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Pilot Pro CNC Routers and Projects

****Testimonials****

-Everyone should have the chance to create-
The possibilities are endless

The AeroSpace Engineering Department, Oklahoma State University:

"Thanks a lot as the CNC unit is now working for 3D objects and we are starting to learn how to make molds directly using the CNC. We are seeing that what formally would have taken over a week to do can now be done in less then an hour. Once again we look forward to using your unit and in fact there has been talk about purchasing a third unit as well.

Overall we have been very impressed with the table and are looking forward to many more hours of CNC fun."

Joe

"We have an old New Hermes 3400 at work that we paid $10k for 6 years ago and I just engraved an autocad drawing that I did at work with graphics and text with the same quality but much faster! All on paper thin aluminum.

Thanks,"

Jim

"I haven't used the CNC machine as much as I'd like, but have made some plastic parts for my motorcycle projects. So far I love the machine.

Thanks,"
Mr. Fouch

"Great cd, thanks, great to do business with. AAAAAA+++++"

Robert

"This year we are using your CNC machine to go directly to the mold stage and we have been able to cut at least one week from our schedule as well as we are now able to build a mold that has details on the order of 0.005" or even better."

Joe

"Pilot Pro, Wow! Received my combo cd and took a look at it, and was very surprised.. The cd is everything i was looking for. I know nothing about Cnc's but your Cd explains so much more on how things work than i could have asked for.. Thanks a bunch.."

John

"I received the last box today. The parts look great! I've got the plastic parts mostly done, the control board soldered up.. I'll be finishing the plastic parts tonight and maybe testing my motors... Aluminum parts tomorrow hopefully, and maybe this weekend assembling!!!!!

anyway, Ill keep you posted on this Pilot Pro in NJ!"

Steve

"I received my combo CD earlier in the week and was very happy. I would like to be added to your megabot email list too.

Thanks,"

Dave

"The machine is a work of art! Very nice!

Thanks very much"
Raymond

"You WAY UNDERSTATED how cool this CD is. The high quality of the descriptions, the bill of materials, the DXF files and the photographs [especially] is without a doubt one of the best I have seen.

The design is very good too, in that it is simple [relatively] and straight forward. It appears inexpensive to build as well, without being cheap, which is a big downfall of many of the plans [I have more than one.].

Being a designer of furniture, clothing and automobile interiors there are subtle clues to quality, one of which is presentation of the idea. The manner and completeness of the presentation of the ideas on this CD are just a small clue to the quality of the thought behind the product. "

W.R.

"PHIL! I made my first cuts today!

its finally all up and running... finally done!.... making parts, assembling, painting, computer building, software, basement cleaning, wiring, testing, on and on and on.. And now it all works!!!!"

Steve

Click for larger image.

"Got it! Great information and really appreciate the extra effort in shipping.

Have a great week!"

Dale

"Phil, Got the CD today! I'm impressed! I have an aluminum frame that's welded 1.5" X 3" tubing, measuring 55" x 40" that I'm going to use as the foundation. I'll upscale the X and Y to fit my frame. Going to use 1250 in-lb Nema 34 motors on the X and Y. I'll let you know how things turn out."

Gary

"PHIL, MACHINE WORKS GREAT, WHEN YOU SEE MY NEXT PICTURE OF A LITHOPHANE YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT!
THANKS JOSEPH"

"Hey Phil,

Sorry I did not email you sooner.

Thanks for the kind words on cnczone.com. I had a great time building from your plans. You need to charge more for the CD. This thing has so much information and the pictures where a huge help. Anyone could modify your plans to make this just about any size they wanted. My welding experience was little to none but I had no problem welding the ends up using your jig that I built. It would also be very easy to bolt the ends together if someone did not have access to a welder. I would recommend that anyone even thinking of building a CNC router purchase your CD, it is packed with information.

Thank you,"
Dennis (xmac)

"Phil, Everything is falling together. Very impressive design and the templates work flawlessly! Outstanding Method! I am very impressed with your design and it is apparent that you have spent much time and thought on your designs."

Mike

"Hi Phil,
I am 61, retired, hold a couple patents and was GM of my own division of a company with 650
employees. We built a product I designed. I had come up through the ranks starting out
working on the Apollo heat shield re-entry program.

I feel fairly confident that I am somewhat qualified to evaluate the quality of your product, as well as the content of your presentation. Simply put, yours is the best I have seen---period. I am truly proud of some of my accomplishments and means of presentation. This machine of yours is top line and the subtleties and variations you offer are astonishing. Hard for an old dog to admit it, but I wish I could have shared the helm with you before I retired. I think we would have had great fun! I really look forward to completing your design.

Warmest regards,"

Ray

"Phil... Attached is the carving just completed on DeskCNC in the Carve Mode. I used a .125 ball end mill at 30 IPM. X & Y step over was set at .020. The depth was set to .060. The carving took just under 4 hours to complete.

The carve is that of an Open Wheel Modified Race Car that competes at Stafford Motor Speedway where I am a Director, here in Connecticut. The Photo was imported directly into DeskCNC and then set to carve. Actual size is 15" X 7.5". This carving is part of a larger piece that will be given to
the driver of this car to commemorate his 100th victory at our speedway.

The machine runs and performs flawlessly. The fact that I can produce this kind of a project and still be able to complete other work at my shop at the same time makes this a cost effective addition to my custom furniture and cabinet business.

Thanks for your continued support"
Jimmy

"Phil,
Enclosed are pics of my machine. I had a great time making it. If you look at the "Z" axis, I have installed limit switches. I have also fully detailed it in Solidworks."

Tim

"Hi Phil:

Attached are several images. Feel free to take your pick.

I designed a cabinet from birch plywood that supports the CNC machine and contains the computer, controller board, power supply and a built-in vacuum. The top of the cabinet is melamine. Interior shelves are adjustable. The cabinet is on rollers so I can move it around my garage. Doors are located on the front and the back. The computer, power supply and controller are in the front. The vacuum is in the back.

I constructed a plexiglass housing for the power supply and controller board. It has a cooling fan mounted to one end that slides into a PVC Irrigation fitting allowing air to enter from the outside of the cabinet. I placed some filter foam inside the irrigation fitting that blocks sawdust from entering the unit. You can see the connection in the interior cabinet shot and also the exterior shot that also shows the three section switch that controls the vaccum, spindle and controller.

Everything works great and the machine is very reliable."

Dean

"Hi Phil!

It is very nice work!"

Kjell

(Very Hot!)

"Phil

After almost a week of finishing machine please find attached pictures."

Denis K.

(Note the fans on the stepper motors. This is more than a good idea, it really makes a difference in performance.
- Adding grills increases safety)

"There is zero slop everywhere. Nice tight system."

Dan K.

Dan runs the web page "The Hobbyist Machine Shop" and has documented this build. To see the machine come together please see his web page at http://thehobbyistmachineshop.com/shop30-3.html

(This build is using 5/8" lead screws for X and Y and they are Teflon coated! Dan has made motor heat sinks that are very nice and worth a look.)

"Hi Phil!

I have finished building the machine!"

Leonardo

"Here are some pics with the screws installed. Its on a temporary stand. I welded a L steel on the bottom of the frame to keep it centered on the stand and to provide a lip for the MDF board to sit on. Had Mach 3 drill me a hole grid. Routed stepper motor wires through frame. Loose wires are for home switches which I still did not order."

Dan P.

Using the NEW ball screws!

Large machine travel of 56" by 33" coming together.
Jim B.

"As I said along time ago this is a dream come true for me building a machine like this, truly a monumental achievement for me."

Ricky S. - CNC for life!!

(Great job on the build and the stand looks great as well - Phil)

Hi Phil,

"The machine arrived safe and sound. ... wow! ... it's a beautiful piece of work ... you should be quite proud! ... I have it all assembled and wired, and I'm ready to "fire it up".
...

Thanks again for a great piece of hardware ... beautiful!"

John

Hi Phil,

"Just an update, I have got most of the mechanical stuff done and now into wiring. I've got to make a purpose built table yet to suit but it will come soon.
I've attached a few photo's fyi."

Regards"
Simon

"I also included a picture of my last guitar which was the first job I used the CNC on. It worked just great! I could not have done that name inlay without it. My web is www.poehneltcreations.com if you want to see the kind of things I normally do.

Thanks again"

Dan

"Hi Phil

Thanks for the help today. I did get the screw installed and double checked everything for square. It is working flawlessly! I have even moved beyond cutting just inlays and am now starting to cut out parts.

I have included pictures of the stand. The stand actually has a 2x4 framework with plywood attached to the frame. I also installed adjustable feet to the table so it can be leveled. I did put 1 drawer on the side opposite the controller opening but if I were to redo it, I would have put in as many as would have fit. Never enough storage space. The plywood top is dadoed for the T track and then the T track is screwed through the plywood into the 2x4 frame. I use the T track to clamp the various tables to the stand and use double stick tape to attach the parts to the tables. It works very well.

Thanks again"

Dan

Very Cool!

"Hi Phil,

...

Here are a few pics of the cabinet that I constructed. This will cover the machine when I'm making sawdust with other projects. All of the electronics are stored beneath in a fan cooled compartment. The panels on top (which are a workbench height) come off to access the machine.

Thanks for all you do,"

John

Very Impressive!

"Perfect!"

"The machine has been running great. I've been experimenting with different projects. ... so far all on V-Carve.
Here's my weekend project."

"Hey Phil,

I learned a technique to scan a design from a design book, create the vectors in V-Carve, and then cut out the design on the CNC machine. In this case I used a pattern from Wayne Barton's design and pattern sourcebook. (bought it online for less than $20.00). ... check it out.
Thanks,"

John

"We'll call this my first successful piece.
Kind Regards,
A very happy - Jeff"

"Hey Phil,

Just wanted to let you know that "I LOVE YOUR MACHINE!". After the few frustrating days and the discovery of some wonderful software (I will let you know about it), I am up and running and making parts that are AWESOME! My business is going to go to the next level with this and I want to thank you for your patience and prompt service.

Thank You!"

Scott

Nice Work!

26" X 42" TRAVEL!

Scott is the maker of Cake safes for transporting cakes, to see his work check out his web page at - CakeSafe.com