What’s a step smaller than a Langmuir MR-1

[r-mm]

Hey all

I’m fixing to free up some garage space. In the back of my mind I‘ve been impressed by the MR-1. My father has a Crossfire plasma table and I like it and more importantly, Langmuir’s ongoing support to him. The MR-1 is likely one step larger, more capable than I “need”. I am not afflicted by the buy-more-in-case-you-need-it approach. I love how much I’ve managed to fit in my 600 sqft workshop by not over-buying. I like the near turn-key nature of the MR-1, the options, the community support etc. Is there something that comes to mind which is similar but let’s say 25% smaller, less expensive ? I have 240v but not three phase. I’m open to used but having chased spindle issues with my Enco for a while, do not want a project.

 

[pontiac428]

Turn-key is the main limitation, there isn't a lot out there. You can build whatever you want with the ease of ordering imported linear motion hardware and spindles. There are more than one community based or community focused all in one io/breakout/drive units out there like the Gecko drive G540 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/geckodrive-inc/G540-FOUR-AXIS-STEP-MOTOR-CONTROL/11682572) that are nearly plug and play, set it up in Mach with canned configs with your specific build's parameters and you're practically running. Plus, when you are done, you'll be knowledgeable enough to provide your own customer support and future development.

 

[PNW_Guy]

Is there something that comes to mind which is similar but let’s say 25% smaller, less expensive

Tormach is the only turnkey competition that I'm aware of, and it's big price jump. Everything else that's small is a router, not a mill. I consider the Langmier somewhat of a router, but they claim you can machine steel with it.

 

[Cadillac]

I had been contemplating getting a cnc table for years. My best friend has a 5x10 table for 10yrs and does great for himself. Sells on Etsy’s and so makes great side money. The only thing that was holding me back was learning the process. About a month ago I got onto watching some videos on YouTube watching jds garage plasma table. Look into them it’s a diy table that will cost you under 500 bucks to build minus the plasma machine.
I purchased the plans from them which were 25 bucks. After that I started round up the parts and materials. I ended up buying a new plasma machine which I didn’t have to but it was only 250 bucks. I’m about 3/4 way done building my problem is I’ve been making improvements to the design. Not that it needed it I just know better ways to do some stuff.
Jd garage system is definately a low cost solution for a cnc system and not in a bad way. It’s for the garage guy not production maybe light production. It is a copy of the lagmuir system with some subtle differences.

 

[7milesup]

@DavidR8 built a CNC machine I believe. Maybe he will chime in.

 

[Aaron_W]

Sherline offers some turnkey CNC mills, but they are much smaller and not much cheaper, with options bringing the price to double the base MR1

 

[DavidR8]

@r-mm I think it really depends on what materials you're looking to work with. I built a PrintNC router and it will plow through wood all day long and and not break a sweat. Likewise non-ferrous metals. It will do steel but because it has an 18,000-24,000 rpm spindle your tool selection, feeds and speeds have to be spot on. I'd love to find a low-speed spindle that wouldn't break the bank so that steel would be more accessible.

 

[Advil]

Did you make a decision yet?

The MR-1 is almost in a class by itself at the moment. I'll compare against Tormach, but if your desire is to go less expensive you won't find it with features anywhere near as robust as Langmuir is offering. Just the spindle motor is a 3.4hp servo(!) 0-8000rpm with encoder. That right there puts it in a spindle class in the same ball park of Tormach's 1500MX. Which is crazy.

At current costs if I was starting all over again right now and my budget max was around $5k and no higher I'd jump on the Langmuir immediately.

If you can and will pay more, Tormach will probably be (for now) more polished, and much more long lasting machine under abuse (my opinion).

Smallest? Tormach PCNC 440, no enclosure, bolted to a bench is a crazy small footprint for what it can do. Many people swear by them, but I'm not personally fond of the 440's Z axis envelope, .75 horsepower, or it's different VFD control that doesn't do reverse the same as all their other mills. I'm a 770 guy myself. A PCNC 770M with no enclosure and no frills bolted to a workbench would be very small-ish and get you decent capability (1.5 hp, 10k RPM) in a small space. Check out the older videos from Craig's Machine Shop on Youtube. He shows what you can get done with it bolted to a heavy wood workbench. With any mill in your limited space I'd recommend a shower curtain type enclosure surrounding it from the ceiling down. Just push back the curtains around back to access everything and minimize space taken up by the machine. 600sq ft you don't have room for full solid enclosures... you'll end up unable to access anything on the sides or back making maintenance a nightmare.

However... The Langmuir MR-1 is quite a lot of machine for it's price. I've owned a Tormach 770 S3 for years but a friend was considering the Langmuir and I spent some time comparing specs with him. It looks very, very capable for a home shop. Maybe about perfect for a whole lot of people's needs considering the balance of price and performance. I have now seen a few videos of people doing runs of parts and it seems to do it quite well. Bear in mind that a gantry will expose your ballscrews and rails to tons of chips and swarf and Z height will be somewhat limited although the Langmuir is good for a gantry in that regard. I don't know how it will hold up to a lot of use it looks ok, but Tormach is proven in that regard.


Langmuir: Gantry design. Much more work area, more HP, half the price or less of even the cheapest Tormach. Exposed rails and screws. Quite a bit of DIY to get it assembled and going but looks exceptionally well documented and supported.

vs.

Tormach: Dovetail traditional mill design. MUCH more mature control and software, more optional accessories like tool changer and power drawbar, normal way covers and ball screws down underneath away from debris. Very easy to get it setup and start using it. They are not cheap and only the 440 and 770 can be purchased new under 10k with very frugal options.

Good luck on the hunt.