Description
Highlights:
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- Production level cutting speeds (approx. 1,000 inches per minute)
- Closed loop motor system on all three axis to auto-correct positioning and auto-stop when necessary (reliable for production style work)
- Requires little maintenance during project production
- Advanced, production-style features including Y-axis auto-squaring; limit switches by default; and tram adjustment capabilities
- Cuts materials ranging from hardwoods to plastics, foams, composites, aluminum – even steel
- Support for 80mm spindles and routers
- 49.8″ x 104″ working area with a max Z-height of 8.3″ (1265 mm × 2640 mm × 210 mm)
- Footprint of roughly 66″ wide and 114″ deep
Lead times
This product has a potentially long waitlist, relative to demand and seasonality. For more info on expected shipping and delivery times, please see our Order Status page.
Joe Szanyi (verified owner) –
Awesome Machine. Here is my feedback:
5 years ago, I started looking into upgrading from a 24 X 24 Shark HD3 CNC to an Avid 4 X 8 CNC. I was not ready for it at the time due to space but I knew I would eventually buy one. Soon after, Sienci launched the 4 X 4 AltMill. When my new shop was built and I was ready to upgrade, Sienci announced the 4 X 8 plans. Perfect timing! Almost 1/2 price and local pick up made the decision easy.
– Pick up at Sienci was a great experience. Friendly staff, including the dog, and everything was ready as expected.
– We met a couple people and saw some familiar faces from the videos including Andy arriving for the day entering the building though the back like a regular employee.
– We got a tour of the shop with Jason and had a good conversation about the company and his enjoyment with it.
– The machine came in 7 boxes (including the spindle) and the packaging is very good and everything is protected well.
– The only part I was missing was the eccentric screw for tramming the spindle and Sienci sent me two after I contacted them. I figured I would need it but to my surprise the spindle was bang on after assembly. That’s amazing!
– I like the fact that even in the joinery configuration I still have over 4 X 8 cutting area. Very cool and a nice option.
– Assembly was easy and super fun. It took me 9 hours total but I did not rush anything. I watched Ben’s videos and for the most part, they were pretty accurate.
– gSender is very easy to use and get up to speed on. So much in there to configure it the way you want it. I like it. Good job!
Suggestions/ideas:
– Please put something more obvious for the drag chain found in rail, most people find it after the rail is assembled! LOL! Maybe a pull tab so it can’t be assembled until you pull it out.
– E-stop location is not the best so I 3D printed a mount so it hangs in a more suitable and accessible location and I can remove it and get it closer to the spindle when starting a program. That allows me to use the 3 buttons to pause and restart to make sure my X Y and Z locations are correct (especially Z for crash avoidance). Using gSender is too tense as you have to look at the laptop screen to move the mouse to the pause button and then look again to move it to the start button. My suggestion is to make this one button that changes each time you press it so you can keep your eyes on the machine and one hand on the mouse button and click to pause and start without having to move anything. My old machine was like that so hard to get used to this change. My removable e-stop mount solved this for me.
– Another common issue I had and I see on the FaceBook page is when your wake the machine up for the first time, the Y dip switches are set wrong and it is going 2X the speed and distance. No one checks this first, likely out of excitement, and the machine crashes HARD when homing it for the first time. There are a few videos on the FaceBook page you can refer to. My suggestion is that Sienci should set these for us but keep the advisory on checking them.
– The power cord to the VFD is short so I had to buy a longer one from Amazon to get to my 220 outlet that is 15 feet away on the back wall. That might be a good option to have when purchasing from Sienci so you are good to go when you get the spindle. Nothing worse that waiting for a power cord so you can fire it up! I never thought to ask up front.
– I had to remove the rubber soft stops on the front and back of the machine for the Y axis because the machine hit these before the sensor could be made. Maybe a shorter version should be included?
Despite these few minor issues, everything else has been excellent. Very happy with this machine and time will tell for durability.
Ivano Stocco (verified owner) –
Sturdy machine, quick, and precise. It was what I was looking for. Assembly was straightforward for its size and quality. So far I’ve been using mine to make furniture, jigs, and artwork out of Baltic birch plywood (see http://www.ivanostocco.com). It cuts smoothly through 3/4″ without issue, even full depth cuts.
Jacob Stuckey (verified owner) –
I’m loving it so far. I did have a few issues biggest. one right now is in my kit I am missing the two eccentric bushings for the spindle mount. In the online paper work they have they marked as being in one of my box contents. However in the paper work for the boxes content they were not labeled and not present. Also would there be anyway to put a set screw in the spindle mount to set the front to rear adjustment even if it still needs to be shimmed it’s hard to square front to back because there is nothing to incrementally push against the rear mounting plate. With a set screw you could get it right and use a gauge then make a shim. A nice little shim kit would be an awesome add to the pack list also ensuring people are using shims to factory specs and hoping getting you less calls or issue from customers.
I also sent an email about a few things in the setup instructions that would be helpful to have mentioned or changed.
The speed and accuracy however is very good. I already did a few cut operations with a 1/4 roughing up cut bit at almost 500ipm! The acceleration is amazing I would love to know the impact on acceleration and deceleration with a heavier spindle.
Jordan Z. (verified owner) –
True game changer in the industry. Couldn’t be happier with the setup and functionality so far.
Luke (verified owner) –
So far I’m having a good experience with my new 4×8 machine, and would highly recommend it! I’m coming from a Carbide Shapeoko 5 machine, and Sienci has really won me over with their dedication to bringing new features and technology like the ATC to their lineup. They’re blowing away the competition in that way. The Sienci team also did a great job of documenting the build process with their videos and online documentation. My only less than positive experience thus far has been with the customer service. Every time I’ve exchanged with the CS team, responses are very short and curt, and I’m always left feeling like I’m a bothersome nuisance rather than feeling like I’m talking to someone who truly wants to figure out how to help me. Overall though, you can’t go wrong with this machine and company.