Genmitsu 3018-PROVer

Very happy with this little machine. It took me 4 hours to assemble but for those good with puzzles will be probably much less. The driver installation was easy and it also supports Windows XP, which was surprising 😳 The probe setting took me a long time to configure. I had to go through the website advertised on the last product picture and then there are quite lots of resources there. Then in the settings of one of the software you need to copy and paste some scripts for the thickness of the probe when zeroing it. But once that was done all went well. I wanted to try engraving wet wood which did not go well, as you can see from the results in the video I have attached. As usually evergreens are soft wood and I thought that by wetting it will have better results but I was wrong. Probably walnut will be a much better option. This amazing tool will keep me going busy for a long time. Noise levels are a bit too much as it is a very powerful tool. Be careful with the hands and cover your eyes with goggles. As this was the best value for money with a huge amount of machines bought by customers, I thought that it would be a great investment for a hobby👍 Another good thing wa that there were UK and EU power cords 😊

Excellent product and support. I purchased the 3018-Prover with the expanded bed. However, when putting it together I couldn’t get the coupling between the motor and rod apart. I quick email to SainSmart and a new motor and coupling were on their way to me. After 6 months of happy burning and routering, I had an issue with the laser not coming on. Again, another email and a new laser arrived. Happy boy, up and running again. And finally, within the last 3 weeks. The laser would not come on again and the router would not spin up. I contacted SainSmart again and a new Laser control board was dispatched and arrived. Unfortunately, this did not sort the issue, so a new Main Circuit board was sent out. Duly arrived, fitted and all working again. So, in balance, yes I have had issues. You will do with all products. But it’s how you deal with it that counts. I cannot fault the quality of the kit and the excellent after sales service. Everything has been sorted straight away with no issues whatsoever and without question. So therefore still 10 out of 10 for the product and service and if I upgrade to a bigger machine, I know where I will get it from. Thanks again for the service guys.

The frame parts are good quality but it is let down by the electronics. The controller is a pain in the ... to use, much better off connecting it to a pc and controlling it that way. The power supply quality is poor, was having projects freeze up continuously. After days worth of troubleshooting figured out the issue was the power supply. After some research it seems to be a common issue with poor or inadequate. Edit. The seller made contact with me with regards to the power supply issue. There was an Initial batch that had problematic power supply’s. They have since fully refunded me for the power supply I purchased to rectify the issues I was having. The customer service from seller is great and appreciate the honesty from them. I therefore added another star to my review :)

I bought the SainSmart Genmitsu 3018-PROVer after lots of research, because it had a number of safety features (end stops, emergency stop), the off line controller and Sain(t)Smart was proud of their support. Spending this sort of money, you don't want it standing on the shelf because something isn't quite right... I bought also the enclosure Genmitsu Acrylic CNC Enclosure - Enhanced Protection, Dustproof, Noise Reduction, the laser unit (not yet tried) and a few bits. Putting it together was quite straight forward with the help of the manual. There are also quite a few videos on the web explaining the process. The tricky bit is to work with it, as little errors will upset the process. The worst so far is that I broke a bit as the speed of the spindle wasn't quite right. The machine is not intelligent, so if you give the wrong instructions, it will do the wrong actions... Support of SainSmart is brilliant, quick, helpful and patient. There is also a user group - although it is on Facebook :-( - and loads of good material available on the web. I've 'designed' my first item (a box) on fusion 360 and now up to a more sophisticated model...

Very easy to assemble and start up. Build quality is very good for the price.

It is a very nice design, easy to put together, all be it in more time than claimed, about 2 hours. I am attempting to use it to make prototype PCBs. Still learning the best configuration for this, but it looks promising. I had reason to contact the supplier regarding some of the details of the use of the stand alone control box. They proved very helpful, providing a very quick response. My CNC is now working using the free software tool set that can be down loaded from the internet: DesignSpark, FlatCAM and Candle. The first two design tools are being run on a windows 7 PC, while the CNC is being controlled from a PC running Linux Mint, though this could be all done on a windows PC. During my Email conversation with SainSmart, I have made some suggestions for the improvement to the machine's design, that they are now thinking of implementing. The improvements is fitting a slide plug socket connection box to the front of the unit, to bring out the z-probe connections. This box is fitted with an LED indicator, to show that the z-probe is working. The box attaches using the existing threaded holes in the case and the wire is run along with the other sensor cables. The box connections allow the user to plug in the z-probe puck or a crocodile clip and ground return for z-probing mapping of the PCB surface. My CNC recently developed a fault, which I reported to SainSmart under its guarantee scheme. I have been very pleasantly surprised with the speed, courtesy and and friendly customer technical support. Having emailed proof of purchase and pictures/video of the nature of the fault, involving an email dialogue with a SainSmart support engineer . A replacement part is being sent to me from China at no cost to me. If only other companies provided this level of customer service.

I read the reviews, watched the really useful YouTube videos by TechyDIY and James Dean Designs. Read and re-read the product description and ordered it. Product arrived next day, built it. Was going to carve something, but the lack of information of the cutting bits it came with stopped me dead in my tracks. Reached out to a friend, sent him a picture of one of the 10 bits to ask what type of bit it was. He informed me that that cutter would only be good for balsa or foam. When I learnt that I nearly took the thing apart and returned it. Disappointed to say the least, that I have bought a machine that supposedly can cut and engrave wood, but does not even come with anything to cut that type of material, without spending more money to get the bits to actually do that. To be totally honest for the money I paid, a small selection of various bits would of been more useful than 10 of the same type Looked all over in the product description and on Sainsmart website and cannot work out what those bits are. No mention or suggestion that the bits supplied are not suitable for cutting wood / MDF and the likes. So I have had to spend another £80 on bits just so I can cut some wood.

i bought the 3020-pro for my first cnc cutter and went on to get the laser module, in the top description it said fits 3018-pro, 3020-pro and 4030 models ..... bought and did NOT fit the 3020-pro i had so can now only use it for cnc and would have liked to use for both....... when you go to the bottom of the description in the small writing it says 3018-pro and 4030 models only........ rather dissapointed.

Cutting to the chase, this machine is great. It's built like a tank, assembly instructions were fine, and there are a ton of resourced available online. I got my machine on Sunday, and on the following Saturday was able to cut the piece in my attached picture with no issues. In fact, the only issues that any of my cuts have had were of my own making. The machine works very well. That said, prepare to do some learning, some troubleshooting, and some problem solving. This is my first CNC, but I have extensive experience with 3D printers, and they're the same way. This machine isn't there to hold your hand while carving out intricate masterpieces. It's a tool that you need to learn to use. Another reviewer said something like "8 hours of failure was too much." (I had the same problem that he did. It was solved by changing the "Safe Retracts" setting in Fusion360.) If 8 hours of failure is too much for you, then this isn't the machine you want. To make this (or really any CNC machine) "work", you will need some basic understanding of G Code, 3D modelling, woodworking, and electronics. You don't need to be a master at any of this stuff, but you're going to touch all of it. It will take time. You will screw things up. You will get sawdust in your hair. That's what makes these things fun. Now, more specific to this machine itself, I was very, very impressed. There are many very similar units on Amazon, and I selected this one because of the included upgrades, and the known brand name. I found the machine to be extremely well built, and straightforward to assemble. The inclusion of limit switches is important. While limit switches can be a bit frustrating, they are there to make sure you don't accidentally send the machine a command that will damage it, and the work perfectly for that. I find the offline controller to be wonderful. There seems to be a lot of hate for this part, but I like that I can run he machine "headless" and not have to leave a laptop in my dust shop. I actually had a much smoother experience using the offline controller than I did using the PC-based Candle, but they both do the same job. My motor doesn't wobble, isn't loud, and hasn't had any issue cutting through various woods at 300mm/min. I did several calibration tests on the machine as soon as I got it built, and didn't have to adjust anything. The only bad things about the machine are the hold-down clamps that are included (they work, but are the definition of "fiddly"), the included Vee bits (again, they work as they should, but why give me a bunch of Vee bits and no end mill?) and the size of the workspace. The 3018 is actually a great size for a small workspace like mine, where it will need to be moved and worked around, but just like everyone else, I'd love to be able to make bigger stuff. I've probably said enough glowing stuff about this device, but I'll sum it up, here. When I spend ~$350 on a piece of Chinese technology that's based on open source designs, I expect to get a pretty low-end product that I can usually upgrade to make it useful. In this case, I got a solid, well-deigned, functioning piece of gear. I haven't been this amazed at how well a cheap gadget works since the Elegoo Mars Pro. If you're looking for a cool tool with a steep, but fun learning curve, look no further. If you want to easily and quickly cut wood (or metal) parts with the push of a button, maybe wait a few years. Software That I Used: -Candle (included) for machine control -Easel (very limited free use) for design and GCode Creation -F Engrave (free) for GCode creation -Carbide Create (free) for design and GCode Creation -Fusion360* (free) for design and GCode creation -Inkscape (free) for image design *Fusion360 is the real workhorse, here. It has by far the most features, but also the steepest learning curve. If you're familiar with Fusion360, you'll have no trouble. Otherwise start with Carbide Create.

Ik ben zeer tevreden met de 3018-PROVer V2. Het product was goed verpakt en de handleiding is gemakkelijk te begrijpen. De meegeleverde software is eenvoudig te installeren en gemakkelijk in het gebruik.

Il pacco è arrivato con qualche giorno di anticipo, che mi ha lasciato molto contento. Il prodotto è ben impacchettato, tutto è tenuto ben fermo da spessi strati di polistirolo. Unico difetto, nella mia scatola dei bulloni ne mancavano 2 M6, ho contattato il supporto SainSmart che me li ha recapitati in meno di 4 giorni. Il montaggio è semplificato rispetto ad altri prodotti ma richiede comunque un certo tempo, io ci ho messo circa 1 ora e mezza a completare tutto, e non ho messo il proteggi cavo in nylon perché mi riusciva male. Sono comunque molto soddisfatto perché le risorse fornite (sul sito sono presenti anche video tutorial) aiutano moltissimo e non c'è nulla da fare di veramente complicato. Una volta montata la CNC si presenta esteticamente molto bene, solida e con un colore azzurro che mi piace molto. Io la vorrei utilizzare principlamente per produrre circuiti stampati di progetti DIY, le prime prove mi hanno dato molta soddisfazione anche se ho ancora molto da imparare! Nel complesso la consiglio a chi ha tempo e voglia di imparare e studiare le varie tecniche/tecnologie per la fresatura con la CNC, lo sconsiglio a chi invece preferisce avere una soluzione "plug&play" che faccia subito tutto bene senza bisogno di metterci le mani. Allego qualche foto, scusate per la mia scrivania super disordinata :) ==== Automactic tranlsation in English ==== The package arrived a few days in advance, which left me very happy. The product is well packed, everything is held firmly by thick layers of foam. One defect, in my bolt box there were 2 M6 missing, I contacted SainSmart support which delivered them to me in less than 4 days. The assembly is simplified compared to other products but still requires some time, it took me about 1 and a half hours to complete everything, and I did not put the nylon cable protector because it was bad for me. I am however very satisfied because the resources provided (there are also video tutorials on the site) help a lot and there is nothing really complicated to do. Once mounted, the CNC looks aesthetically very well, solid and with a blue color that I really like. I would like to use it mainly to produce printed circuit boards for DIY projects, the first tests have given me a lot of satisfaction even though I still have a lot to learn! Overall, I recommend it to those who have the time and desire to learn and study the various techniques / technologies for CNC milling, I do not recommend it to those who prefer to have a "plug & play" solution that does everything right away without having to get their hands on it. I attach some photos, sorry for my super messy desk :)

J’ai sauté le pas il y a un an avec cette petite machine et je vais en racheter une autre en version laser, cette petite machine me permet de fabriquer toute sorte de platine et pièce pour du modélisme Rc. Elle est très précise, solide car zéro problèmes depuis, pas trop bruyante et facile d’utilisation, couplée au contrôleur hors ligne et des bonnes fraises. Je recommande vivement.

Excellent value for money, this was my first CNC machine so started out opening the box with no knowledge but instructions made set up easy and I was running my first cut within a couple of hours. Whilst the size of the cutting area can restrict some projects/ideas it is big enough and strong enough to handle any smaller jobs you may have. The motor is strong enough to handle acrylic, auto ABS, PVC, hardwood and even bone. Any issues I had with this machine were due to user error (wrong cut speed for type of material, wrong depth per pass etc) so it’s worth reviewing and learning the basic physics of how these parameters can change your cut. It would also be worth picking up a set of different sized collets when ordering as you’ll likely need these as you get further into CNC cutting.