Any experience or comments re SIEG KX1 CNC

[Metal Mickey]

I am nowhere near ready to buy a small cnc milling machine but like everyone I am always looking to see what is about. I see in the UK that there is a SIEG KX1 CNC macnine on the market now for around £2000 ($4000). Does anybody have one of these, or is thinking of getting one?

 

[Bogstandard]

Hi Mike,

John Stevenson (a member on here), had a hand in either the development or testing of the original imports of these machines.

Both new CNC machines were on show at the Harrogate exhibition, and supposedly were very well recieved by the general public, and all stock machines were quickly sold out. I think there is now a back order list for delivery in September.

I am thinking about the larger of the two for the middle of next year, just depends if I require one at that time, or maybe sooner.

I am sure John will be able to give an unbiased account of the ins and outs of their suitability for the type of jobs envisioned, as you well know all machines have their limitations.

John

 

[John S]

Thanks for the drum roll and intro John, :

I was involved in both the development and testing of the KX series of machines and that also meant two trips to the factory in China to sort some pre production problems out.

Overall they are a good machine, the KX1 label is misleading as people think they are based on an X1 when in fact they are new from the ground up.

Points that I don't like about the machine are:-
The travels are not as great as the long bed X1 that Arc carries.
It really needs front bellows to the Y axis
Oiling points aren't easy to get to.

None of these except the travels are critical, you have to decide if the work you want to do falls inside these travels.
They are capable machines, one example is the first production machine came in and was destined for the guy who was going to write the manual as Sieg wanted an English manual, not Chinglish.
Ketan at Arc rang me to say it had been flown in and come and check it out.
Big rush, throw some gear in the truck, saw two slices off a 75mm steel bar to do a couple of loco wheels as demo pieces.

Get to Arc, use their shop lathe to face the blanks off and those two slices were 316 stainless

Slow the program down on speeds and feeds as the tapered cutter for the spokes was only a HSS one.
Pocketing out took 20 minutes with a 6mm cutter going 4mm deep all told.
swap cutters for the tapered cutter and 12 spokes to do at 8mm deep, that took 1 hour 24 minutes.

I was honestly impressed that a machine this small would tackle this and make such a nice job.

I did this 2 weeks ago in 1 hour 36 I think it was with a 2mm balle nose cutter.

Try doing that any other way in that time.