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  1. #1

    Blue Elephant CNC router review

    Hello all. This post is about my experience purchasing a new Chinese CNC router from Blue Elephant CNC. I couldn't find too much about them when I was shopping around so maybe this post will help someone else out in their decision.

    The experience was excellent and I am very happy. They gave me such good service every step of the way. I purchased a 1530 (5' x 10') manual tool change machine. They accommodated all of my requests for upgrades like large HSD spindle, T-slot table, Yaskawa servos and drivers, RichAuto DSP control system, automatic lube, etc... They also mounted the control box in the frame for me so I don't have to have the bulky external control box. They also gave me written quotes showing the price differences for options. I even got to pick my own colours!

    They arranged all of the shipping to my closest port (Toronto) and I shipped it myself from port to my shop. Next time I would probably just let them arrange the shipping all the way to my door. The only hiccup I had was that the idiots at the Toronto terminal destroyed the crate and damaged the control box doors. Blue Elephant was great helping out with that. They had purchased insurance and I was well compensated for the damage. (The machine was still fine. It was just the doors that were bent.) Then Blue elephant sent me replacement doors at no cost, but I did pay the shipping.

    The machine itself is awesome! It is built like a tank with excellent quality everywhere. All of the components are the exact same as the more expensive domestic machines. Servos, drivers, VFD, bearings, ballscrews, rack and pinion gears, etc..., but the cost was literally 1/3 of the price. When they were still quoting the machine I questioned them about the quality of the components that would be used. They sent me photos to verify that the electronic components, cables and things like that were all UL/CE listed certified components. This is important if you are using the machine in North America in a commercial setting (which I am). Once the specs were finalized and I gave them a 30% deposit, they built the machine very quickly (about 3 weeks). The longest part was the shipping (about 7 weeks).

    Startup was no problem. Just hooked up the power, turned it on, and started cutting I tweaked some of the settings to my preference like rapid speed etc... but essentially the machine was plug and play. I've had the machine operational now for about 2 months cutting nonstop for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and haven't had any problems at all.

    One piece of advice I have is to check all of your lube lines and be sure that EACH of your bearings are getting the right amount of oil. On my machine the throttles were out of adjustment so the bearings for the long axis were getting all of the oil and nothing was making it to the gantry bearings or the Z axis. Even the best brand new machine in the universe will be quickly destroyed without proper lubrication.

    My sales contact there still stays in touch with me to make sure everything is good and I'm still happy. When I had technical questions I got the answers I needed from their engineering team. It usually takes a day or 2, but I get the answers. Patience is required. Because of the time difference every communication back and forth takes a day. But if you are patient you will save ALOT of money and be happy.

    So overall rating for Blue Elephant: A++, 5 stars, 10/10. Definitely would recommend with zero worries.

    Click image for larger version. 

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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Posts
    51

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    What accuracy and repeatability can you cut with? Do you cut any aluminium?

  3. #3

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    The machine itself is very accurate. The actual accuracy of the part depends on stuff like setup, tool condition, speeds and feeds, etc... If I push really hard, round holes tend to go a bit out of round from deflections and what not. But a finishing pass cleans them up nice. In my experience this applies to most cnc machines. I haven't really tested the limits of accuracy because it is plenty accurate for the work I'm doing with it. As far as repeatability, no problem. Runs exactly the same every time. No I haven't cut aluminum with it, but I'm sure it would handle it just fine.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Posts
    260

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    Thank you for your compliment Dear friends, we hope to hear their praise from customers. Thank you, I hope that there will be more cooperation in the future.:wee:
    E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.elephant-cnc.com
    --------------Jinan Blue Elephant CNC Machinery Co., Ltd-------------

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Posts
    260

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    Quote Originally Posted by lael View Post
    What accuracy and repeatability can you cut with? Do you cut any aluminium?
    yes . We still have a lot of machines that can cut aluminum. You can leave your contact email. We will send you some information.
    E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.elephant-cnc.com
    --------------Jinan Blue Elephant CNC Machinery Co., Ltd-------------

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Posts
    1

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    Other than taxes did you pay any duty fees in Toronto? Is the machine still working well?

  7. #7

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    No Duty and only one tax. Still works great all day every day.

  8. #8

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    Hello toolm8kr, I live in the GTA and I am also looking to buy a similar machine. Can you please turn on your private message so I can get in contact with you. Would love to talk to you more in detail about the machine. Thanks

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Posts
    1206

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    Its nice to see a satisfied owner doing useful work with a machine that they bought after a bit of homework.It ought to help others who are considering the move to know that they are dealing with a company that makes the effort to supply the product that the customer specified.Having the insurance in place and receiving replacement parts is a very positive endorsement.What are you producing on the machine?

  10. #10

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    Hey Bud. I turned on PM. What do you want to know?

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Posts
    260

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    Dear my friend,
    Thank you so much for your sincere and complete review to our company. Your purchasing experience from us is very precious for new and old customers.

    It is our honor to service such good customer like you. And our sales manager Nancy forward your advice about lubrication issue to technical dep. Gary and Jason are very thankful for your suggestion. They communicate with our production dep. to make improvement.

    Any assistance you need, feel free to our sales contacts at any time

    Thank you once again
    Warmest regards
    Jack
    E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.elephant-cnc.com
    --------------Jinan Blue Elephant CNC Machinery Co., Ltd-------------

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Posts
    4
    How is your experience with the vacuum table? I see in the pic you use screws on the edges of the board.

    Thanks for the post!

    Quote Originally Posted by toolm8kr View Post
    Hello all. This post is about my experience purchasing a new Chinese CNC router from Blue Elephant CNC. I couldn't find too much about them when I was shopping around so maybe this post will help someone else out in their decision.

    The experience was excellent and I am very happy. They gave me such good service every step of the way. I purchased a 1530 (5' x 10') manual tool change machine. They accommodated all of my requests for upgrades like large HSD spindle, T-slot table, Yaskawa servos and drivers, RichAuto DSP control system, automatic lube, etc... They also mounted the control box in the frame for me so I don't have to have the bulky external control box. They also gave me written quotes showing the price differences for options. I even got to pick my own colours!

    They arranged all of the shipping to my closest port (Toronto) and I shipped it myself from port to my shop. Next time I would probably just let them arrange the shipping all the way to my door. The only hiccup I had was that the idiots at the Toronto terminal destroyed the crate and damaged the control box doors. Blue Elephant was great helping out with that. They had purchased insurance and I was well compensated for the damage. (The machine was still fine. It was just the doors that were bent.) Then Blue elephant sent me replacement doors at no cost, but I did pay the shipping.

    The machine itself is awesome! It is built like a tank with excellent quality everywhere. All of the components are the exact same as the more expensive domestic machines. Servos, drivers, VFD, bearings, ballscrews, rack and pinion gears, etc..., but the cost was literally 1/3 of the price. When they were still quoting the machine I questioned them about the quality of the components that would be used. They sent me photos to verify that the electronic components, cables and things like that were all UL/CE listed certified components. This is important if you are using the machine in North America in a commercial setting (which I am). Once the specs were finalized and I gave them a 30% deposit, they built the machine very quickly (about 3 weeks). The longest part was the shipping (about 7 weeks).

    Startup was no problem. Just hooked up the power, turned it on, and started cutting I tweaked some of the settings to my preference like rapid speed etc... but essentially the machine was plug and play. I've had the machine operational now for about 2 months cutting nonstop for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and haven't had any problems at all.

    One piece of advice I have is to check all of your lube lines and be sure that EACH of your bearings are getting the right amount of oil. On my machine the throttles were out of adjustment so the bearings for the long axis were getting all of the oil and nothing was making it to the gantry bearings or the Z axis. Even the best brand new machine in the universe will be quickly destroyed without proper lubrication.

    My sales contact there still stays in touch with me to make sure everything is good and I'm still happy. When I had technical questions I got the answers I needed from their engineering team. It usually takes a day or 2, but I get the answers. Patience is required. Because of the time difference every communication back and forth takes a day. But if you are patient you will save ALOT of money and be happy.

    So overall rating for Blue Elephant: A++, 5 stars, 10/10. Definitely would recommend with zero worries.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_8464[1].jpg 
Views:	0 
Size:	81.4 KB 
ID:	489709

  13. #13

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    I didn't get a vacuum table. We almost exclusively cut sheathing grade plywood which has a very rough, irregular surface and warps like 8" off the table so there is no way we could ever hold them down with vacuum.
    I bolted down t-slotted aluminum profile rails on the sides and toggle clamps that can be positioned anywhere along the rails. I also use hold downs in the center of the sheet that screw into strategically placed t-nuts where I need them. We clamp the edges with the clamps and start the program and the first thing it does is go and cut clearance holes over the t-nuts. Then we screw in the hold down knobs to hold the center of the sheet down. It works pretty good for us, but we only run a few different parts on this machine, but high volume. If you were doing alot of custom stuff it might be a pain.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    15

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    Thank you very much for your review of the machine and the manufacturer. I am strongly considering purchase of their model 1530, just ironing out details. I may in fact fly to China to have a look.

    Is the gantry made completely of steel? Are the spindles genuine Italian HSD? Have you had any issues with the machine at all, and how long did it take to resolve the problems? How is their support system? How quick are the responses? Do you find typing on their vertically mounted control keyboards at all awkward?

    Any help or feedback would be appreciated. My email, if you'd like, is [email protected]

    Anton













    Quote Originally Posted by toolm8kr View Post
    Hello all. This post is about my experience purchasing a new Chinese CNC router from Blue Elephant CNC. I couldn't find too much about them when I was shopping around so maybe this post will help someone else out in their decision.

    The experience was excellent and I am very happy. They gave me such good service every step of the way. I purchased a 1530 (5' x 10') manual tool change machine. They accommodated all of my requests for upgrades like large HSD spindle, T-slot table, Yaskawa servos and drivers, RichAuto DSP control system, automatic lube, etc... They also mounted the control box in the frame for me so I don't have to have the bulky external control box. They also gave me written quotes showing the price differences for options. I even got to pick my own colours!

    They arranged all of the shipping to my closest port (Toronto) and I shipped it myself from port to my shop. Next time I would probably just let them arrange the shipping all the way to my door. The only hiccup I had was that the idiots at the Toronto terminal destroyed the crate and damaged the control box doors. Blue Elephant was great helping out with that. They had purchased insurance and I was well compensated for the damage. (The machine was still fine. It was just the doors that were bent.) Then Blue elephant sent me replacement doors at no cost, but I did pay the shipping.

    The machine itself is awesome! It is built like a tank with excellent quality everywhere. All of the components are the exact same as the more expensive domestic machines. Servos, drivers, VFD, bearings, ballscrews, rack and pinion gears, etc..., but the cost was literally 1/3 of the price. When they were still quoting the machine I questioned them about the quality of the components that would be used. They sent me photos to verify that the electronic components, cables and things like that were all UL/CE listed certified components. This is important if you are using the machine in North America in a commercial setting (which I am). Once the specs were finalized and I gave them a 30% deposit, they built the machine very quickly (about 3 weeks). The longest part was the shipping (about 7 weeks).

    Startup was no problem. Just hooked up the power, turned it on, and started cutting I tweaked some of the settings to my preference like rapid speed etc... but essentially the machine was plug and play. I've had the machine operational now for about 2 months cutting nonstop for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and haven't had any problems at all.

    One piece of advice I have is to check all of your lube lines and be sure that EACH of your bearings are getting the right amount of oil. On my machine the throttles were out of adjustment so the bearings for the long axis were getting all of the oil and nothing was making it to the gantry bearings or the Z axis. Even the best brand new machine in the universe will be quickly destroyed without proper lubrication.

    My sales contact there still stays in touch with me to make sure everything is good and I'm still happy. When I had technical questions I got the answers I needed from their engineering team. It usually takes a day or 2, but I get the answers. Patience is required. Because of the time difference every communication back and forth takes a day. But if you are patient you will save ALOT of money and be happy.

    So overall rating for Blue Elephant: A++, 5 stars, 10/10. Definitely would recommend with zero worries.


  15. #15

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    Hi Anton. The gantry is all steel and super solid. The spindle appears to be genuine. We are still running it 8 hours a day with no problems. I do keep it at pretty low rpm (12,000) though so it doesn't heat up too much. I've literally have had no problems. Knock on wood. My operator is very good though which makes a huge difference.

    They always respond to me via skype. No problem. I've been dealing with the same girl there since the beginning and she is very nice and helpful. Just remember that there is a 12 hour time difference so patience is required.

    I have the DSP system with a hand held pendant. No vertically mounted keyboard. It is great for a production environment. Also doesn't come with all the windows problems like with mach 3 on a pc. For custom work I would say that mach3 is more versatile. But for joe blow cnc operator the dsp is perfect. Very simple.

    Hope that helps. I wouldn't bother flying to China just to see the machine. It would be cool to go there as a tourist though.

    Luke

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    15
    Hello, and my belated thanks for writing months ago. I am just now reading your post. I did wind up buying a 1632 from them visiting Jinan, China in November to see my completed machine. Completely wonderful people. The language barrier was tough, but I made it work courtesy of phone translator. I brought the machine too or shop in early February, and mine woods later I am just assembling and installing it, for having been too busy. A couple of lose ends to iron out, but not to bad.


    QUOTE=toolm8kr;2318744]Hi Anton. The gantry is all steel and super solid. The spindle appears to be genuine. We are still running it 8 hours a day with no problems. I do keep it at pretty low rpm (12,000) though so it doesn't heat up too much. I've literally have had no problems. Knock on wood. My operator is very good though which makes a huge difference.

    They always respond to me via skype. No problem. I've been dealing with the same girl there since the beginning and she is very nice and helpful. Just remember that there is a 12 hour time difference so patience is required.

    I have the DSP system with a hand held pendant. No vertically mounted keyboard. It is great for a production environment. Also doesn't come with all the windows problems like with mach 3 on a pc. For custom work I would say that mach3 is more versatile. But for joe blow cnc operator the dsp is perfect. Very simple.

    Hope that helps. I wouldn't bother flying to China just to see the machine. It would be cool to go there as a tourist though.

    Luke[/QUOTE]

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2021
    Posts
    1

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    I too am looking for updated information on the Blue Elephant CNC 1530. They have priced the two variations for me (Italian Spindle and Chinese Spindle) and I have asked for customer references for both of these units. I am waiting to here back. Would appreciate any updates from toolm8kr and 2C3D4U and anyone else that has current information. If there is a way to communicate directly with other owners I would appreciate knowing how to contact you folks. Thanks in advance.

  18. #18
    We are based in Canada and it's really hard to get a straightforward answer from them.
    We asked to share their Canadian customer so we can talk to them but they ignore us and keep pushing their information.
    Smell fishy.

  19. #19
    Brother, I'm from Toronto as well I have some questions any chance we can talk on the phone?

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2022
    Posts
    2

    Re: Blue Elephant CNC router review

    Does anyone know how much the shipping is to Canada

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