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When I got my first 3D printer I was extremely happy with all the new possibilities to create things but after some time I noticed the limitations of 3D printing. Plastic is easy to melt, sometimes it’s not mechanically resistant enough and most importantly sometimes doesn’t look good. Don’t take me wrong here, I love 3D printing and I like plastic (except plastic waste) but there are things that look, work or feel way better when made out of nonplastic material. Imagine all your furniture made out of plastic. Sometimes I prefer wood, when I need strength, metal (mostly aluminum) is a way to go. That’s where CNC milling machines are used. Usually, the cost of such machine is really high, most of the hobbyist, small makers can’t afford such expensive equipment. That’s why the idea of building my own CNC machine sparked in my head. Of course building with bare hands wasn’t an option for me, that’s hard not only to make but also to document. I wanted to create an easy to replicate machine that anyone can make. I spent a lot of time on the design of it to make assembly simple and keep the price low. Then there was a lot of testing, redesigning and modifying to make it the best I could. I used as popular and easy to buy components as I could: Dremel, LMU12 bearings, Nema17 motors, Arduino, aluminum profiles and only free software. That’s how I managed to keep the price of my machine under $300. I already published 6 youtube videos about this project and it is quite popular on Thingiverse so you may ask why I am posting instructable that late? That’s because I wanted to finish my machine completely and make the most detailed instructable I have ever done. This project is the biggest one for me for a lot of reasons, I will talk about them through this instructable. Enjoy :)”

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