3018-SE V2 Mini CNC Router

Several makers build and badge the same machine, and the spec sheets match word for word. That makes the SE V2 easy to pin down, whichever name is on the box:

• Spindle: an 80W DC motor that runs from 12 to 36V.
• Motion: 12V stepper motors at 1.3 A on straight round rails.
• Power: a 24V, 5.6 A adapter, with automatic shutdown on a short circuit.
• Cooling: a built-in fan, switched by hand from the offline controller.
• Box contents: adapter, eight T-nuts, a box of cutters, three power cords, screws, six tools and an English manual.

The makers list plastic, wood, acrylic, leather, relief carving, horn and the soft metals copper and aluminium as its materials. Hard metals and jade are ruled out in plain words. Read that list as engraving work first: shallow lettering in a leather tag, a pattern on an acrylic keyring, a name in a pine offcut.

Some versions mention a 3000 mW head and a blue-violet positioning light. Others state that no laser head is included, and the box lists match that. Treat the laser as absent unless the package list names it.

Lower rpm changes the arithmetic of every cut. Feed rate equals rpm × number of flutes × chip load, so at 7,000 rpm the same bit has to move more slowly to take a healthy chip. Push the feed too far and the bit loads up; slow it too much in plastic and it rubs and melts.

• Pine and basswood: small V-bits and 1/8 in flat end mills in shallow passes, well under a millimetre deep to begin.
• Leather: sharp V-bits for tooling lines, with the hide taped flat to the bed.
• Acrylic: single-flute bits clear chips best; if the edges fuse, raise the feed before lowering the depth.
• Horn and relief work: ball-nose bits in light finishing passes.
• Copper and aluminium: surface engraving only, at the lightest depth the machine will hold.

Every one of these is a starting point, not a recipe. Bit sharpness, stock hardness and how rigidly the part is held all move the right numbers. Run a test square in scrap first and listen: a steady hiss is good, a squeal means rubbing.

For the general feeds logic across 3018 frames, the materials and first cuts entry goes wood by wood and plastic by plastic.

A first job on a basswood blank runs roughly like this:

1. Bolt the aluminium bed down with the supplied T-nuts and clamp the blank flat.
2. Fit a V-bit and tighten it firmly.
3. Jog X and Y from the controller until the bit sits over the job's origin corner.
4. Lower Z slowly until the tip just touches a sheet of paper on the blank, then set that as zero.
5. Switch on the spindle and the fan, then start the file and stay within reach of the power switch.

The makers do not name the controller firmware family. Before planning a Mac workflow or a favourite G-code sender, confirm it talks to the board; GRBL-based 3018-PRO kits give a wider software choice, set out on 3018 CNC software.

Power supply and spares

These SE V2 machines state a DC 24V, 5.6 A supply. Replacement 12V adapters are sold for FoxAlien's FAC30 3018-SE V2, an earlier machine under the same name. Read the rating plate on your own adapter before ordering a spare, because the two voltages are not interchangeable.

• Keep the enclosure lid closed while cutting; it holds chips and cuts the noise that reaches the room.
• Vacuum the rails after each session, since fine dust and round rails wear together.
• Keep the box of cutters sorted by type, so V-bits and flat end mills never get mixed up.

Where it lands in cost is set out on 3018 CNC price. Pick the SE V2 when these match your plans:

• The work is mostly engraving: names, patterns and tags, not deep cutouts.
• The machine lives in a room where loose chips are not acceptable.
• A handheld controller matters more than a computer workflow.

Look at a 3018-PRO-type frame instead in these cases:

• You plan to cut parts out of 12 mm or 18 mm sheet.
• You want probes, limit switches, a Y extension or a laser from the same maker.
• You want Candle, UGS or Easel with community support behind them.

A 3018-PRO can also get a box later: Genmitsu's KABA Lite enclosure fits its 3018 frames. The 3018 brands entry covers the SE V2 name and the makers behind it.