CNC work area limits?

In Luban, a warning messages pops up when you go into the CNC tab that links to this page, which clearly says the following:

The size of the material must be smaller than 90 x90 x50 mm (3.5” x 3.5” x 2.0”).

Can anyone confirm whether this is an actual limitation build into the software or firmware of the machine, or if this is just a poorly worded recommendation?

I am planning to buy an A350, and its stated on the product page that the CNC work area is 12.6 x 13.8 x 10.8 inches in the Specifications section. If that is correct, and I can actually use the full build volume of the machine, then I am ready to buy!

Did you set the machine to A350?
It’s probably defaulted to original SM.

-S

Yes, I have set A350 as my default machine. This message comes up every time I enter the CNC tab, unless I check the box to permanently dismiss it.

So check the box to dismiss it.

-S

This video directly from the Snapmaker team seems to show a CNC job that is larger than 3.5x3.5" on an A350: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3azdWBRqhoc

And @Think8 appears to have confirmed that he was able to create a job larger than 3.5x3.5x2.0" on his smaller machine: CNC work area size?

I just want to be absolutely sure that this is accurate before making the investment!

Yes. It does the full stated dimensions. With some care and multiple files you can move the workpiece and do a longer piece.
-S

let me save you a lot of time and money… dont buy the SM2.0 A350… dont buy any SM product. if you want a CNC machine buy a CNC machine or better yet build one… you can get a kit from here MPCNC that will save you a lot of money (entire build for under $500) it will give you a larger build area then the 350 it has been shown to mill aluminum. and support is significantly better. once you have it it is easy to attatch a laser module, and with the money you saved you can buy a 3d printer that will print better and faster then the SM2. SM is good at advertising, but they are not a good company.

Disclaimer: I’ve ordered an A350, it’s my first physical foray into this field and I’m comfortable with my choice. I intend to buy the 4th axis rotator and higher power laser when they become available.

I’ve been a member of this forum since I placed my order a couple of months ago. I’ve read pretty much all posts since then (the posts arrive in my email) and have read plenty of earlier posts.

There is a growing trend displaying dissatisfaction with the quality of the device and the responsiveness of the company.

This is their second product, SnapMaker Original is available in my local electronics store and clearly penetrated the world with its offering.

I wasn’t around for that Kickstarter or the launch or early release, nor did I have any interaction with the company or its products before my order of the A350.

I understand the frustration, but I don’t yet see anything that isn’t explained by a growing company attempting to manufacture precision hardware with not enough staff during a global pandemic in a world that’s gone mad.

I’ve handed over my money and if I knew then what I know now, I would still have done so.

I cannot help but wonder if the early adopters that we are have become confused about what this product is, a first version of a new release that’s being made available to people who want to have access to a brand new idea.

I think it would be helpful to remember what an early adopter is, what it means and what it implies. 3D printing, CNC and Laser have all been around for a couple of decades, but they’re not mainstream, my grandmother wouldn’t have one for example and even though several people you know might have this equipment, the people in this forum are not average people, they are all early adopters, especially in the field of combined devices like SnapMaker is building.

This product is one of the early ones that may make it into general conversation and you might eventually find it at the local K-Mart, but in my opinion that’s a fair way into the future.

Buy one, don’t buy one, but never forget that this is not yet a general consumer electronics device - yet.

Onno

@ITmaze the biggest issue i have with my A350 is that it is broken 5 different ways, it has been so for the last 5 weeks, and Snapmaker doesn’t seem to care at all. i can not in good conscience recommend a product that breaks within the first 6 months and that the company will not support. simple as that. you and them can come up will all the excuses you want. but i wouldn’t recommend anything (even if i made it myself) if it broke in the first 6 months and it was not replaced.

also i would like to add that this product is not being advertised as not being ready for the general consumer. if anything that is exactly who they are advertising it too.

As much as it pains me to do so, I have to agree with Adam at this point and time.
I think all of the problems with SM are solvable and hopefully they are working on it. They say they are, but words are meaningless without action and results.
Whether they are to an acceptable level remains to be seen.

I ordered my A350 with full understanding that it was a kickstarter, that there would be both software and hardware issues and a learning curve from me. I’ve done plenty of beta testing and understand that process. I knew that the shipping date from the start was going to be fluid. With Covid it ended up being 6 months longer than I’d hoped but still acceptable.

Fortunately I have had only a few minor hardware problems with my machine - a couple self-caused and a couple SM issues. Each time I contacted support I was assisted within a few days and I received the parts within 2 weeks. (one warranty, one my fault) That definitely hasn’t been the case for everyone. Right now people are having to wait too long for a response let alone for the replacement parts.

Maybe support is overwhelmed and they’re working to train people. Maybe they’re still trying to figure out the linear module problem. Maybe they’ve figured it out and are struggling to produce replacements. Maybe covid has made this all incredibly difficult. It doesn’t really matter because of a lack of communication. Share this information and most people will be understanding. Don’t share and people become distrustful and angry.

The provided software and instruction has definitely been lacking. I’ve been able to figure out workarounds and alternates so it hasn’t really bothered me - part of the learning process and being an early adopter. But I can see where people could be upset by how it was marketed. It’s not plug and play. There’s a lot to learn about all 3 of the functions. Some of that is just the nature of the process. There are a lot of variables to consider with 3D and CNC. No amount of manuals or tutorials is going to change that. They definitely could improve their website and FAQs for this though.

It’s been a great machine to learn from, and it creates some amazing stuff. I don’t regret my purchase at all. It’s kept me sane while staying at home. I’ve learned so much about these types of machines and how to use them and how they work. I will be using it to help build a larger, more powerful cnc machine.

For now though, until they can get their customer service sorted out and their quality control taken care of, I have to recommend not to buy (or at least buy with caution and understanding of the risks) Unfortunately if you’re looking for a 3in1, there’s nothing comparable in the price range. If you only need 2 of the functions, and have the room for multiple machines, I would definitely look for something else.

-S

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Just in case anyone else sees this, I love my Snap maker. I had a bad rail and they fixed it immediately with two new ones for free. They were super responsive and I had a great experience. I love my machine. Works way better than my Prusa but I think I had reasonable expectations going into it. It’s a 3 in one. It does all the things but you have to work at it and it takes effort, as does ANY machine. The XCarve? The same.

@phoenixperry

Exactly this. I can verify this myself. I have an X-Carve Pro, as well as Shapeoko Pro XXL. No machine is perfect out of the box, not even the million dollar CNC machines (which require installation from the manufacturer or other authorized team) and require someone certified to operate them as they need daily calibration.

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I’ll also jump into this, because I feel a lot has changed since the last time this thread was active.

I never had significant issues with my machine (an A350), which I have had since the beginning of January, and I stalked the forums since a year earlier as I was getting ready to pre-order and wait for the several month shipping that was expected at the time. From the beginning of that process to now, they have open-sourced most of the firmware (I haven’t checked recently but I believe we’re still waiting on the touchscreen firmware). They have also improved their support ticket process; where it once took hours to receive a response for some people, days/weeks for others and never receiving one for a few, it seems like they now respond pretty reliably in a couple of business days at worst. Finally, they have made a much bigger effort to be active on the forum. First with Edwin (who is no longer with the company) and now with @Tracy and @Potter who tend to be most active as well as @parachvte and @ZERO00 stepping in when needed. Their advice is not always the most useful, and can be counter-productive or confusing at times, especially with the language barrier, but the effort is very much appreciated.

Overall, this machine is not as plug and play as it is advertised. There is definitely a lot of tweaking to be done and frustration to be had. But I believe that the company itself is making an effort to improve and expand, and from my experience their products are worth it if you have the right expectations.

@sdj544 @brent113 and @Tone you all have been active members for much longer than I have. I would love to see your opinions on this and see if I am just overly optimistic about it all.

Has anyone figured out if it’s possible to extend the CNC work area past the X-axis limits? I’m trying to carve something out that’s 16"x11". When I load the .stl file in Luban, it allows me to enlarge the dimensions of the object to what I want, but the machine appears to be cutting off the bottom and top (re: left and right) of the plaque I’m carving.

Not great at relativity, so see the attached pictures:


It seems like a software limitation rather than a physical one. I haven’t done any measuring since the machine is running right now, but it seems like the machine could reach the sides I’m talking about. I know I could shrink down the object in Luban before starting the job, or I could cut it in half and glue up the two halves after they’re done. I wanted to see what someone with more CNC experience says about it.