Anybody use a itech cnc?

[dvddvd]

I'm looking to upgrade my Ratrig killerbee cnc to something more sturdy with a ATC...

Was looking at the itech models

 

[dvddvd]

Any views or alternatives? Thanks

 

[meccarroll]

I took a look at the

WORK AREA
The 600x900mm work area is ok for v.carving signs etc but a bit too small if you want to do any cabinets panels etc.

SPINDLE
The 2.2Kw spindle is very much the standard size on a lower to medium end CNC which will cut at a feed rate of 3.5m/s which is reasonable for home or light trade use. It has a 2.2 Kw water cooled spindle which you will find are much quieter and nicer to have than air cooled.

HOLD DOWN
I cant see any vacuum bed or equipment included and at £8,340 seems a high price tag.

ATC (Automatic Tool Change)
The specification on the CNC is a five position (But check as three position is standard and might not be enough for some jobs) which should cope with just about all that is needed with most jobs.

It looks like a capable machine but with a huge price tag of £8,340 for a desktop with no vacuum bed or vacuum and limited bed size.

VETRIC VCARVE PRO
It has Vetric Vcarve Pro bundled with it which is a bonus as it will cost £648 to buy on it's own.

I think you miche do better if you look around, I know I would. The machine looks ok but I think you should (at least) be gatting the vacuum bed included at theat price.

This is another company worth taking a look at which can add options such as ATC and vacuum bed:
https://hpclaser.co.uk/cnc-routers/

 

[dvddvd]

I took a look at the

WORK AREA
The 600x900mm work area is ok for v.carving signs etc but a bit too small if you want to do any cabinets panels etc.

SPINDLE
The 2.2Kw spindle is very much the standard size on a lower to medium end CNC which will cut at a feed rate of 3.5m/s which is reasonable for home or light trade use. It has a 2.2 Kw water cooled spindle which you will find are much quieter and nicer to have than air cooled.

HOLD DOWN
I cant see any vacuum bed or equipment included and at £8,340 seems a high price tag.

ATC (Automatic Tool Change)
The specification on the CNC is a five position (But check as three position is standard and might not be enough for some jobs) which should cope with just about all that is needed with most jobs.

It looks like a capable machine but with a huge price tag of £8,340 for a desktop with no vacuum bed or vacuum and limited bed size.

VETRIC VCARVE PRO
It has Vetric Vcarve Pro bundled with it which is a bonus as it will cost £648 to buy on it's own.

I think you miche do better if you look around, I know I would. The machine looks ok but I think you should (at least) be gatting the vacuum bed included at theat price.

This is another company worth taking a look at which can add options such as ATC and vacuum bed:
https://hpclaser.co.uk/cnc-routers/

Thanks for the reply.
You can buy an itech vaccum bed and pump for an extra £1500!

I've emailed the company from your link to ask them what prices their vacuum bed, ATC and water cooled spindle are...Will see what they come back with..thanks

 

[dvddvd]

Thanks for the reply.
You can buy an itech vaccum bed and pump for an extra £1500!

I've emailed the company from your link to ask them what prices their vacuum bed, ATC and water cooled spindle are...Will see what they come back with..thanks

Thank you for your email.

The standard CNC 6090 Router is £6,625.00 ex VAT.

The CNC 6090 with Linear ATC is £13,625.00 ex VAT.

Upgrading to a vac bed on the CNC 6090 is £2,000.00 ex VAT. This option cannot be retrofitted at a later date and must be incorporated at time of building the Router.

Water cooled spindle option adds £450.00. To be honest, air cooled is the better option (easier to maintain / less to go wrong over time).

 

[BucksDad]

Axminster do a similar one for better value. Even with adding on the accessories like vacuum etc it will be cheaper than iTech. No idea if it's any good - just came across it yesterday

https://www.axminstertools.com/i2r-a-24-610-x-1-220mm-3hp-cnc-router-230v-110668

 

[RobinBHM]

Itech is only a Chinese sourced machine branded by Scot and Sargeant

it would be interesting to know who the actual manufacturer is

 

[meccarroll]

Thank you for your email.

The standard CNC 6090 Router is £6,625.00 ex VAT.

The CNC 6090 with Linear ATC is £13,625.00 ex VAT.

Upgrading to a vac bed on the CNC 6090 is £2,000.00 ex VAT. This option cannot be retrofitted at a later date and must be incorporated at time of building the Router.

Water cooled spindle option adds £450.00. To be honest, air cooled is the better option (easier to maintain / less to go wrong over time).

They are expensive but seems like if buying new they will all be expensive.

I do not think I would choose air cooled unless you can put up with the noise but it might be best for ATC. Mine is not ATC so am not sure about the maintenance related to water cooled ATC but in standard form a Water Cooled 2.2Kw spindle is around £200 and I have had no problems over three years with mine.

This is another company that might be worth contacting :https://cncrouter.uk/atc-cnc-routers.htm

They import the base machine from China then add the ATC etc over here in the UK. They seem to have a very good reputation. They run a facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cncmachinesandpartsuk/?multi_permalinks=2350665461978240,2349611772083609&notif_id=1739376806984889&notif_t=group_highlights&ref=notif

If you have had an aluminium based CNC the upgrade to a rigid steel frame will be a god send. I run my machine at around 3m/s and it seems fine but probably on it's limit. My friend has a aluminium frame as you do and said his machine would fall apart at 3m/s.

For my next machine I'd really like a vacuum bed more than anything.

The ATC do require compressed air, it needs to be Dry and clean so check out what you are getting and what extras you might need when comparing each one.

 

[Ollie78]

These are sold by several brands, not horrible value if you get one on sale.
It is hard to find small machines with proper ATC units. However, you can buy various atc setups depending on your requirements. The most expensive single component is the atc spindle itself.
The other variable is the size and shape of the toolholders, BT30, ISO20, HSK etc, some are not designed for high speeds and are not balanced to the same standard because they are for slow speed milling.

You could convert another machine to atc.

You can buy a rack https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008293728559.html?pdp_npi=4@dis!USD!US $304.00!US $243.20!!!304.00!243.20!@211b6c8917394701856007095edf0c!12000044517406879!sh01!US!0!X&spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.productList_35050896.1005008293728559&gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

and a spindle https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006310789283.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.3.1d25689bTMce4T&algo_pvid=b065e0b8-00e0-4a4a-b237-5d553acfff99&algo_exp_id=b065e0b8-00e0-4a4a-b237-5d553acfff99-1&pdp_ext_f={"order":"5","eval":"1"}&pdp_npi=4@dis!GBP!872.00!870.35!!!7710.00!7695.41!@211b813f17394705574073533e49c7!12000036711882145!sea!UK!0!ABX&curPageLogUid=ZoRk6w0qQoK3&utparam-url=scene:search|query_from:

But then you will need to fit it and program it.

You could just buy a machine direct from china if you are prepared to wait for the boat.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100....new_all_items_2007603193386.1005008314771459

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32884632150.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.27.6f00364dYaSFTC&algo_pvid=afa3da38-3225-443c-947a-f6c5cae7abb7&algo_exp_id=afa3da38-3225-443c-947a-f6c5cae7abb7-12&pdp_ext_f={"order":"-1","eval":"1"}&pdp_npi=4@dis!GBP!5497.59!5497.59!!!6650.04!6650.04!@211b441e17394718390407727e7e69!65657973786!sea!UK!0!ABX&curPageLogUid=AkQIgalwUKB7&utparam-url=scene:search|query_from:

 

[Ollie78]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/286119813125?_skw=cnc+roiuter+tool+changer&itmmeta=01JM0DBYGQ77BC6SMXEE4R9C0Q&hash=item429e11e005:g:nsIAAOSw74JlnsM0&itmprp=enc:AQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1dJIuY0V0ekle8whb4sGb4pyMSvsKa87eBacoYbe37e4lEgIbpkFitAO9IPzAIdSn4YPjQcrDHg/aAcGYq7IgbgHeu/nW9dxC5DEzIyZRsl/S+JK9DwOXHup1yqQyoqaMym2mHdQNB6tXgNkyLT06YbbOeZZBNTe0pmV+tCYWicFm197jxzZkZo5yc5K746puZWNEVcHxZ2uURiyoyOOPY/XKTdRhwFHGvChfTpxCokF3CSuZ+gxdmlFW75WMsy2xo=|tkp:Bk9SR6Tqr42gZQ

 

[meccarroll]

These are sold by several brands, not horrible value if you get one on sale.
It is hard to find small machines with proper ATC units. However, you can buy various atc setups depending on your requirements. The most expensive single component is the atc spindle itself.
The other variable is the size and shape of the toolholders, BT30, ISO20, HSK etc, some are not designed for high speeds and are not balanced to the same standard because they are for slow speed milling.

You could convert another machine to atc.

You can buy a rack https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008293728559.html?pdp_npi=4@dis!USD!US $304.00!US $243.20!!!304.00!243.20!@211b6c8917394701856007095edf0c!12000044517406879!sh01!US!0!X&spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.productList_35050896.1005008293728559&gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

and a spindle https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006310789283.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.3.1d25689bTMce4T&algo_pvid=b065e0b8-00e0-4a4a-b237-5d553acfff99&algo_exp_id=b065e0b8-00e0-4a4a-b237-5d553acfff99-1&pdp_ext_f={"order":"5","eval":"1"}&pdp_npi=4@dis!GBP!872.00!870.35!!!7710.00!7695.41!@211b813f17394705574073533e49c7!12000036711882145!sea!UK!0!ABX&curPageLogUid=ZoRk6w0qQoK3&utparam-url=scene:search|query_from:

But then you will need to fit it and program it.

Now that would be a good way to do it if you know how to set it all up. I wish I had that sort of knowledge.

You could just buy a machine direct from china if you are prepared to wait for the boat.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008314771459.html?pdp_npi=4@dis!GBP!￡6,786.19!￡6,786.19!!!60001.68!60001.68!@2103956b17394720526712129e0ef1!12000044583502141!sh!UK!0!X&spm=a2g0o.store_pc_allItems_or_groupList.new_all_items_2007603193386.1005008314771459

That is a big machine you would need a fair sized workshop for that.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32884632150.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.27.6f00364dYaSFTC&algo_pvid=afa3da38-3225-443c-947a-f6c5cae7abb7&algo_exp_id=afa3da38-3225-443c-947a-f6c5cae7abb7-12&pdp_ext_f={"order":"-1","eval":"1"}&pdp_npi=4@dis!GBP!5497.59!5497.59!!!6650.04!6650.04!@211b441e17394718390407727e7e69!65657973786!sea!UK!0!ABX&curPageLogUid=AkQIgalwUKB7&utparam-url=scene:search|query_from:

This looks like it is in dirwct competition with the Itech, if it had a vacuum bed it would be worth thinking about. I think you would need to add the VAT and import duties. But does look good price.

 

[meccarroll]

Is this of any interest it is currently on facebook market place:

https://www.facebook.com/marketplac...wse_serp:c172fd8f-b41a-4769-9514-5f42daebcfdc

 

[dvddvd]

Thanks do you know how much they were new? Can only find the bigger model the 404

 

[meccarroll]

Thanks do you know how much they were new? Can only find the bigger model the 404

https://www.stepcraft-systems.com/en/start

 

[dvddvd]

Seems they only sell the Q 404 now? Can not find a Q 204

 

[meccarroll]

Seems they only sell the Q 404 now? Can not find a Q 204

It was just one I found on Facebook Marketplace. Not sure if it would be much of an upgrade on the one you have now apart from the tool change. I would look at solid steel section with at least 2.2Kw spindle but if you only doing light cuts it could be worth checking it out. You can get quick change tool systems that are not fully automatic, I don't know much about them though I'm afraid.