I am contemplating purchasing a Shapeoko XXl to compliment my Nomad. Does Carbide 3D have plans for a new machine or improvements on the Shapeoko. I dont want to buy one if there is going to be something new on the horizon.
The company is trying to make the best desktop machines — given how well we did in the recent CNC Cookbook survey (top for hobby machines, only beaten out by a company whose machines cost several times more), I’d like to think we’re succeeding.
Any larger or more powerful and they cease to be desktop machines (for reasonable values of “desktop”) — while there may be new machines in development (I am not an insider nor privy to product development details), I’m sure that any new developments will be announced with reasonable lead times so as to preclude “buyer’s remorse”.
Recent developments would include Carbide Copper and the Carbide Motion 4 beta for Grbl 1.1 — upcoming developments are the Probe (supposed to drop in a week or so per @RichCournoyer (see, I told you I’m not an insider)), and the Carbide Connect board (mentioned in a blog post a while back, but no word since). Probably the Probe will require a finished version of CM4, so anyone who doesn’t have homing switches — now’s the time to install them.
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Will is 100% here, to use the probe, you will need to upgrade GRBL to 1.1, have homing switches, and run CM 408 (Beta testing).
They ARE in production, and I was at the shop yesterday, and there about 100 on the table, and a bunch os finished electronic’s on the table (upstairs).
The notice should be out very soon. No I don’t know the price.
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Without a doubt there will be something, someday, but as of right now, nothing new is in the works. I don’t think that Edward, Jorge or I would even be able to predict what the next machine upgrade/release would be at this point.
…which is a long-winded way to say, now is a good time to buy.
-Rob
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