CNC routers are common instruments in a variety of industries that do a number of woodworking. For instance, I used to program CNC routers to chop the panels for the inside cabinetry of Earthroamer expedition automobiles. That saved the carpenters a large quantity of labor, whereas additionally permitting for geometry that will have been virtually unimaginable to chop by hand. However industrial CNC routers are large and costly, making the expertise largely inaccessible to hobbyists. Nevertheless, that may change because of the brand new Purple Fox 2 prosumer CNC router.
Purple Fox 2 is at the moment on Kickstarter and the marketing campaign had a modest funding objective of $21,728. As of this writing, they’ve reached greater than ten instances that objective and there’s nonetheless virtually a month to go till the marketing campaign ends. Because the title suggests, that is the second iteration of the Purple Fox CNC router. The unique was a utilitarian design with a handheld router for the spindle. The Purple Fox 2 has a much more streamlined design, a devoted spindle motor, and a number of other helpful options.
I am classifying Purple Fox 2 as a “prosumer” CNC router, as a result of it’s dearer than probably the most inexpensive hobbyist machines and has many extra options than most of these. However is is smaller than industrial machines, which might usually hand full 4×8 foot sheets plywood, and it lacks a software changer. Purple Fox 2 is available in two sizes: the 700×500mm (27.56×19.69 inch) Mannequin S and the 1,100×750mm (43.31×29.53 inch) Mannequin M. Neither of these are notably massive, however they’re nonetheless sufficiently big for a lot of purposes.
What the Purple Fox 2 lacks in measurement, it makes up for in options. It has a modern aluminum body design with a management pill included, eliminating the necessity for a store laptop. Each axis has linear rails and bearings with ball screws. The desk has built-in slots for materials clamps and there’s a vacuum hose attachment for mud assortment. It will probably routinely detect materials top with a sensor constructed into the spindle. And that spindle has a robust 700W motor.
Purple Fox 2 accepts commonplace g-code, so it’ll work with virtually each CNC CAM (Laptop-Aided Manufacturing) software program on the market. It’s most suited to slicing plywood, however may deal with different supplies. That features comfortable metals like aluminum. The marketing campaign copy says Purple Fox 2 will minimize chrome steel, however that appears optimistic to me — although perhaps I am fallacious. There are even rotary axis and laser engraving module upgrades out there.
If you’d like a Purple Fox 2 CNC router, you could have till September twenty first to again the Kickstarter Marketing campaign. Backers can get the smaller Mannequin S for €2,239 (about $2,433) and may obtain their rewards in January of 2024.