PrintNC Mini : New meta 1000$ DIY CNC ?

The PrintNC is a open source metal cutting CNC machine that was designed to be more capable and professional than the current offering of DIY open source cnc machines.

In the past few months its little brother the PrintNC Mini which extends the PrintNC capabilities further but in a much more compact and cost effective platform.

Features of the PrintNC Mini

The PrintNC mini is the baby that came out of all the findings and learnings of the (opensource) PrintNC project. The main improvements are as follows:

• Dual HGH15 block bearings on the Y axis – Fixes the main stiffness issue which was often one of the first upgrades done for the PrintNC V3.0

• Triple HGH15 bearing block configuration for the X axis – This setup drastically increases the stiffness of the X axis and Z axis assembly

• Re-design of the Z-axis – Allows for a smaller overall package while retaining simplicity to build and overall stiffness

• In-chassis Nema17 stepper motors allow for a much more compact build

PrintNC mini specifications

The standard build has the following dimensions:

• Wasteboard 395 x 500 mm
• Y axis beams: 75×50 mm steel tube
• X axis beam: 50×50 mm steel tube
• Z travel: 110mm
• Y travel: 300mm
• X travel: 300mm

The PrintNC Mini is designed with parametric modelling. You can scale-up and scale-down the design within reason.

What makes the PrintNC so special vs other DIY CNC router offering?

The PrintNC Mini’s design makes use of rectangular steel beams which are interconnected with bolts to keep it DIY friendly.

It avoided all the shortcomings from entry level desktop CNC-routers that are on the market.

Such as the Indymill and Carbide 3D’s Nomad which are far less capable then the PrintNc

To name a few:

• Ballscrews on all axis
• Dual and triple ” Hiwin ” bearing block design
• rigid steel frame
• Supports watercooled 65mm spindle
• 3D-printed parts on the parts you can get away with less tensile strength
• Designed to mill non-ferrous materials

PrintNC Mini current status

The PrintNC mini is still in beta mode. Meaning it is only available to a select few which have purchased the 3D files and get access to the member zone. At this point approximately 2 or 3 completed builds were spotted on the Discord.

It is too early to know the full extents and capabilities of the PrintNC mini. But looking at how it was designed and the already excellent performance of the PrintNC DIY router, I have full confidence in it.

Looking for something completely different?

Have a look at my build the Mightymill :

Coming … Professional DIY CNC Machine

Conclusion

The PrintNC mini is currently in Beta status and a few builds have shown up on the discord. The design carries many improvements from the PrintNC V3.0 and seems to have addressed the main issues with that design.

It is too early to know the full extents and capabilities of the PrintNC mini due to small amount of builds out there.

I’ll definitely be watching closely at how it performs over the coming few months.

Frequently asked questions – FAQ

Below is a list of the most frequently asked questions relating to the PrintNC

What is the PrintNC mini

The PrintNC mini is the latest and greatest development in the PrintNC project. It is a machine with a smaller footprint featuring double linear carriages all over. It is however not open source anymore and requires a payment to access the files.

PrintNC Mini kit BOM

The (public) PrintNC mini bom (linear components) can be found here For the full bom purchase the 3D files etc. From https://printncmini.com/

PrintNC Mini aliexpress kit

There is no kit available for the PrintNC mini. Want to source it yourself? look at the public bom here and HLTNC cnc Aliexpress store

Where can I find the PrintNC mini 3d file

The PrintNC Mini is a for profit project. There are no public files available. You can buy them on the PrintNC mini website.

How much does the PrintNC Mini cost?

1000$? Pricing really depends on build size, local steel prices etc. But it is mentioned on the PrintNC discord that a mini can be had for ~1000 – 1500 USD

What are the PrintNC dimensions

The PrintNC Mini is designed with parametric modelling. You can scale-up and scale-down the design within reason. The standard machine footprint is 400 x 500 mm

Where can I find the PrintNC discord

You can find the discord here