Hi Everyone,

Hopefully a few of you have noticed that we've been publishing a number of new video tutorials recently. I've now published the first two (out of three) of a new series which shows the end-to-end process for starting from a CAD design, CNC machining the pattern from epoxy block then sealing and preparing the pattern before taking a prepreg carbon fibre mould off the pattern. In the next video (not done yet) we'll finish off by using the prepreg mould to produce a carbon fibre part.

Essentially, in this series what we're trying to demonstrate is the 'other way' to make composite parts, using technology and high tech materials to replace the more manual traditional methods. This is a topic that comes up every time during our training courses and so hopefully this is a process (and tutorial series) that people will find interesting (and maybe useful). The price of perfectly usable CNC equipment is coming down all the time and the quality and availability of 3D CAD systems (like Fusion360) is moving the baseline of what is achievable at home or in a small workshop or business. Our new products and tutorials aim to support this revolution. Also, in this current climate where people are very focused on the idea that 3D printers are the answer to everything, hopefully we can steer a few people towards the understanding that for most composites processes a CNC router is a far more suitable piece of kit to invest in.

So, this first tutorial in the series we demonstrate how to CNC machine epoxy tooling board and then seal and finish it using epoxy board sealer.


I'd be very happy to discuss any of the topics raised in the videos including how these processes and materials might be used in your projects.

Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales

Hey Hanaldo,

I happen to own a Stepcraft 480 Black. It depends on what you want to do with your machine, but for my purposes it is good enough as an entry machine. I have a lot to do with 3D-printers (FDM, SLA, SLS), and nothing 3d-printed (even 50k$+ machines) rivals my Stepcraft considering part accuracy and reproducibility. And I am pretty sure if you only need your machine once in a while for some epoxy tooling board milling and you don't need sub 0.1mm accuracy, an X-carve will do just fine. Even if you plan on eventually investing $5k+ on a cnc machine, I would always recommend to play around with an X-carve or Stepcraft first for a couple of months to get the hang of everything. You first need to understand feeds & speeds, CAM, different bits for different purposes, the right spindle (i.e. brushless) and how everything comes together. It really depends on the size of your projects. For example, I would need maybe 8-10 hours of milling to produce the mould in the above video, simply because it is too big and I can't be more aggressive with my feeds and speeds, my spindle, and am also missing stiffness in the portal.
CNC Forums can be a nightmare if you are new to CNC, lots of contradictory information. That's the main reason why I would recommend a cheaper entry to see for yourself if it is for you and later — if necessary — upgrade to something with a little more bite to it.

@oekmont looks impressive. Where are you located?