Genmitsu builds two 3018s today: the PROVer V2 with its safety hardware fitted, and the 3018-PRO kit with an offline controller. The older MX3 and PROVer Mach3 live on through the parts still made for them.
Logged September 2026Genmitsu's current 3018 machines are the 3018-PROVer V2 and the 3018-PRO kit, the latter also packed with a 5W laser module. The 3018-MX3 and the 3018-PROVer Mach3 are no longer among its current machines, but their E-stop, limit switches, MPG handwheel, dust shoe and Y extension are still made with MX3 and Mach3 fit.
Genmitsu is SainSmart's desktop CNC range, and its 3018 line has narrowed to two machines. The 3018-PROVer V2 CNC milling machine arrives with its safety hardware fitted; the 3018-PRO kit trades that hardware for an offline controller.
Several older names still circulate in parts catalogues and forum threads. Each points to a real machine, and knowing which one a part was built for saves a return.
The practical rule: a part labelled PROVer or MX3 is not automatically a PROVer V2 part. The V2 has its own offline controller, Y extension and photoelectric probe, and Genmitsu marks the parts that do not cross over.
Genmitsu is one of several makers of the design; the others, from CNCTOPBAOS to Twotrees, are compared in the 3018-PRO kits entry.
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Genmitsu 3018-PRO CNC Router Kit |
Genmitsu 3018-PROVer V2 CNC Router |
Genmitsu 3018-PRO CNC Router with 5W Laser |
Twotrees TTC3018 Pro CNC Router |
CNCTOPBAOS 3018-PRO CNC Router | |
| Type | Machine | Machine | Machine | Machine | Machine |
| Spindle | 775 spindle | 775 spindle | — | 775 spindle | 775 spindle |
| Work area | 300 × 180 × 45 mm | 284 × 180 × 41 mm | — | 300 × 180 × 40 mm | 300 × 180 × 45 mm |
| Frame | Aluminium + plastic | All-metal | Aluminium + plastic | All-metal | Aluminium + plastic |
| Linear guides | No | No | No | No | No |
| Offline controller | Yes | Not included | Yes | Not included | Yes |
| Get it here | Get it here | Get it here | Get it here | Get it here |
The PROVer V2's gantry and one-piece aluminium spoilboard come pre-assembled, and Genmitsu puts setup at roughly 35 minutes to under an hour. That leaves time for a first carve the same evening, which is the point of the design.
Its work area is 284 × 180 × 41 mm, a little shorter in X than the 3018-PRO. In exchange, three pieces of hardware arrive with it:
Toshiba TB6S109 drivers with 32-bit chips run the steppers, and Genmitsu describes them as powerful yet quiet. The redesigned Z carriage is the other V2 change aimed at engraving accuracy.
A maple coaster is a fair first job: a V-carved pattern, a shallow pocket and a profile cut with tabs, all well inside 41 mm of Z. Genmitsu lists wood, plastic, acrylic, PVC, PCB, carbon fibre and density board as materials, with copper and aluminium as light engraving work.
Every bundle, from the offline-controller pack to the rotary-module kit, is in the 3018-PROVer V2 spec log.
The Genmitsu 3018-PRO CNC router machine keeps the full 300 × 180 × 45 mm envelope and adds an offline controller. A G-code file on its card runs a whole job with the computer switched off or in another room.
GRBL does the motion control, and Candle sends jobs from a PC when a fuller workflow is needed. The raised 4 cm base lifts the bed for stability, and the parts arrive pre-positioned, so assembly is mostly bolting sub-assemblies together.
The kit comes in several bundles, each suited to a different first project:
Limit switches and an E-stop are missing from the box, and that is the main gap against the PROVer V2. Six-switch kits made for 3018-PRO frames fill it.
PCB blanks suit the kit well: a flat copper-clad board taped to the MDF spoilboard, a fine V-bit and a probed Z zero. Software for that probe-and-level routine is covered in the 3018 CNC software entry.
The Aluminium Z Axis Assembly V2 replaces the 3018-PRO carriage with a machined one and stretches effective Z from 40 to 56 mm. It ships with 43 mm and 52 mm holders, so a 775 goes in now and a 300–500W spindle later.
Get it hereOwners of an older Genmitsu 3018 CNC machine are not stranded. Genmitsu still makes the switches, stop buttons and handwheel that name the 3018-MX3 and the PROVer Mach3 in their fit lines.
| Part | Fits | Key figure |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency stop button | 3018-MX3, 3018-PROVer | 250V AC 5A, normally closed |
| Six micro limit switches | PROVer, MX3, PROVer Mach3 | Normally open, 1 m three-pin cables |
| Essential Accessories Kit | PROVer, PROVer Mach3, MX3 | E-stop, touch probe and six switches |
| MPG handwheel | PROVer V2, PROVer Mach3, MX3 | 100 PPR encoder, x1/x10/x100 steps |
| 42 mm dust shoe | 3018-PRO, PROVer, PROVer Mach3, MX3 | 38 mm hose adapter |
| Y-axis extension kit | 3018-PRO, 3018-MX3 | Toward a 3040 bed |
Mach3 and GRBL differ in where the brains sit. GRBL runs on the machine's own board and takes G-code over USB; Mach3 is Windows software that plans the motion on the PC and passes it to the controller.
For a first-version PROVer, the offline controller and Y extension made for the V2 are the wrong parts. The V2 fit is stated on each. Parts that name the plain PROVer, such as the six micro limit switches and the E-stop button, are the ones to use.
| 3018-PROVer V2 | 3018-PRO kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Work area | 284 × 180 × 41 mm | 300 × 180 × 45 mm |
| Assembly | Gantry and spoilboard pre-assembled | Pre-positioned parts, 4 cm raised base |
| Bed | One-piece machined aluminium spoilboard | Aluminium profile; MDF and T-slot tops as add-ons |
| Stepper drivers | Toshiba TB6S109, 32-bit chips | GRBL board; the replacement board uses DRV8825 |
| Limit switches, E-stop, Z-probe | All three included | Add-on kits |
| Offline controller | Add-on, PROVer V2 model | Included |
| Spindle | 775, up to 10,000 rpm | 775, 24V |
| Weight | 9.24 kg | 15.3 lb |
| Y extension | Kit adds 220 mm, 420 mm in total | 3040 kit, shared with the MX3 |
| Rotary axis | 184 mm Genmitsu rotary module | Not in the module's fit list |
From Genmitsu's published specifications. The PROVer V2 work area is quoted as 11.2 × 7.1 × 1.6 inches and converted here.
Genmitsu's parts range is where its 3018s pull away from the look-alike kits. Most add-ons name the exact frame they fit, which takes the guesswork out of an upgrade.
Order matters more than budget. Z zero and workholding come first, since a faster spindle does little for a machine that still sets tool height with a slip of paper.
The rotary module deserves a note. Its 42HS48 stepper drives through a 4:1 gear reduction to a top speed of 200 rpm, and Fusion 360 generates the rotary toolpaths it needs.
Most of these parts also appear, in payoff order, in the 3018 upgrades entry. Laser choices for both Genmitsu frames sit in the 3018 laser modules entry.
It is more complete: limit switches, an E-stop and a Z-probe come with it, and the gantry arrives assembled. The 3018-PRO has a little more travel, 300 × 180 × 45 mm, and includes an offline controller.
It is no longer among Genmitsu's current 3018 machines. Its E-stop, limit switches, MPG handwheel, 42 mm dust shoe and Y extension kit are still made.
Candle and UGS talk to GRBL boards. The Mach3 version is driven from Windows by Mach3 through its own controller, so those senders apply only after a GRBL board swap.
Not in the base kit. Genmitsu makes a PROVer V2 offline controller, also packed with the machine in one bundle; the first PROVer and the 3020-PRO MAX V1 cannot use it.
Both. The 5W XCFL55-33 fits the 3018-PRO and the PROVer V2, and the 3018-PRO also comes bundled with it.
