Red/Cam CNC Milling Machine

Hey everyone!

I have a red/cam benchtop cnc milling machine. I use mach 3 with it. I have had it for about a year now and have made some cool stuff but this machine does have its share of problems. It seems to have accuracy issues, and it doesn't seem to be able to take very big depths of cut. From what I have researched these were both common problems with these. What I am looking into is upgrading this machine to fix those problems. My obvious first step it to take it apart and see what I have in terms of lead screws and servos. My question is, there is sooo much information out there and I don't know where to start. Can someone point me in the right direction of what servos to look into? Will upgrading the servos even eliminate my current issues? Its either I upgrade this machine if its possible, or buy a new machine and sell this one. I just like how this machine is very rigid compared to some of the others I've seen and I like the bed size.

Thanks for any information!

(Not my picture, but machine is the same!)

I guess it depends on what kind of performance you expect out of a small machine. The accuracy issues might be corrected by installing servos, depending on the mechanical condition of the machine. There is really not enough mass there to do any serious work.

Just to put this in perspective, I have a machine about that size and don't use anything larger than a 1/4 endmill in it, and I don't expect it to chew through material like my 7.5HP spindle, 5500 lb Haas. I normally don't use anything larger than a 1/2'' endmill in my 3HP, 3500 lb knee mill.

The phrase "accuracy issues" covers a lot of ground. What problems are you noticing? How far off is it? How deep were you trying to cut, in what material, with what tools? What were you expecting it to be able to do? People with big machines tend to scoff at small ones, but you can do useful work with them if you understand their limitations and work within them.

Be careful about taking it apart; it's easier to dismantle things like ball screws and stepper motors than to get them back in working order. But do inspect things like pulleys and couplers to make sure everything's tight and not slipping.

Still looking for info on this machine?
Let me know as I have one as well.
K