[Ingenious]

Hello all, :wave:
I am new the this forum as well new to cnc machining in general, I am located near Brisbane. I have a small volume custom fabrication shop in which the only CNC machine I have is a 3m x 1.5m plasma cutter. (chinese)
I have to cut a large number of one off custom aviation parts from aluminium, and although the parts are not very big was thinking of getting a machine to process 2400 x 1200 sheets (ally, plastics, wood and maybe even drilling steel if it's strong enough) so it's more versatile in the future.
Having gone down the chinese road with my last machine I would only consider another one IF it was backed up in Oz with local full tech support and training as well as operating manuals written by persons with english as their first language for a complete newbie like me.
I don't even know what questions to ask to get started, and I don't have the time to build one, so off the shelf plug & play straight away with everything I need straight up is my only option.
So any help to steer me in the right direction would be very well recieved.
With Thanks.

[Ingenious]

Does any one have any opinions on the Procam EVO III or others brands worth looking at that are sold in OZ.

[jasonharris22]

Looking at the photo here

Procam CNC Evo III Router - Procam CNC Wood Routers for Cabinet makers and Nested Base Manufacture | CNC Machinery | CNC Machines

A bit of research and you can probably find the factory or at least some resellers with the same thing. It's chinese made and you could probably get it for 20K less.

[rhodie-cnc]

I have seen the Evo III machine and by the quality of this machine it is not Chinese made. The controller is the exact same contrioler I have on my Procam Evo II machine which is 100% Australian made. The drive system and linear bearings are also the exact same parts as on my machine. I can cut 16mm Chipbouad all day every day at over 27 meters per min on my machine and have never had a problem. After sales support has also been absolutyl great. Prompt and friendly.

[jasonharris22]

You are right that I cannot say it is chinese made for sure.

I just looked at the style and the cost of it and it looked like a typical markup that would be applied to a chinese one of similar specs.

Which is not to say I am right, I have never seen it.

[Ingenious]

I have been talking with Procam about the EVO III and they are quite open about the fact that the bed and gantry are welded, heat treated and machined in China, then the rest is assembled, set up and tested by them in Western Australia. I have yet to clarify if any other smaller components are fitted in China such as servo drives or slides etc.

A.R.T. cnc in Queensland sell a NZ brand machine called Icam that also has the bed and gantry made in China and the sales guy told me that the servo's, racks & slides are fitted in China.

So anyone who has used a hybrid (half Chinese/half made elsewhere) machine let us know your thoughts on them.

[RoboDavo]

Hi, I'm from ART and just wanted to say that I would recommend locally made for production jobs. I know the cost is more but you get what you pay for.
We offer the Chinese built chassis for those on a leaner budget but here is a summary from another post, of what we go through to offer a good machine...

From other post...
We manufacture cnc machines in Australia and it costs around four times as much to build a machine as what an import costs - so they are cheaper to buy.
But...
We also import machines from China for those that want a cheap machine, and have done our homework very well. We only buy from the best quality manufacturers.
1) We find that we have to go through the whole machine and tighten all bolts. Many threads are stripped and have to be drilled out and re-tapped to a bigger size. The metal is poorer quality and doesn't hold a thread very well.
2) We remove the controller completely. The manufacturer admitted that they have 100% failure rate with their DSP controllers. So we have to re-wire much of the machine and install good quality control gear.
3) We spend a lot of time touching up the paint because the manufacturer does not do a good job. If there is a scratch or chip they just spot spray over it with a pressure pack and it leaves dry spray that cannot be cleaned. New chips are a constant event also because the paint doesn't stick.
4) There is no REAL safety circuit, just a button that cuts the power. This does not address Australian safety standards and is dangerous! We install a redundant safety circuit with dual channel monitoring, double monitored contactors, a timer relay to ensure the spindle is stopped with the brake BEFORE the power is removed from the drives.
5) We bring the wiring UP to Australian standards - which it is not when it arrives.
6) We install the machine in your factory, supply tooling, set up dust extraction, vacuum pumps etc. I've never seen someone come out from China to assist with the install.
7) We add a 12 month parts and labour warranty - on site. Yes, we fly someone to your factory and pay them to work on the machine.
8) We supply LEGAL commercial licensed cad/cam software. (The manufacturers offer non-copyright versions - pirated software) We supply working software.
9) We provide 3 days of training for your staff in the price
10) We provide telephone support for assistance.
11) We have remote assistance and diagnostics via the web direct to the machine controller. We can diagnose most technical issues immediately. Any adjustments can be made from our offices.

[rhodie-cnc]

Just to say thst we have had a 100% success rate with Chinese controlers. Some of the most advanced controls are Chinese. Weihong make stepper and AC Servo controls second to none. Even make Fanuc look silly. Just saying.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[rhodie-cnc]

Thanks for the honest post. Procam have always given 110%

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[Bad-mod]

Has anyone got contact info for procam ? I have a customer who has brought one and is wondering about support options.

[richard75]

Do Procam Australia still exist at all? I can't find any trace of any online presence for their company.
I'm looking at a second hand router from them and want to find out about them but they just are nowhere to be found....