Pulled trigger on X-carve loaded, can i upgrade to Bosch Colt? -NEWB

X-Carve
1

Hey all, just pulled the trigger on the x-carve 500mm loaded with the 300W spindle. I’m a long time 3d-printer, but newb to CNC. My main goal is to use this to make PCB’s but would also love to machine aluminium parts.

My question is this, should I cancel and upgrade to the Colt (which everyone tells me is better), or will i have the same functionality with the 300W spindle (but just slower?). I’m used to having to wait a long time for a part (several hours with printing).

Also, if i stick with the 300W, can i machine the bracket for the colt at a later time? I’m thinking i’ll be using the 300W most of the time, but would be nice to swap out the spindle for the colt for bigger/harder metals. Does it require dissasembly to swap out or is it pretty easy?

Final question, which one would be more accurate for thin PCB traces?

2

I got the loaded as well with the 300W spindle. My thought was that if and when I wanted to upgrade it would be very easy. The cost of the mount isn’t too much so I figured I would learn on the 300W spindle and if I felt the need for more power I could easily upgrade later.

3

Yeah, I think the 300W spindle will be good for now. Based on what i’m reading, the colt might be too fast for some materials like wax and plastic, so that means adding a $150 SuperPID :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: So a little under $250 for the router, mount and PID.