I am completely a newbie - greenhorn at the CNC router/mill world. I am mulling over the pros and cons of the Lowrider and the MPNCN - I am having a hard time deciding which is best for me. I am a photographer by trade, artist by desire and eternally curious. I create little sculptures from pocket watches and take clocks apart and put them back together so they don’t keep time but they keep my attention. I want to build kinetic sculptures - some small out of metal - some large ones out of metal - and even some wound ones out of wood.
Could someone tell me the largest working space the MPCNC can be made?
I saw a build on this forum of 32"x18"x4" but he was having to redesign somethings - but he was cutting aluminum and seemed to have no problem - Heck I have never really seen a present day cnc mill work-
What is the normal work area of the MPCNC?
Is the lack of rigidity why the lowrider doesn’t cut metal?
And what is the margin of error the lowrider has?
I would like to have a hybrid system - one that mills metal and then does 4x4’ 2.5D in a timely orderly fashion as well
Also - Where can I see those capabilities of these machines?
Like what are the limits when using either machine. I don’t really see any place that has galleries of CNC products produces by either machine
sorry so short-sided - I have had an extremely difficult week and its not over
There are a lot more mpcncs than lrs. The LR can do metal, but it is uncharted territory. Aluminum and especially Steel have a very small envelope of useability, and you’ll need a lot of patience to get it right. If I were you, I would start with the one that seems the most interesting, and keep the size smaller than you hoped for, learn a ton, and then decide for yourself. Making and MPCNC bigger isn’t much work.
“Standard” MPCNC size is 24" x 24"x 2-3" (with a smaller work area). The limiter is, as you suspected, rigidity. When your X/Y axis gets too long (36"? 48"?), it really needs supports, and the inherent imperfections of the materials begin to add up.
And yes, the LR is not rigid enough for metal milling at its usual build sizes (36"-48" wide workspace). If you’re dead set on doing metal trim/signs, you could probably build a 16"-24" wide and cut long strips of metal…
As far as the margin of error, it depends on the build. Theoretically, it could be in the hundredths of a mm, but you won’t get that. If you’re doing decorative/art pieces, you should be fine. If you need more precision work, there are several threads from people really dialing in their builds.
I agree with @jeffeb3, build smaller than what you think you’ll need and learn. If you start with an MPCNC, you can use that for metals as well, and if you decide you want full-sheet capabilities, you can use it to cut the flat pieces for the LR!