Hello everyone,

I'm about to enter the world of CNC! I've been researching the subject for a few weeks now, and was looking for some advice / sanity checks before I make any big purchases.

Firstly, this is mainly for hobby use, though if I'm successful, I'd be interested in small-batch production runs or at the very least prototyping for outsourced manufacturing. I'll be using it mainly to cut PCB traces and holes, and casework + building plastic and rubber moulds.

I have a strong electronics and traditional woodworking background, with some basic metal working in the mix. I was fairly fluent in DesignCAD 3D about 15 years ago, but haven't done much since.

Right now, I can't decide between the Yoocnc 3040Z+4D and the X6-1500 (4-axis).

A few questions:

1. I'm very interested in direct USB control since I have a spare laptop, and would prefer not to have another large box and separate display head sitting around. It seems like a relatively recent development; does anyone have experience with both traditional parallel control and USB? Are there any arguments for/against?

2. Leaving USB control out of the equation, are there any other big arguments to go for the X6-1500 over the 3040Z+4D, aside from workpiece size and the larger spindle motor? Is there a significant rigidity / build quality difference? I'm looking at essentially twice the cost, which is a lot to pay for USB control and a faster spindle. I don't expect to work on pieces larger than a 3040 can accommodate.

3. Speed is not really a concern for me. Is there any benefit to having a big spindle motor (ie. >300W)?

4. Is it possible/practical to use the 4th rotational axis to cut specialized bolts and screws?

5. Are there machines I should consider other than the two I listed? I would like to keep the budget under $2000.

6. Might seem like an odd question, but has anyone used one of these machines to press in via rivets, with the spindle speed set to zero? Can the Z-axis exert the required pressure, safely?

Thanks!