Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Roland 3D Machines MDX-3 or other table top 3 axis machines:
Posted by
Anne Ogborn
on 2000-11-09 09:32:21 UTC
I have a Roland MDX-3
Good points -
"out of box" solution - I set it up and in an hour or less was cutting parts.
Within a week I was putting out actual, useful stuff.
Software that comes with it is OK for what it is. I suggest you get the software
off their website and try before you buy a machine, as it's the software you'll be
struggling with more than the machine.
Clean, printer like - I live in a studio apartment with the Roland. I can't imagine
living with a "real" milling machine.
current feedback - the machine slows down when the motor current goes up.
Quiet! It's just a tad too loud for me to sleep with it running 4 ft from me.
The removable spindle is a cool system. If you can, try to talk them into giving you
both a 1/4" and 1/8" spindle when you get the machine.
Bad points -
Less out of box than I'd like. Manuals etc. are about what you'd expect for a small volume
manufacturer. Serial # on my machine is 188
I've found a couple bugs in the software.
Tech support is appallingly bad. Got passed around to whoever happened to be in
the office and got lots of misinformation when I talked to Roland. Finally got
through to somebody who knew something only after telling dealer I'd be at his door
with the machine expecting a full refund if it wasn't resolved in 48 hours.
Cheezy construction. It's made with steel stampings, basicly is printer technology.
Axes are fed with timing belts. The motor is a 5Watt, 12 volt motor.
The "inside a box" nature of it occasionally makes part setup a nuisance. Even so,
overall I like the enclosure, it sure makes the thing clean.
The provisions for zeroing the cutting tool are extremely awkward. You can't
move the tool to an arbitrary xy position to do it, it has to be done at 0,0 - and
of course I never have stock at 0,0. I've found making double sided parts very awkward.
The only holddown mechanism is double faced tape, which is an expensive consumable.
I'm going through about $25/month of the stuff. (Buy at Office Max type place, they sell in
huge rolls)
"Collet" is a 1/8" hole in end of spindle with a setscrew.
1.5" x 4" x 6" is a small work volume. It really means you can make a piece about 5" long. I'm
a model RRer, I thought it'd be rare to want bigger, but I'm finding lots of times I do. Not only
a fair number of parts that are bigger (building walls, for example), but setting up to cut is
time consuming, so being able to cut multiple parts from a single setup would be very useful.
The advertising says "brass and light metals" -
My experience -
wax - great, but slower than I'd expected.
foam - great
styrene - you can route it, you can contour it if you go sloooow
brass, aluminum - you can probably engrave your name on a brass plate, but I'd never try to
actually machine brass in the thing. I think Roland's wrong to advertise these materials.
Basswood - actually, it works great on basswood. Cuts fast and clean on modellers basswood
and other soft woods. Haven't tried balsa, but it should go right through it.
Overall -
For the money the MDX-3 can be an OK performer. If you value being able to
operate it in an office environment and want something that is "no fuss, no muss"
the MDX-3 might be for you.
For most people, however, I would think a "real" milling machine a la the MaxNC would be a better buy.
I would never buy an MDX-15. For $3000 much more capable machines are available.
A comment about foam -
I've been cutting styrofoam brand rigid polystyrene insulation board.
This stuff comes in 2' x 8' sheets at the lumber store, sold for insulation. It's
baby blue colored (also available in pink, something about fire resistance, I've only tried blue).
A sheet of this stuff in the 1" thick variety is a necessity, as you can whittle stuff out
of it really fast. I've been coating it with high viscosity artist's acrylics to make
a nice surface finish. I've done amazingly detailed parts this way - HO scale figures, HO scale
oil drums stacked on palettes.
A comment on wax -
Get some blocks of modelling wax, and get some cheap saucepans and a glass cassarole from goodwill.
Melt your wax swarf and chunks of the wax down and pour your own stock. My wax comes in bricks,
I cut the bricks up so I can melt them by putting a large old kitchen knife on the brick and striking
with a hammer.
A comment about total cost -
Plan to spend a significant extra amount on software, cutters, foam tape, etc. to
actually make the machine useful.
Good points -
"out of box" solution - I set it up and in an hour or less was cutting parts.
Within a week I was putting out actual, useful stuff.
Software that comes with it is OK for what it is. I suggest you get the software
off their website and try before you buy a machine, as it's the software you'll be
struggling with more than the machine.
Clean, printer like - I live in a studio apartment with the Roland. I can't imagine
living with a "real" milling machine.
current feedback - the machine slows down when the motor current goes up.
Quiet! It's just a tad too loud for me to sleep with it running 4 ft from me.
The removable spindle is a cool system. If you can, try to talk them into giving you
both a 1/4" and 1/8" spindle when you get the machine.
Bad points -
Less out of box than I'd like. Manuals etc. are about what you'd expect for a small volume
manufacturer. Serial # on my machine is 188
I've found a couple bugs in the software.
Tech support is appallingly bad. Got passed around to whoever happened to be in
the office and got lots of misinformation when I talked to Roland. Finally got
through to somebody who knew something only after telling dealer I'd be at his door
with the machine expecting a full refund if it wasn't resolved in 48 hours.
Cheezy construction. It's made with steel stampings, basicly is printer technology.
Axes are fed with timing belts. The motor is a 5Watt, 12 volt motor.
The "inside a box" nature of it occasionally makes part setup a nuisance. Even so,
overall I like the enclosure, it sure makes the thing clean.
The provisions for zeroing the cutting tool are extremely awkward. You can't
move the tool to an arbitrary xy position to do it, it has to be done at 0,0 - and
of course I never have stock at 0,0. I've found making double sided parts very awkward.
The only holddown mechanism is double faced tape, which is an expensive consumable.
I'm going through about $25/month of the stuff. (Buy at Office Max type place, they sell in
huge rolls)
"Collet" is a 1/8" hole in end of spindle with a setscrew.
1.5" x 4" x 6" is a small work volume. It really means you can make a piece about 5" long. I'm
a model RRer, I thought it'd be rare to want bigger, but I'm finding lots of times I do. Not only
a fair number of parts that are bigger (building walls, for example), but setting up to cut is
time consuming, so being able to cut multiple parts from a single setup would be very useful.
The advertising says "brass and light metals" -
My experience -
wax - great, but slower than I'd expected.
foam - great
styrene - you can route it, you can contour it if you go sloooow
brass, aluminum - you can probably engrave your name on a brass plate, but I'd never try to
actually machine brass in the thing. I think Roland's wrong to advertise these materials.
Basswood - actually, it works great on basswood. Cuts fast and clean on modellers basswood
and other soft woods. Haven't tried balsa, but it should go right through it.
Overall -
For the money the MDX-3 can be an OK performer. If you value being able to
operate it in an office environment and want something that is "no fuss, no muss"
the MDX-3 might be for you.
For most people, however, I would think a "real" milling machine a la the MaxNC would be a better buy.
I would never buy an MDX-15. For $3000 much more capable machines are available.
A comment about foam -
I've been cutting styrofoam brand rigid polystyrene insulation board.
This stuff comes in 2' x 8' sheets at the lumber store, sold for insulation. It's
baby blue colored (also available in pink, something about fire resistance, I've only tried blue).
A sheet of this stuff in the 1" thick variety is a necessity, as you can whittle stuff out
of it really fast. I've been coating it with high viscosity artist's acrylics to make
a nice surface finish. I've done amazingly detailed parts this way - HO scale figures, HO scale
oil drums stacked on palettes.
A comment on wax -
Get some blocks of modelling wax, and get some cheap saucepans and a glass cassarole from goodwill.
Melt your wax swarf and chunks of the wax down and pour your own stock. My wax comes in bricks,
I cut the bricks up so I can melt them by putting a large old kitchen knife on the brick and striking
with a hammer.
A comment about total cost -
Plan to spend a significant extra amount on software, cutters, foam tape, etc. to
actually make the machine useful.
Discussion Thread
Anne Ogborn
2000-11-09 09:32:21 UTC
Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Roland 3D Machines MDX-3 or other table top 3 axis machines: