Panel Saw or CNC flatbed – opinions

[Robert Lambie]

what size cnc do you have in mind warren?

you can buy something like a sawtrax wall saw pretty cheap, but depends on exactly its requirements, if it will do what you want.

chalk & cheese in comparison to a cnc flatbed but again…
depending on flatbed size though, yes that does open a million doors on what you can offer.

i have the both above, and the Excalibur similar to your steeltrax… all three very different bits of kit indeed.

[Warren Beard]

Hi Rob

I would say at least the size to fit an 8×4 sheet, I know we talking 4 or 5 times the price but as you say it opens a lot more doors and again in-house so full control.

Is it practical to think I won’t need a wall saw if I have the CNC? (I still have the SteelTrak!)

[Martin Pearson]

If the idea is to cut panels on the cnc because you don’t have a wall saw then I would personally say that’s not practical at all. Time taken to set up & then cut on the cnc would start to get on your nerves very quickly.
Panel saw, put board on cutter, set size & cut, takes no time at all. To cnc the same job you would need to produce a vector drawing, then set up the toolpaths for cutting, them load this into the cnc. Board would need to be placed on machine squared up & all axis set correctly, cutting tool installed & then you can cut but generally more slowly than you would be able to with a panel saw.
As Robert saws to completely different bits of kit.
What is it you need to cut that your current machine won’t do Warren? My panel saw gets quite a bit of use but I don’t have any other type of board cutter, biggest problem with it is the mess it creates, suppose to have a dust extraction system but isn’t very good.

[Dave Harrison]

Hi Warren.

Short answer…. You need both !

Using a large cnc to cut panels doesn’t make economic sense, its like using your versacamm as a stand alone vinyl cutter. Yes it will do a perfect job just not as quick…

[Warren Beard]

Thanks for replies. Basically it’s one step at a time but which step first? I have the steeltrak and really the only thing I can’t cut that I would like to is acrylic. But should I get a wall saw so I can cut acrylic? Or go the next level up and get a cnc? I’ll still cut straight cuts on the steeltrak and the shapes and acrylic on the cnc?

Would be great to have both but even the cnc will probably be a stretch at the moment which is why I want to make sure I make the right choice.

Appreciate the comments so far.

Warren

[Martin Pearson]

Well a panel saw is the cheaper of the 2 options but it isn’t going to make you very much money, maybe just bring in house a little work that at the moment you can’t do.
A CNC machine is a lot more expensive & has a very steep learning curve but as well as being able to do all the stuff inhouse that you were buying in before there are loads of other things you can do with it which may generate new income streams.