There are almost no limits to the kind of materials you can machine. Anything from wood or plastic to exotic materials like stainless steel can be cut as long as the part can be safely and firmly held and the proper cutting tool and cutting speed are used

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WHAT KIND OF MATERIALS CAN MACHINE?

The overall size of the machine, really depends on both the area available to you and also the overall size of material being used. Now our larger machines (blackFoot, greenBull, greenLean) can cut all the materials mentioned above, and if equipped with our 2.2kW spindle you will be accurate up to ten thousandths of an inch.
Our greenBull machine does have an option for a long-z axis, that was especially designed to cut foam, but depending on the overall size it might not be a requirement for the specified request.

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I HAVE A SIGN SHOP AND WE NEED CUT ALUMINUM, PLEXIGASS, FOAM AND OTHER MATERIALS FOR SIGNS. CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT MACHINE WE NEED? I LOOKING 4'X8' OR 5' X 10'

The greenBull can range is routing width sizes of 5 feet and 6 feet. The blackFoot has a 4 foot routing width.

Previous Solution:
The greenBull machine has a sturdier gantry than the blackFoot, so you can be more agressive with the cutting feedrate (cutting speed). The blackFoot is also a good machine, but it all comes down to the speed at which you want to produce the fabrication

The spindle is also highly recommended for it's quietness and easier cleanup (no fan blowing the dust in the air)

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WHICH MACHINE SHOULD I BUY, THE GREENBULL OR BLACKFOOT?

The greenBull can range is routing width sizes of 5 feet and 6 feet. The blackFoot has a 4 foot routing width.

Previous Solution:
The greenBull machine has a sturdier gantry than the blackFoot, so you can be more agressive with the cutting feedrate (cutting speed). The blackFoot is also a good machine, but it all comes down to the speed at which you want to produce the fabrication

The spindle is also highly recommended for it's quietness and easier cleanup (no fan blowing the dust in the air)

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SHOULD I SELECT THE GREENBULL OR BLACKFOOT CNC MACHINE?

A standard 40W CO2 laser will cut up to 1/4" thick of material, be it wood, acrylic, card stock, leather, fabric, foam, cork, etc. (Decent speed and final cut are heavily dependent on a strong air assist upgrade)

Metals cannot be cut due to the power level and wavelength of the CO2 laser. But it can be marked with special solutions like Cermark or Thermark.

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WHAT THICKNESS OF MATERIAL CAN THE BLACKTOOTH LASER CUT?

You will need to build the table unit for your machine. There are instructions on how to do this at the bottom of the product page here, https://www.buildyourcnc.com/Item/cnc-machine-blackFoot-v4
There is no estimate on how much this will cost though, since there are too many variables involved to do this.

- PC with parallel port and USB port
- 20awg stranded wires for the motors - http://www.buildyourcnc.com/electronicscombo.aspx
- 18awg stranded wires for power supply to drivers
- 24awg stranded wires for breakout board to drivers
(location and spacing of components varies from one person to another, so we do not provide cables/wires)
- General purpose extension cord (cut the female end off) to provide power to power supply
- USB cable to power breakout board
- Parallel cable to communicate to breakout board
- Router
- (optional - instead of router) Spindle with power inverter http://www.buildyourcnc.com/SpindlesAndAccessories.aspx
- (if purchasing spindle with inverter) General purpose extension cord (240v) (cut the female end off) to provide power to power inverter
- End Mill(s) http://www.buildyourcnc.com/ProductsEndMills.aspx
- CAD, and/or CAD-CAM software (to produce geometry, machine operations, and g-code) http://www.buildyourcnc.com/CNCsoftware.aspx
- CNC control software (to read g-code and control machine) http://www.buildyourcnc.com/CNCsoftware.aspx

This answer is applicable to most of our machines with the exception of the greenLean and the blueChick since those machines are equipped with a table structure.

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IF I PURCHASE A GREENBULL 6X LONG Z CNC MACHINE KIT AND MACH3, WHAT ELSE WOULD BE REQUIRED TO ASSEMBLE THE WORKING MACHINE? HAVE CAD SOFTWARE.

If you use the 2.2kW spindle, it can cut at 3/4 inch or 19 mm deep with at least a 1/4" cutting diameter single flute end mill. You will get better results with larger diameter end mills, but that is the worst case scenario. I still recommend doing a finishing pass on the edge to make sure everything is perfect.

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CAN THE GREENBULL CUT 18MM BIRCH IN ONE PASS?

You can expect a one week lead time for our machines.

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WHAT LEAD TIME CAN EXPECT FOR THE BLACKTOE MACHINE?

You can expect a one week lead time for our machines.

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WHAT LEAD TIME CAN EXPECT FOR BLACKTOE SO PICK UP THE MACHINE?

The greenBull can range is routing width sizes of 5 feet and 6 feet. The blackFoot has a 4 foot routing width.

Previous Solution:
The greenBull machine has a sturdier gantry than the blackFoot, so you can be more agressive with the cutting feedrate (cutting speed). The blackFoot is also a good machine, but it all comes down to the speed at which you want to produce the fabrication

The spindle is also highly recommended for it's quietness and easier cleanup (no fan blowing the dust in the air)

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WHICH MACHINE SHOULD I BUY, GREENBULL OR BLACKFOOT?

The greenBull 4X comes with all of the components and electronics to assemble the gantry of the machine. You will need to build the table. We provide the rails and roller chain for the X-axis (along the length of the table for full 8 feet of travel). You will need to provide some wire to connect the electronics and a computer to run the machine. You will also need to purchase the software that you will need to run the machine that matches how you will apply the machine. We suggest the mach3 control program. The CAM program is up to you as there are many options out there.

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WHAT DOES THE GREENBULL KIT INCLUDE AND DO I NEED TO INCLUDE?

The roller chain lengths for the greenBull 4x is:
- 13 feet for each side of the X axis (total of 26 feet), and
- 6 feet for the Y-axis

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WHAT ARE THE ROLLER CHAIN LENGTHS FOR GREENBULL 4X

The roller chain lengths for the greenBull 4x is:
- 13 feet for each side of the X axis (total of 26 feet), and
- 6 feet for the Y-axis

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WHAT LENGTHS OF ROLLER CHAIN DO I USE FOR THE GREENBULL 4X CNC?

76" X 40" X 26"
230 LBS

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WHAT ARE THE SHIPPING DIMENSIONS FOR GREENBULL?

Actual table dimension: 4'x8' is 56.078"x 121.50" (the overhang in the illustrations should be 3/4" thick)
To determine the frame dimensions, first consider using the frame height shown of almost 3' (2.86'). The width of the frame should be 4" narrower than the dimension from rail edge to rail edge (6X rail to rail is 80.078"). This will provide a 2" overhang on both sides (4X frame width should be 56.078").
The length of the frame should be 4" shorter than the desired length of the rails to provide a 2" overhang on both ends. The travel length will be 20" shorter than the rail length due to the space occupied by the gantry sides.
Two long pieces of 3/4" material will need to be placed on top of the frame with the 2" overhang on the sides and the end. These long strips of material will receive the rails and the chain mounts on the ends.


Link:
https://www.buildyourcnc.com/Item/cnc-machine-greenBull-v4-4X

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WHAT ARE THE DIMENSIONS FOR GREENBULL TABLE?

If you take the standard parallel cable BoB (Break Out Board), then you will need control software (Mach 3 or EMC2) and CAM software to make your G-Code (such as CamBam). Personally I use CamBam and Mach 3, they work beautifully but don't expect to turn them on and know how they work out of the box. Give yourself a few weeks to get familiar with the basics. CamBam is VERY powerful software for it's price. I'm surprised how much I keep learning on what I can do with it...I highly recommend it if you want as much control as possible.

Mach 3 + CamBam as a bundle costs $310. EMC2 will give you a free replacement for Mach 3 and is exclusively for Linux.

If you use the USB BoB, it will cost an extra $75 + $75 for the software. This is an all-in-one package so no need for Mach 3 or CamBam.

For etching rasters (jpeg, bmp, tiff, non-vectors, photos), I highly recommend PicEngrave. It has been a labor of love for the past 9 years and John has done a wonderful job with it. It easily compares in quality compared to software that is in the $200-$300 range. John's software runs $40 and can be found here: http://picengrave.com/ (don't let the modest website fool you, this stuff can do amazing things). DotG and the Mach3 engrave plugin are two other options and instructions can be found on Dustans page in the gallery on buildyourcnc.com website.

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WHAT SOFTWARE CAN BE USED WITH THE BLACKTOOTH LASER CUTTER?

Hour meter. This will tell you exactly how long your system has been 'on' giving you a more accurate bead on the length of your tubes life.

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WHAT CAN ADD TO MY BLACKTOOTH LASER CUTTER MEASURE THE TIME OF USE?

You can expect a two week lead time for the redFrog pick and place machine.

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WHAT IS THE LEAD TIME FOR REDFROG PICK AND PLACE MACHINE?

The blackfoot requires a total of 50 feet of cable.

The X axis needs 15 feet
The Y axis needs 17 feet
and the Z-axis needs 18 feet

These are 20 gauge 4 conductor cable.

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WHAT CABLE LENGTHS SHOULD USE FOR THE BLACKFOOT CNC MACHINE