Hello all,

Been lurking awhile trying to find out all the info I can.
I was wondering if the MKII kits are available still?

Thanks!

 

Hi toadsix and Welcome to the Forum. Unless you've been "reading back" through some of the discussions, Ithink you missed this post, which answers everything not covered in the rest of that discussion thread.
viewtopic.php?f=139&t=2031&p=20312#p20312

 

Dorsal,

Thanks for the reply. I must have missed that, there is so much info here it's almost overwhelming.
I have been following the MKIII progress. I am interested, are they using the easy cnc boards and motors, or is that the new phlatboard and Vexta motors?
I stumbled across the phlatprinter looking for a 3 view for a Extra 260. The machine is an ingenious design. Nice Job!

 

toadsix, I'm answering these questions based on the little I "know" and the majority of what I surmise. I presume that others will correct any incorrect data I might type here.
The MKIII they've been running in the live videos is running the Vexta motors and EasyCNC board. That is the equipment that M&T have been designing around, and basing their estimates of manufacturing costs and the final price.
I know Mark would love to jump onto the PhlatBoard, just to remove the need for parallel ports, but it's still too "young" in the developmental stages for them to rely on sufficient stock to support the release of the MKIII.
Yes, it is an ingenious design!
Most of us are convinced that M&T are actually visitors from a distant planet who are genetically predisposed to act kindly toward RC enthusiasts and CNC junkies.

 

LOL, Perhaps.

Well, that is pretty impressive to be running 200 inches per minute while kellering with that hardware. I need one of these right away!!!!!

 

The speed is actually limited by the material that's being cut and the RPM of the cutter head. With the MK1, which used a Dremel motor for the cutter head, on balsa and dense foams you could run into problems that the motor couldn't cut fast enough, so you had to slow the feed rate down to let the bit cut the material. With the RotoZip (more horsepower) that problem doesn't show up. Nonetheless, at nearly the same IPM rate, the performance will still be limited to trading between "cutting" the foam versus "tearing" the foam, especially if there is any accuracy or finesse required for your shape. There is a functional limit as to how fast you can cut any material, related to the spin RPM and diameter of the cutter - - it's referred to as "Speeds and Feeds" in the machinist's world.
I guess what I'm saying is, if you were considering getting "bigger" or "stronger" steppers, don't bother. They can "mask over" many alignment or binding issues on your machine (not a good thing) but they won't bring much increased performance.
Personally, I hope you do get one, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'm sure you've noticed there is NO other CNC machine on the market that can parallel the performance and price of the MKIII, and there are a bunch of us on this forum that have already built these machines for ourselves, to help solve any difficulties you might encounter.

 

Ya, I acknowledged that right away after browsing the forums. It will be perfect for cutting out my foamies!! I have always wanted to build a cnc router for my house for cutting thin foam. This community seems like the place to be for getting started. Looking forward to the completion of the MKIII.