1000mm X Carve Assembly and First Impressions

[@shelby50411]

What are the key features of the millright Mega V cnc that make it better than other machines? We think there are a lot of factors that make the Mega V better than competing machines. First,consider our custom aluminum extrusion. It is perhaps the most substantial aluminum extrusion ever used on a CNC machine at this price point. Next, our bearing plates are made from heavy, 1/4” steel. Many of our competitors use thinner aluminum plates or steel plates half as thick as ours in their similarly priced machines. The Mega V’s oversized rollers are a huge advantage too. They are 40mm (1.5”) in diameter, with larger bearings that are pressed in. This, in conjunction with the oversized V channel in our custom extrusion creates a dramatically larger contact patch than what is available on other machines with similar bearing systems. We selected linear profile rails for the Z stage, giving you a really high-end Z stage. All this together makes the Mega V a superbly rigid machine in its price class. We will very gladly put the Mega V against any machine in its class in a rigidity test. We are very confident that the Mega V is unmatched. The structure and bearing system are only part of what makes the Mega V awesome. We have taken affordable CNC to the next level with a precision rack and pinion drive system, often only seen in more expensive CNC routers and plasmas. The Z axis is driven by lead screw and anti-backlash nut proven on another of our models. We combined these premium features with some higher performance NEMA 23 motors, and not just any NEMA 23 either. These motors have about double the holding torque of some other machines in its class! We marry these motors to large digital stepper motor drivers and 48VDC power supply that maximizes the performance of the motors. The super rigid frame and premium drive system combine for some performance that we believe is unmatched by anything on the market at the price point. The Mega V production model rapid traverses at 650 inches per minute (16,510 mm/minute) on the X and Y axes, giving a diagonal traverse of almost 920 inches per minute (23,368mm/minute)! We have tested the system to diagonal traverse rates of exceeding 1,800 inches per minute! We literally had to slow the Mega V down to keep it from being “too fast”. Just as importantly, the Mega V has the power to accelerate very quickly. This means that you get from a stop to full rapid rate quickly. We recommend a maximum cutting rate of 500 inches per minute (12,700 mm/minute), which is more than double the rapid traverse rate of some competitors. Finally, features like the optional 4th axis are quite uncommon for machines in this class.

[@PetesShopMakes]

Thanks for sharing your input. Its greatly appreciated and you made some valid points that will hopefully be beneficial to others as well. Thanks again

[@Andres-cd9fo]

Will this machine comes with legs to support the entire unit ? I see that you used a dresser underneath to support the machine. And will this work with acrylic?

[@IDCWoodcraft]

Love honest thoughts. thanks for the video

[@PetesShopMakes]

You are quite welcome! thanks for the comment. It is truly appreciated.

[@Painfulwhale360]

How fast is this machine? I simulated a carve on the easel software and it was a fairly basic design and it said 3 hours... lol I'm really hoping it's not that slow.. I was hoping no more than 6-7 minutes

[@PetesShopMakes]

No no, It's much faster but it ultimately depends on the size and detail of your carving, and id say the major time factor is what style and type of bit you use and whether it's a two-part carving or a single carving. I always choose a single carving option and Most of my signs that I make are done with a 60 degree v-groove bit at a depth of about 1/8th of an inch and they can take anywhere from 3 minutes to 10 minutes on average. You just kind of have to play with the feeds and speeds a little bit at first and do a few practice carves with different bits before you'll see what works best. Hope that helps. Thanks for your question.

[@gbeesparker2188]

All in all was it easy to put together ? And what type of table do you have it set on ?

[@PetesShopMakes]

If you have even the slightest amount of mechanical capabilities, this should be easy for you to assemble. It is a bit daunting just by the sheer amount of little packages of nuts and bolts and pulleys and all that but in all honesty, I would say that it was just more tedious than difficult just because of all the repetition during assembly of those small parts. They have great instructions to follow along with online which are essential and extremely helpful. Once I got it to where I was able to attach the side mount for the power unit, I just set the entire thing atop an old dresser that was in my guest room but since the completion of this video I moved the entire unit to my garage and it sits atop a giant stainless steel medical exam table I had. everything fits on it as well as my laptop and also have a little spare tackle box that I keep all the bits and collets and clamps and everything in that store below the table as well. I hope that answers your question and if you need any more info, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks!

[@gbeesparker2188]

Yep, Thank you!

[@rockpapaman]

That looks like a room I used to sleep in when I stayed at my Aunt Adrienne's house during the summer in Lodi.

[@PetesShopMakes]

Haha! quite possibly is. its now my CNC room.

[@rockpapaman]

Nicely done Pete.

[@PetesShopMakes]

Thanks Cuz! Its a pretty awesome machine so far and so far has been a great new asset and addition to my work flow.

[@tristanrogers492]

It’s been 8 months since you posted this... what’s your thoughts now??

[@PetesShopMakes]

I apologize for such a late response but I'm still really happy with it. Haven't had any major issues besides stupid mistakes that I made prior to hitting the carve button but as far as the calibration and everything running plumb, square and true, its been a really quality machine. I've had to retighten the belts only once so far since putting the machine in my garage and the temperature being a little hotter, the belts began to slack slightly but its simple to just loosen the adjustment nut, tighten the belts, and retighten the nut quick and easy. no need to dissasemble anything whatsoever. Other than that like I said, I've been really happy with it so far. any further questions please let me know. Thank you.

[@numberjuanrealtor7417]

Can I make kitchen cabinets with this ??

[@PetesShopMakes]

Absolutely! Depending on the size and how big you need them to be, there is a preset feature that allows you to cut out 4 sides any size you want that already have the box joints cut into them so all you have to do is just put your 4 pieces together with a little bit of glue and there is no need to worry about anything being square because the machine cuts everything to the exact size you want and is a perfect fit every time. The new x-carve Pro looks awesome and if you can afford it, Id suggest getting that version because it has a lot of nice upgrades that I wish mine would have like the ball drive instead of belts is a big difference. So just something to think about. Hope that helps. Good Luck!

[@numberjuanrealtor7417]

What software does it use

[@PetesShopMakes]

It uses its own proprietary software online called "EASEL". It's one of the most user friendly and easy to use CAD/CAM programs I've ever used and is perfect for the newbie CNC user. You can go on and try it for free at Inventables.com and play around with it to see for yourself and the cool thing is that its always being upgraded with new features and community templates and such all the time. I highly recommend it.

[@srt4006]

What are the dimensions of the work area

[@PetesShopMakes]

29.5in x 29.5in

[@dudestewpodcast]

nice! I may have to buy one. good video ty!

[@PetesShopMakes]

+Steve Giammona thanks bro! Lol

[@David-xu3yk]

I've been pricing these up for a while now. I'm surprised at the amount of assembly that's needed too! (But I still want one haha)

[@PetesShopMakes]

yes. for the price its hard to beat but just be prepared for a bunch of tedious and menial tasks when assembling that thing. there's no reason most of it can't be pre assembled at the factory and like I mentioned in the video at the end, I would've gladly paid extra to have a majority of it assembled before I received it because even though it only took me 6 hours, that wasn't all in one day because who has 6 to 10 hours of straight free time to devote to something like that so it will take a few days on top of it all.

[@PetesShopMakes]

all in all and with that said. its incredibly user friendly and for someone like me with no experience with cnc machines and their programs and Gcode and all that sort of unknown...its incredibly simple to use and soon as I finished the final calibration after I completed the assembly portion, ive been running it non stop and has been really awesome and extremely useful

[@PetesShopMakes]

I dig your channel man. newest subscriber right here!

[@David-xu3yk]

I completely agree... I have no knowledge of cnc programming so it does seem like a good option. Thanks for subscribing too! 😊

[@PetesShopMakes]

@@David-xu3yk indeed. no problem. I don't mind helping out fellow creators especially with like minded content in our community. plus I enjoy seeing everyones process of how they do things and is always interesting to me to see different ways people try to accomplish similar tasks and I try to pick up and learn new things or ways of doing something that you may have never thought about before. Anyways... good luck with the CNC hunt and your youtube channel. Cheers!

[@danielhall1226]

Helper doggos helped. Lol

[@PetesShopMakes]

It wouldn't be a normal project if they didn't. Haha!

[@MrShamrock56]

Can someone who knows nothing about cnc routers put this together

[@PetesShopMakes]

Absolutely. I knew nothing about them prior to assembly but was able to do it no problem. They offer great instructions to follow along with online. As long as you have general basic mechanical skills such as righty tighty, lefty loosey, and can follow instructions well, then its a piece of cake.

[@MrRod4000]

Inventables won’t ship to Canada so if you’re north of the line, you won’t be buying one of these, even if you can afford the onerous exchange rate. Great marketing boys.

[@PetesShopMakes]

Yeah thats a bummer.

[@alanliard1829]

They do ship to Canada - but it's 668$US for shipping. ($950) ridicilous. I was about to buy it until this.

[@PetesShopMakes]

Alan Liard Wow that is insane! sorry to hear that. there's got to be somebody up north that has a machine worthwhile to you no?

[@michaelmcpherson6033]

Matterhackers has the kit as well look into seeing what they’d charge

[@eXavierization]

As well as Makerstore Krilano, which sells a seemingly good quality clone.