Multicam CNC advice needed

[MichaelJSigns330]

I manage a young sign shop that is growing exponentially and we are in the Multicam CNC market. We are currently torn between purchasing a new model or saving a ton and going with one of two used models that are currently available. The issue with the two available used routers is that neither was fit for knife cutting tools, which cannot be added aftermarket. My first question is if anyone here has had experiences with used Multicam CNC routers good or bad? My second is if anyone has successfully used one of the third party knife attachments that can be inserted into the router spindle, such as the Donek drag knife kit?
Thank you for all of you help!
Michael Johnson, SIgns 330

 

[Gene@mpls]

I have and have used a Donek in my Shopbot- they are not brand specific and work well.

 

[GC Decor]

What are you trying to do with the knife tool ??
Standard router might not be the best fit if your focused on a lot of knife work - much slower and limited usage.
If it’s your first machine and your new to CNC, I would go for a new machine if you can. Used machine can be great but you lose out on Tec support and warranty, in my experience this is more valuable than anything.

Multicam has the Celero 4 - Multi tool machine might be worth looking at.

 

[bowtievega]

Our second machine was a 10 year old at the time used Multicam 5000 series with a 5'x10' bed. It was in great condition and supposedly had very low usage as a prototyping machine. We worked with a local Multicam repair tech to upgrade the machine with a registration camera and update the some of the firmware and motherboard. Machine has been fantastic. The 5000 series is a pretty heavy duty machine and we have had very little in the way of mechanical issues. We are still running the original 11hp spindle. Most of the issues we have had have been software or windows based issues that have popped up as things have advanced on that end. The machines are pretty simple when you get down to it. It is important to see the machine run and make sure the spindle is operating properly as that will be a major replacement part if it needs to be replaced. Occasionally I wish we had a knife but not often enough to want to buy something else lol. Multicam tech support has generally been very reliable. Especially nowadays when they can remote in on your desktop to help find communication issues and such.

 

[MichaelJSigns330]

What are you trying to do with the knife tool ??
Standard router might not be the best fit if your focused on a lot of knife work - much slower and limited usage.
If it’s your first machine and your new to CNC, I would go for a new machine if you can. Used machine can be great but you lose out on Tec support and warranty, in my experience this is more valuable than anything.

Multicam has the Celero 4 - Multi tool machine might be worth looking at.

The knife tool will almost exclusively be used for cutting coroplast, thin sintra and foamcore. Most of the cuts will be straight on those substrates, but we will also need some curved cuts as well. We have been cutting them by hand at the moment and my thought is that if we are going to spend a ton on a CNC router that has knife capabilities, why not utilize it to its full potential? That is why the knife attachment that basically cheats the router into a knife cut is intriguing. Just wanted to see if people had experience cutting complex shapes with the attachment

 

[Flatbed Tools]

I manage a young sign shop that is growing exponentially and we are in the Multicam CNC market. We are currently torn between purchasing a new model or saving a ton and going with one of two used models that are currently available. The issue with the two available used routers is that neither was fit for knife cutting tools, which cannot be added aftermarket. My first question is if anyone here has had experiences with used Multicam CNC routers good or bad? My second is if anyone has successfully used one of the third party knife attachments that can be inserted into the router spindle, such as the Donek drag knife kit?
Thank you for all of you help!
Michael Johnson, SIgns 330

Hey Michael,
First, sorry I cannot answer your two questions. But, I might be of some help. What size sheets will you be cutting with the knife? There might be some used blade-cutting equipment that would work for cutting the products you mentioned for a reasonable price. Also, what exactly would you need for routing? I see from your website that you do some dimensional letters and ADA signage. Sometimes the thinner routing can also be done with a smaller router that could be put on a knife cutter. It's just not as beefy as the Multicam routers but works well with Acrylic, aluminum, ACM, and Foamboards.

Justin

 

[GC Decor]

The knife tool will almost exclusively be used for cutting coroplast, thin sintra and foamcore. Most of the cuts will be straight on those substrates, but we will also need some curved cuts as well. We have been cutting them by hand at the moment and my thought is that if we are going to spend a ton on a CNC router that has knife capabilities, why not utilize it to its full potential? That is why the knife attachment that basically cheats the router into a knife cut is intriguing. Just wanted to see if people had experience cutting complex shapes with the attachment

All three might be challenging to do on a standard router table. Even on CNC belt plotter you need everything homed in to get good cuts, it can be tough. I would call Multicam & See about doing a visit.
Really just depends if Coroplast and Sintra & Foamcore are a major part of your business, if so than look into a Flatbed Cutting Table. All Foamcore we used requires a oscillating blade or you get big chunks ripped out.
Hopefully this was helpful, We have tons of equipment in our shop and tons of mistakes story's to go with it