tools, materials & knowledge for model makers
As much as I’ve upgraded the Genmitsu 3018-pro it has struggled to machine or engrave brass, therefore I thought I would try sprung d-bit engraving. This sounds a bit counterintuitive with a CNC machine, but this is a tiny CNC lacking in power. I thought that a small amount of compliance in the Z-axis would … Read more
The Kant Twist clamp project is my first proper challenge with CNC. A very small version of this clamp. All because I’m using a Genmitsu 3018-pro engraver that in my own way has been upgraded to a 3020-pro max. This is a small desktop CNC. However, I’m a model maker and small clamps are normal … Read more
This is my homemade conversion of a Genmitsu 3018-pro to a 3020-max. Maybe not exactly a 3020-max, but a lot of the changes have been included. Plus I think the spindle upgrade I’ve made is better. The spindle upgrade was designed and made some time ago. It has significantly improved the stiffness of the spindle … Read more
Just bought a Tiamu Z-axis for Genmitsu 3018, my original plan was to machine this complete assembly from scratch. Then reason kicked in and I thought that as I could buy this for around £100 it was not worth me spending probably 3 days designing and making parts. Plus it was delivered really fast. However, there … Read more
I was wondering how accurate is the Genmitsu 3018 pro? A first approximation of this can be done by measuring the piece of aluminium I machined as a test case. I engraved the circle and square to a depth of 1mm in 0.1mm steps. I must admit that I slowed the feed rate down to 60mm/minute … Read more
First trials of the 3018 CNC after z-axis upgrades show it is all moving in the right direction. The z-axis linear bearing rail size was incorrect in the original as bought condition. Correcting this has had a significant effect. Increasing the spring stiffness of the backlash nuts on the X and Y axes has also … Read more
Thoughts around upgrading the Genmitsu 3018-pro CNC and a look at what has been upgraded to date. This is a basic CNC machine and very cheap. Let’s start by looking at the basic machine: First venture into CNC The reason behind the purchase is primarily to make brass nameplates for some of the engines, including the … Read more
Working from an Engraver Spindle Sketch to Parts can be daunting. However, I very rarely work with more than a few sketches and key critical dimensions. This is all about improving the spindle of the Genmitsu 3018-Pro. My aim was to use an ER11 chuck on a straight 10mm spindle and employing the existing drive … Read more