So, have owners (of both machines maybe) found that the HDM is more like a larger Nomad?
I have a Nomad 3 that I got a short time before the HDM was announced, which was a hard pill to swallow. I used to have a Shapeoko 3 a few years ago. I enjoy the Nomad for its precision but would like a larger machine and am wondering how the new HDM compares when it comes to things like PCB engraving, acrylic drag engrave and so on. The Shapeoko 3 did fine for the acrylic, so I would expect the new one to be just fine, but I did do some smaller, finer things recently with the Nomad.
All in all I’m trying to see if I could just replace the Nomad with the HDM and only lose the compactness of it (which is not really an issue).
I would say the HDM is at least as precise and accurate as the Nomad if not more so. I haven’t used a 3 but have an 883 Pro. If you’re mainly doing PCBs and drag etching and the Nomad has enough room then it’s probably the right machine for the job.
No I need something larger for many projects, but appreciate the Nomad’s precision for the smaller stuff, and that can be the more precise acrylic engraving, potentially milling some small brass parts and so on. I was just wondering if I would be giving up precision by moving from the Nomad 3 to the HDM.
I have found the HDM to be very consistent when I’m doing repetitive parts, etc. just was making some cups out of a 1/2” piece of solid aluminum and the final flip wall thickness was a consistent 1.25mm so it great for a bigger machine IMHO
In that case then go for it. The HDM has exceeded my expectations. I do production work for double sided slip fit parts. I consistently get better then .02mm and that can be dialed in with CAM. I shopped around quite a bit before pulling the trigger and think you’re going to be hard pressed to find a better value for the quality machine the HDM is.
That sounds good. I used to have a SO3 XXL and did some work with it (on wood and acrylic) but I didn’t get along well with the belts system and had some frustration with the precision. At that time, I also needed the space for metal lathes. I make pens as a side business. I’d like to diversify the extra revenue a bit. I like the idea of a larger (than the Nomad) machine while keeping the precision. I might be able to fit a 4x4 and would love the extra size, but this seems like a good compromise for wood/plastic/metal, ad the cost difference might also get me a laser cutter some day. Wish it were square though
