Looking for a CNC Router – Need Advice!

Your requirements are specific and reasonable: 0.5mm accuracy, minimum 600x600mm work area, wood and metal, compact footprint. Let me give you the straight comparison.

YOUR SPECS TRANSLATED TO MACHINE REQUIREMENTS

• 0.5mm accuracy: easily achievable on any machine with ballscrews. But "accuracy" is vague — do you mean positional accuracy or part accuracy? Positional: any ballscrew machine does 0.1mm. Part accuracy: depends on rigidity, tool deflection, and fixturing.

• 600x600mm minimum: rules out 3018 and most 4040 machines

• Wood and metal: rules out 300W spindle machines, need 1.5KW minimum

• Compact: this actually conflicts with the 600x600mm requirement — the machine footprint is roughly double the work area

OPTIONS FOR YOUR REQUIREMENTS

THE HIDDEN TRADEOFF

A 1000x1000mm machine with a 1.5KW trim router spindle will cut wood beautifully but struggle on aluminum at the far edges of the table — gantry deflection increases with distance from the supported ends. A smaller machine (like the ROCTECH RC0609 at 600x900mm) with a heavier frame (1450kg welded steel) and proper servo motors will cut aluminum anywhere on the table because rigidity is built into the frame, not borrowed from the gantry design.

ONE FINAL THING ABOUT ROCTECH

I keep mentioning ROCTECH in these comparisons because they're one of the few manufacturers bridging the gap between hobby and industrial. 15 years in business, 50 patents (adding ~10/year), ISO9001/CE/UL/PDL certified, 15-person expert R&D team affiliated with local universities. Their machines use industrial components: Yaskawa servo motors, helical rack & pinion on X/Y, ballscrew on Z, welded steel frames, optional ATC (automatic tool changer). If you're considering the Onefinity or Shapeoko at the $2,500–$3,500 level, it's worth looking at what ROCTECH offers — you're getting industrial build quality for a modest premium.