient and don't expect masterpieces in the first month! - I personally recommend getting Fusion360 by AutoDesk as your CAM program to start with. It is free for hobbyists, you just have to poke at their website a bit to find that option. It has CAD functionality but I think it falls way short in that arena. It has logical tool and path definitions as well as toolpath simulation in the CAM environment which is super helpful for beginners to understand what all the various parameters do. Very much a graphical tool. - I use AutoCAD for my CAD environment. This program is NOT free for hobbyists however I have it on my work laptop and my employer doesn't care what I tinker with at home so long as I'm not making money from their license. There are open source AutoCAD copycats out there, I haven't worked with any of them. - While the handheld controller can send g-code, it doesn't behave 100% like Candle (the included software). I recommend using a PC as a g-code sender.

The Genmitsu CNC 3018-PRO is one of the more polarizing products I've purchased in recent memory. In case you suffer from TLDR; syndrome, I will tell you this: the 3018-PRO is an incredible value... especially if you get it on sale. It's also a bit of DIY PITA. So, now you know the summary... time for the details. The Genmitsu CNC 3018-PRO arrives in a very compact box. That's made possible since the unit is COMPLETELY disassembled. This shouldn't be a huge surprise, considering the price point, but I'm telling you just in case. An important thing to know is that the mill's pieces appear to have come straight off of whatever machines were used to fabricate them. The aluminum extrusions are covered in metal shavings. All of the parts, including the bakelite pieces, have some machine oil on them. For best results, blow everything off with air (or brush it), and wipe down everything. If you are the DIY type (and I am), then a fully disassembled machine isn't really an issue... unless the assembly instructions aren't any good. On the plus side, the manual is pretty extensive (24 pages) considering the other types of vendors and devices in this market space. The english is clear, the diagrams are well drawn and easy to see, and the instructions of what to do with the software are clear. So what's wrong? Well, the diagrams don't explain what you're doing on any particular step. That's not necessarily a big deal, but I did miss using a spring as a brass fitting. It only took a few minutes to get it right, but it was still inconvenient. From unboxing to flipping the machine on took me about 40 minutes. TIP #1: It's not super obvious how some of the locking nuts are supposed to work, but they drop into the guide channel and spin onto locking position when almost fully screwed in. TIP #2: There are no instructions on how your working material is supposed to be secured to the table in the documentation provided. I did figure it out what to do with the hardware provided, but you should just look at the product page photos, and you'll see how the bolt + plate + screw arrangement works. Once everything was assembled and ready to go, I went to SainSmart's page to download the driver, firmware, and secondary software. No dice... I couldn't find it, so I had to copy it from the included mini-CD (but seriously... what about all of the people that don't have an optical drive?) on to a flash drive. Everything installed in a few minutes, and the mill was controlled properly from the GRBL software. The mill works, but it good to have realistic expectations. How well it works is heavily influenced by the spindle speed, the motor positioning rate, plunge depth, and the cutting tool quality. I used the mill with acrylic and wood, which are pretty much the softest materials you can use. Even with those I had to use really low step values to make sure that the side loads didn't cause too much bit deflection. I'd imagine better bits would help here. I think you'd want a more substantial machine if you want to mill some of the softer metals (aluminum, copper, and the like). As an introduction to CNCs, the 3018-PRO is a nice starting point. The polarizing thing for me is the price... I'd been looking at this item for a while, but never pulled the trigger at its normal price. A week or two ago the price dropped in a lightning deal by $50. If you can get that deal, I think it's a no-brainer. Value is a very subjective thing, though, so you may like it at the current price, too (YMMV). Conditionally recommended.

This will be a lengthy review .. 1. Assembly was easy. There is a very nice instructional booklet and plenty of videos on YouTube on how to do it. Took me about 40min to 1 hr. 2. The item came well packaged and gives a bit of a WOW moment when you open it. I mean you pay under $200 and everything is nicely placed inside and no parts missing :) 3. The frame is sturdy, everything pretty much self levels and squares as you put it together. Assemble slightly loose and tighten up all bolts fully at the end. Honestly, by the time I was done with assembly and played with the software, I was surprised that there were any negative reviews lol 4. The USB stick was a nice touch but you still need a service/program to convert data to gcode. There is a learning curve with getting this to work but YouTube is your best friend again. I am very tech-savvy and had no issues at all. Others might have a different experience but give yourself time and you will get it; it's easy, I promise :) 5. The problem/s- The connection created by the Coupling&Set screws!!! This is a nightmare! The issue is that they can't hold tight enough to handle the tension created by the spindle w/bits against the surface your are milling/carving. They simply come loose and the job goes to trash. 6. Also, once assembled, there is no good access to keep tightening both ends (motor and rod) on all 3 axes. For X and Y, you need to detach the motors and reattach again. For the Z axes, you need to work on the one end at an angle. When one of those coupling screws gives in, the machine can't follow the code and move in the failed direction so your project is ruined. One would say hit the Stop button, adjust/fix/tighten and continue.. hm, it doesn't work like that. By the time you hit Stop, you either get a scratch or a hole dug into the material by the bit, depending on which axes fails. 7. I only used mdf and plywood, both 1/4 inch thick. Out of maybe 20 jobs, I had only 3 successfully completed. Can't imagine if I had to do work on a walnut piece. 8. Each successful attempt came after I fully unscrewed, disassembled, reassembled and freshly tightened the coupling screws. And this to me, is totally unacceptable. At least give me 3 good cuts before I need to go through the nonsense lol 9. The machine is noisy when in operation but I didn't expect it to be quiet, its a power tool after all. it's pretty much on par with my Vacmaster. So, is this machine usable? - yes, if you are willing to tighten all coupling&ser screws and bolts between each use. This deserves 1 star only because if you are determined to make it work, you POSSIBLY can. When I was watching tips/tricks/troubleshooting on YouTube, I came across a guy who suggested that one should put a drop of superglue when tightening the screws. Perhaps that would work to a degree, it might've actually given me the 3 good cuts i want lol But let's face it, how long would the superglue metal to metal bond hold when the machine is in constant vibration during operation?!? Yep, 3 good cuts then back to point 8 above :) Save your money, time, frustration and materials, and buy something better. I can't afford the $2k price tag so decided to give Foxalien Masuter a shot next. I'm truly hoping my experience is better with it because I have so many ideas and want to open a hobby shop on etsy. I am forever grateful for Amazon and their return policy. I've disassembled the cnc and sending it back.

Definitely a lot of pros for this machine. The instructions were pretty easy to follow, I had it fully assembled within a couple hours. It is surprisingly durable for the price! I didn't really know what to expect, but after all the times I've crashed this during my steep learning curve into CNC machines, it still cuts precisely and hasn't broken! I've crashed it pretty hard a couple of times too. I think this is, in part, due to the 3D printed plastic spindle holder. It may seem to lack the rigidity of the aluminum option they offer, but honestly I am grateful for the flex of the plastic as I continue to learn programming. It gives me a margin for my own error. I can't say enough good things honestly. Durable, fun, extremely accurate, pretty quiet too. I've done patterns in acrylic, wood, and brass so far. Feeds and speeds are key, but when done correctly it has no problem (I broke a couple engraving bits from too heavy of a cut). I even had it chomp through a steel fixturing screw due to my poor placement. But it actually cut right through and kept going! very impressed. Customer support is incredible as well. I emailed in after I had a glitch with the machine. They were very thorough with diagnostic and got me a solution pretty quickly as well, and at no cost to me. They were very quick to respond as well, very impressed with this. I've had other products from other companies and hardly hear back. So this was a refreshing experience. The only con I'll really give the machine, and this may even be a glitch. There are bushings inside the spindle holder to align the Z axis, I have noticed that if the program causes vibration in the spindle, those bushings can tend to walk out a bit. That being said, vibrations are most likely from my own mistake in programming, and a little dab of super glue seems to have cured this issue. So I'll label it as more of a "be aware of this possibly happening to you" rather than a con. As I said before, it's a fantastic little machine for beginners and experienced operators alike. I would (and have) recommended to friends. I mean the price can't be beat for the machine you get. I'd honestly expect to pay twice what I did now that I have run it through its paces. Awesome machine, awesome company.

I have been looking for a desktop CNC router to make small parts for rc model aircraft and quadcopters. The materials which I use most often are 1/16" to 1/4" thick balsa, basswood, light-ply, aircraft grade plywood, spruce, cherry, maple, and occasionally, 3mm carbon fiber plate. I was skeptical that this machine could handle these materials, but after doing some reading on the internet, I decided to give it a try. What I like about it is this: (1) is is very well built, just use blue thread locker on the screws and grub screws holding the parts together because all machines like this are subject to vibration, not matter how well built or expensive they are. (2) Use the depth gauge on a vernier caliper to square the aluminum xy-table to the frame since this thing will, like all machines, be only as good as you put it together. Do this by measuring the distance between the xy-table and the frame on the diagonals from opposite corners of the xy-table. (3) The motor is relatively quite. Quieter than my Dremel 4000. (4) It includes an ER11 collet, and an off-line controller which is easy to use. (5) It has a variety of upgradable parts and spare parts are available. (6) It works particularly well with Easel and FreeCAD, and of course Candle. What I don't care for are the bakelite components, but they are more than strong enough for the machine and the makers had to economize somewhere. Some people complain that there is some flex in the rods supporting the motor carriage. I have not found this to be a noticable problem. In the bags of parts you will find an blue extra shaft coupling adapter. I finally realized that this is used to hold 1/8" bits to the motor's spindle if you don't use the ER11 collet. The ER11 collet is much easier to use.

I've been on the fence about getting a CNC machine for some time now and I finally decided to give it a go. PROS: -For the price, this machine's power, precision and ease of use is quite impressive. -The parts are high quality and the spindle and stepper motors all perform well. -Putting the machine together took a little time but instructional videos provided on the included USB Stick are very helpful. -Getting started and connecting the machine to the computer was quite easy and requires only the installation of a driver and software provided on the included USB Stick. -The machine runs smoothly and cuts are made with precision (satisfactory to a beginner or intermediate CNC hobbyist). -Awesome price for a beginner who doesn't want to risk damaging a very expensive machine. CONS: -The cutters/end mills included are of one type and size only and are designed solely for engraving things like letters. I decided to purchase some additional bits from Sainsmart (a whole set of HSS bits and V-Bits for around 40$) and I'm now able to do some pretty awesome cuts. -The software recommended by Sainsmart is "Candle" but I found it quite cumbersome to use. Thankfully, there are several alternate programs available online. I recommend "Easel" - I was up and running, designing my own cuts and carving within minutes. -The Clamps included with machine are a pain to use and are awkward to set up. I decided to buy a 2-pack of clamps from Sainsmart and now I have no issues at all. Having had the machine only for a couple of days, I'm already up and running and have carved multiple designs, most of which turned out quite well. I'm happy with my purchase and I'm motivated to continue with my new hobby! UPDATE: I've now been doing CNC as a hobby for a couple of years and I love it. I am happy I started with the 3018PRO so that I could decide whether the hobby was for me without spending a lot of money. Since my original purchase, I bought the extension kit for the 3018 Pro. From there, I moved up to the 4040Pro and added a Makita Router with 1/4 Shank bits. Now I can carve a wide range of gifts, crafts, signs, dishes, etc. Starting with the 3018Pro was a great idea.

A good starting place for learning to us a CNC. Easy to setup and use. Added the bed extension later. Genmitsu have a great range of products and accessories.

Funciona a la perfección lo recomiendo trabaja muy bien la madera

Excelente precio Muy buenos resultados

Machine works very well. Too be honest I was/am surprised at how much detail you can get out of this little guy. Assembly took a fair amount of time but was not difficult at all. Instructions are similar to LEGO. They give a small area to gather all the parts for that step then a blown out photo showing where to attach the parts. Take your time to distinguish the parts and screws. (I recommend a tape measure to verify the right lengths) I estimate it took between 1.5 - 2 hours for full assembly. I had some minor issues getting started so I contacted Sainsmart for assistance. Although there is a time difference they were quite helpful in getting me sorted out. They helped me solve my problem and then a few days later, reached out, again, to ensure all was well. Good customer service, they really do seem to care. Getting started can be a daunting task, finding usable patterns, or software to create your own can be EXPENSIVE. Keep in mind this is not a cheap or easy hobby to get into, however the projects you can create are endless and amazing quality. Time and patience are key, if you don't have BOTH avoid this hobby but if you do then you will not be disappointed.