A 3018-PRO kit with orange bakelite Y-axis plates and the safety parts most budget kits leave out: an emergency stop, three limit switches with brackets, and a GRBL 1.1 board with ports for all of them.
The RATTMMOTOR Upgrade 3018-PRO keeps the familiar geometry: 300 × 180 mm of bed, 45 mm of Z and a 775 spindle on a resin-and-aluminium frame. What sets it apart sits in the parts bag. An emergency stop and three limit switches come in the box, with brackets to mount them.
Most 3018 kits at this level leave those parts for later, even when the board has the ports. Here the whole set arrives at once:
The rest is standard 3018-PRO: stainless lead screws, 10 mm guide rods, three NEMA 17 steppers and an aluminium work table 15 mm thick. The maker quotes accuracy of about 0.2 mm, a fair figure for a hobby frame of this size.
Where the design comes from, and which other makers build it, is set out in the 3018-PRO guide.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Model | RTM3018PRO-N |
| Working area | 300 × 180 × 45 mm (11.8 × 7.1 × 1.8 in) |
| Frame size | 420 × 350 × 270 mm |
| Frame | Resin (PA6 nylon) plates on aluminium profile; orange bakelite Y-axis side plates |
| Work table | Aluminium, 15 × 180 × 300 mm |
| Lead screws | Stainless steel; X 365 mm, Y 295 mm, copper nuts |
| Guide rods | 10 mm diameter |
| Spindle | 775 motor, 100W, 10,000 rpm at 24V |
| Stepper motors | 3 × NEMA 17 (42 × 34 mm), 1.3 A, 0.25 N·m |
| Controller | GRBL 1.1 board, integrated stepper drivers, cooling fan port, power switch |
| Controller I/O | E-stop, X/Y/Z limits, probe, offline controller; PWM spindle up to 20,000 rpm |
| Connection | USB (CH340); 5.5 × 2.5 mm DC jack, 12–24V (24V recommended) |
| Safety parts | 80 mm E-stop, 3 limit switches with X and Y brackets and a Z acrylic mount |
| Power | 24V power supply included |
| Accuracy | About 0.2 mm (maker's figure) |
| File formats | 3-axis: nc, ncc, tap, txt; 2-axis also ngc, png, jpg, gif, svg |
| Software | GRBLControl (Candle); Windows XP, 7, 10 |
| In the box | 10 engraving bits (3.175 mm shank, 20°, 0.1 mm tip), 4 clamps, brush, 2 GB USB drive with manual, wrenches |
| Weight | 14.87 lb |
| Package size | 17.32 × 9.84 × 7.09 in |
The spindle decides what this machine cuts well. A 100W 775 motor at 10,000 rpm on 24V handles wood, plastics and circuit board comfortably and soft metals only lightly. RATTMMOTOR lists wood, plastic, acrylic, PVC, PCB, carbon fibre, fibreboard, phone cases, rubber stamps, copper and aluminium, and rules out jade, stainless steel, stone and ceramics.
Starting points for a 1/8-inch bit, meant as a first try on scrap rather than fixed numbers:
| Material | Bit | Feed | Depth per pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine, basswood | 2-flute flat | 400–700 mm/min | 1–1.5 mm |
| Hardwood (oak, walnut) | 2-flute flat | 300–500 mm/min | 0.5–1 mm |
| Cast acrylic | 1-flute | 300–500 mm/min | 0.5 mm |
| FR4 copper-clad, isolation | 20° V-bit, 0.1 mm tip | 100–200 mm/min | 0.05–0.1 mm |
| Soft aluminium, light work | 1-flute | 100–200 mm/min | 0.1–0.2 mm |
The ten 20° V-bits in the box suit engraving and PCB isolation straight away. For pockets and cut-outs, add a set of flat end mills.
Those limits are shared by every 775-spindle 3018. The frames that carve aluminium properly are the 500W machines compared in the 3018 Pro Max page.
The manual walks the build axis by axis: X, then Y, then Z, then the whole machine, with every screw marked by step. The hardware bag is generous: 43 M5 × 16 bolts, 43 M5 × 10 bolts, T-nuts, slider nuts and two couplings. Sort it into a tray before starting, and keep the manual's parts list beside it.
Once assembled, RATTMMOTOR's own start-up test is a good first-hour routine:
Then wire the extras that make this kit an Upgrade:
The software side, from Candle to CAM, is covered in 3018 CNC software.
RATTMMOTOR sells two close 3018 kits, and CNCTOPBAOS, from the same Changzhou maker, sells two more. Genmitsu's 3018-PRO is the other name buyers weigh. All share the 300 × 180 × 45 mm envelope and a 775 spindle, so the choice rests on the extras.
| Machine | Stands out for | Missing or different |
|---|---|---|
| RATTMMOTOR Upgrade 3018-PRO | E-stop and 3 limit switches in the box | No offline controller |
| RATTMMOTOR 3018-PRO MAX | Black moulded frame; bundle with offline controller offered | Switches and E-stop not named in the box |
| CNCTOPBAOS 3018-PRO | Offline controller included | Safety parts extra |
| Genmitsu 3018-PRO | Large user base, Candle workflow, raised base | Different board and accessory family |
Pick the Upgrade 3018-PRO if:
Look at the others if an offline pad is the priority, or if the accessory ecosystem of one brand appeals. Every 3018 maker and the badges they use are sorted in 3018 brands. Adding switches later to a machine without them costs a separate kit and an afternoon, which is exactly the step this model saves.
Two things are worth checking on arrival, whichever kit wins. First, count the hardware bags against the parts list before the first screw goes in; a missing coupling stalls a build for days. Second, square the gantry to the bed with a set square before tightening the last frame bolts, because a racked gantry turns every circle into a slight oval.
After that, the upgrades that pay first on this frame are clamps, an MDF spoilboard and a Z probe. The limit switches are already done.
An 80 mm emergency stop, three limit switches with mounts, and orange bakelite Y-axis plates, on a GRBL 1.1 board with ports for them.
300 × 180 × 45 mm, in a frame 420 × 350 × 270 mm.
Lightly. The maker lists soft aluminium and copper, but a 100W 775 on a resin frame suits thin sheet and shallow engraving rather than pockets.
GRBLControl (Candle) on Windows, over a CH340 USB connection; other GRBL senders such as UGS also work.
Yes. The GRBL 1.1 board has an offline controller port and recognises the pad and a computer together.