got a pretty quick reply from Carbide with some new info…
Hi Tony,
The Nomad 883 Pro is actually a direct replacement for the Nomad 883. The original design had roots in our kickstarter campaign and was a very good machine - but we’ve learned some things over the last 2 years and decided it was time for a change.
The biggest difference in the machine is it’s rigidity - thanks to both the increased linear rail size (was 16mm now 20mm) and the fact that we’re no longer driving the machine from GT2 belting on the X and Y axis. instead, we’ve changed both of those to be lead screws. Compared to the belts, the lead screws give the machine more torque and smoother cutting. We’ll have some pictures of the Pro soon. Right now the parts for the first batch are out being anodized. once they’re back we’ll take some glamor shots and share them.
Yes, a license of meshcam still comes with the machine - along with the new software Carbide Create.
The Shapeoko is a kit that is meant to be assembled and then used in a shop environment where it’s noise (from the trim router) and mess (from no enclosure) wouldn’t be a problem. The Nomad is turn key - take it out of the box and begin using it within an hour. The shapeoko has a larger work area (2x compared to Nomad) but compared to Nomad isn’t as accurate (0.005" vs 0.001"). We really see the Shapeoko as a machine you’d put in your shop and the nomad as a machine you’d put in your office or studio.
We’ll begin shipping the machine next week. Due to our backlog and getting ‘spun up’ our lead times to date have been pretty terrible, with some customers waiting as many as 12 weeks. However, one of the changes we’re really proud of is that we’re not machining the majority of the nomad machined parts in house on our own Industrial CNC machine. This will reduce the lead time dramatically once we get everything switched over. As it stands, we’re telling people 10 weeks for the lead time - but are planning to beat that time once we begin full scale production.
If you have any more questions, let me know. We’re here to help.
Out of curiosity - which laser did you buy?
–
Edward Ford
support@carbide3d.com