Standard or alpha?

[eli]

Hello to all. I'm new to the whole cnc thing and hope the opinions of everyone on this forum might help me out.

I work for a small company that manufactures home theater speakers. Lately, we've been tossing around the idea of getting our own cnc for some light production work and building prototypes. The production stuff would only be about seven sheets of 1"-1 1/2" of 4x8 birch ply per week. Most other work would be cutting various MDF projects.

Should we invest in the PRSstandard, or step up to the Alpha? What exactly is the difference between the two? I see that they have different steppers, and the alpha is capable of better speeds, but would we notice that much of a difference for what we'd be doing with them? I also planned on stepping up to the HSD 2.25 spindle and eventually maybe a dual fein setup for holding things down.

Any insight that that you guys could offer on which route to take would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[harryball]

The fundimental difference as you'll experience it in the drivers seat is maximum speed of cut and power to push the cutting head. The alpha can cut much faster and has the power to make certain cuts in a single pass. The standard would cut slower and may require 2 passes to get through material the alpha may take in one pass.

Much of the decision is budget consideration for most. I will say (and if someone disagrees speak up) a standard with a 2.2 HP spindle would be a better choice over an alpha with a PC router. If you've not experienced a spindle operating in person, try to find one to go see. I would go bonkers locked in a room all day with a PC router screaming at me. Also, a 2.2 HP spindle actually has more power to give where it counts than a 3.25 HP router which only gives that much HP at max RPM.

Good luck with your decision, we've never looked back. PRT Alpha 96 w/ 4HP HSD Spindle.

Robert

[myxpykalix]

put a notice in the "Looking for shopbot owner" column to find someone close to you who might have the setup you're looking for. Also call shopbot they have a list of people willing to do demo's for people. Maybe you can find someone that way. You would be well served to get a "hands on" before you buy something like this. Also check out the shopbots for sale column. You might get a good deal that way too.

[ed_lang]

I second what Mr. Ball said above. I started with an PRTalpha96 and router. I changed to a 4HP HSD spindle and am sure glad I did. Cut quality, noise, collet sizes etc.....

Alpha is my vote.

[walnutman]

I just got my machine a month or so ago, I had the same decision to make. I went with the standard with a 4HP spindle. Boy Im glad I did. Im just a beginner, still learing alot, but the spindle is a dream compared to the router. I have a PC router in my router table and it just kills my ears when its on. The spindle is nice. My feeling was that I would get immediate benifit from the sprindle, but being a beginner, the benefits if the Alpha would really not help me for a long while. I can always upgrade in the future if I think its necessary.

[eli]

Thanks for the input so far. I can almost definitely say that we'll be getting a spindle. Considering most of the work we do now in the wood shop involves a screaming router, anything that's even remotely quieter will be a welcome change...

Checking for a local botter sounds like a great idea. I saw another post from a gentleman in pittsburgh that offered demos to other posters. I think a hands-on with any of these machines will give us a better grasp of what we'll be dealing with. I'll check the other avenues, but if anyone is aware of a similar shopbot setup between Cleveland, Oh and Pittsburgh, Pa (we're near Youngstown, OH) that's willing to give a demo, please let us know. Thanks again.

[tuck]

IMO, it all depends on what you're going to be cutting. Most of my work involves HDU foam. I certainly don't need an expensive 4HP spindle to mill HDU. The old PC set on 10,000 rpm does a fine job and if I get annoyed with the noise, I just go back into the house while it's cutting or put in some ear plugs.

If I were cutting a lot of hardwood or thick aluminum, etc., I'd probably invest in a spindle. But then, I'm a guy who's been doing this for almost 6 years without a vacuum table! :-)