RATTMMOTOR 3018-PRO CNC Router

The build is the classic lightweight 3018. Black injection-moulded plates close the frame ends, an aluminium table rides the Y rods, and stainless lead screws move all three axes. On the carriage hangs a 775 brushed DC motor running on 12 to 24V, turning 10,000 rpm at 24V.

• Envelope: 300 × 180 × 45 mm of travel, inside a 420 × 350 × 270 mm frame.
• Motors: 42 mm steppers rated 1.3A per phase, 2.1 ohm, 0.25 N·m of holding torque.
• Board: GRBL with a cooling fan, a power button, and inputs for an E-stop, limit switches and a probe.
• Paperwork: a paper manual plus a USB flash drive holding the software and files.

Weight is light at about 6.6 kg, which keeps it easy to lift onto a shelf. The same lightness is the frame's main limit when the bit meets harder stock.

Two versions exist. The bare kit ships with the board and nothing else to control it; the 3018PRO-OL adds an offline controller that runs files from a card. The 3018 Pro guide sets this build next to Genmitsu's and CNCTOPBAOS's.

Spindle speed and bit size set the feed. With a two-flute 1/8-inch end mill at 10,000 rpm, each flute takes a small chip per revolution, so the feed rate equals rpm × flutes × chip load. At a modest chip load in softwood that works out to several hundred millimetres per minute, with shallow depth per pass.

These are starting points from common 3018 practice, not maker figures. Every frame, bit and board of wood behaves a little differently, so a test pocket on scrap comes first.

• Brass and copper: engraving only, a V-bit at shallow depth.
• Aluminium: thin sheet and lettering at very light passes; the frame flexes before the motor stalls.
• Carbon fibre: cuts, but the dust is harmful, so use extraction and a mask.

For a first job, a pine name sign in a 1/8-inch bit shows what the machine does well without stressing the moulded ends. The materials entry covers starter cuts in more depth.

RATTMMOTOR rates the controller for standard 1GB cards. Once the file sits on the card, the controller recognises it directly and runs it from start to finish.

1. Export the toolpath as G-code from the CAM program, in millimetres, with no tool-change commands.
2. Copy the file to the card's root folder and insert it in the controller.
3. Jog X, Y and Z to the work origin and zero each axis on the controller.
4. Start the spindle, select the file and run it; keep a hand near the power switch.

The bare kit can add the same feature later. Its board automatically detects an offline controller when one is plugged in.

Homing is the practical payoff. With limit switches wired and GRBL setting 22 turned on, every session starts from one repeatable origin, and a job interrupted by a power cut can restart from a known position.

• E-stop: wire it to the board's E-stop port so it cuts motion, not just the spindle.
• Probe: a touch plate on the probe input sets Z zero in seconds.
• Laptop route: Candle and UGS work over USB, as the software entry covers.

The RATTMMOTOR is the plain version of the idea. It has the full set of board inputs and a clear offline option, but it expects the owner to add switches, a probe and a spoilboard.

For wood and plastic signs, any of the four does the job. The deciding points are whether the machine should run without a computer and how soon metal work is on the list.

• Want PC-free jobs: the RATTMMOTOR 3018PRO-OL or the Genmitsu kit.
• Want a stiffer Z: the Twotrees Pro, or an aluminium Z upgrade later.
• Want room to grow: check that the frame takes a 3040 extension before settling on a brand.

Before ordering, measure the bench. The frame needs 420 × 350 mm of footprint plus clearance for the table to travel, and cables should reach the board without being stretched. A sheet of plywood under the frame and a shop vacuum within reach finish the setup, since chips from the first sign travel further than expected.