Ox-8 CNC will bring us some great opportunities in 2025. No, we can’t go back to the future like they did in a Delorian back in the 80’s. But we can Mill and Laser in Bulk.
Having a 4×8 table allows us to nest products and make them in larger quantities. What does this mean for you? Price reduction.
Making one part at a time is time-consuming, as you are always changing material, bits, zero axis, and on and on. Whether it is a milling operation, laser operation, or a combination of both, part nesting is the way to go on larger materials.
Here is how it works for us. I designed the Ox-8 with a 4′ x 8′ table and a single z-axis with dual heads. One spindle, one laser. So you start out with your laser operations, let them complete, and then use the spindle to finish up. You can go back and forth as many times as you need.
This is accomplished with homing and work offsets. That’s right offsets. Have you ever seen the G54, G55, and so on and wondered about them?
These are Offsets for the machine coordinate system. So once the machine homes, you can set the spindle x-y zero work position in one location, then by changing to a different offset, you can have the laser work position zero to be the same. Pretty awesome right?
Also, if doing lots of repetitive work, say on a set of tiles that are getting laser engraved, we set up a predetermined jig. (Jigs make life so much easier) So every time you complete a batch run of tiles you can replace the completed ones with new ones, and always get them in the right position. We can run around 100 tiles at one time. This reduces labor time and effectively reduces costs.
Making parts in bulk allows for wholesale prices for individuals who want to buy in bulk. You can expect about a 20 to 30 percent lower price per item if you buy in bulk, so if you see something we produce that you like, use our contact form and see if we can do it in bulk. Now, keep in mind that this is good for individual items such as tiles; it isn’t as useful for items that require assembly.
Hope this brings some insight into our setup.