VEVOR CNC 3018-PRO Router Machine: 60W Starter or 500W All-Metal

Either VEVOR 3018 CNC machine runs GRBL 1.1 firmware and ships with Candle, and both work from Mac, Windows or Linux. Any sender that speaks GRBL 1.1, such as Easel or UGS, drives them too.

• Shared: 300 × 180 mm in X and Y, Y travel extendable to 400 mm, and spindle current-detection protection rated for up to 5,000 hours.
• 60W only: a rotary knob for spindle speed, 40 mm of Z, and stepper drive rated at 75 dB or less.
• 500W only: 80 mm of Z, 12 mm reinforced optical axes, six limit switches, an E-stop, handwheels and a 1.8-inch offline controller.

The model numbers are a useful shorthand. VEVOR's number for the 60W is 3018PRO and for the 500W 3018-PRO MAX, which puts the larger machine in the same class as the LUNYEE 3018 Pro Max.

Both versions, with every figure VEVOR publishes, are in the VEVOR 3018 spec log. For VEVOR 3018 CNC router machine reviews, the same split applies: check which spindle a write-up describes before weighing it.

The 60W VEVOR 3018 makes up for the small motor with speed and a steady base. It spins to 11,700 rpm, sits on a 4 cm heavy-duty base, and VEVOR quotes repeat positioning within 0.07 mm from its 32-bit board.

• Good first jobs: basswood and pine signs, V-carved names, engraved acrylic, PCB isolation, foam.
• Workable with patience: plywood cut-outs in several shallow passes, MDF pockets.
• Leave for a bigger spindle: thick hardwood profiles, aluminium pockets, brass.

The rotary knob sets spindle speed by hand, a direct control for a newcomer still learning how rpm and feed interact. Its position is worth logging with every good cut, since it stands in for the speed a G-code file would otherwise carry.

1. Tape a sheet of basswood to a flat spoilboard with double-sided tape.
2. Zero Z on the surface with a slip of paper or a touch probe.
3. Run a V-bit test line at a shallow depth, then step deeper.
4. Log the knob setting, feed and depth that left a clean edge.

At 14.8 lb, the 60W VEVOR moves easily between shelf and bench. Acrylic engraving on it favours cast sheet and a sharp V-bit; extruded sheet tends to melt at the slow feeds a light spindle needs.

VEVOR names deep cutting, high-relief engraving, thick wood and large stamps as the targets, and the specs line up. Repeat positioning is quoted at 0.06 mm or better, and the machine weighs 24.5 lb, well over half as much again as the 60W.

• Six limit switches home each axis and stop overtravel at both ends.
• An E-stop button freezes every axis mid-move.
• Manual wheels on all three lead screws position the bit over a blank's corner without power.
• The 1.8-inch offline controller runs jobs with no computer connected.

Hardwood relief wants a flat end mill for roughing and a ball-nose bit for the finishing pass. With 80 mm of Z, a 40–50 mm walnut or maple blank still leaves room for the collet and a clamp.

A 500W spindle can also take light passes in aluminium and brass, though VEVOR pitches this machine at wood, acrylic and plastic. Treat metal as an occasional job on it, not the main one.

Other 500W frames of the same size, from LUNYEE and WolfPawn, sit in the 3018 Pro Max comparison.

A diode module for a 3018 mounts in or beside the spindle holder and takes three wires: power, ground and a PWM signal. LASER TREE's 5W and 10W modules for the 3018 use that three-pin layout on 12V, with a 450 nm beam.

• Confirm the board has a 12V three-pin PWM header before choosing a module.
• Switch GRBL into laser mode so beam power follows speed through corners.
• Wear goggles rated for 450 nm whenever the beam is live.
• Keep the module's protective window clean; fingerprints cut its output.

On the 60W model the spindle is the only head VEVOR describes. A laser there is a do-it-yourself job with the same checks, and the board's header decides whether it is possible at all.

The other practical question is power. A replacement 24V adapter made for VEVOR's CNC3018Pro takes 100–240V input and adds over-voltage and over-heat protection.

1. Read the voltage and current printed on the original brick.
2. Match the barrel plug size and polarity.
3. Choose a supply with the same or higher current rating, never lower.

Module choices, from 5W to 10W, and the goggles to wear with them are covered in the 3018 laser modules entry.

Against the Genmitsu 3018-PRO, the 60W VEVOR gives up spindle power and 5 mm of Z but keeps a solid base and a knob for hands-on speed control. The Genmitsu brings an offline controller and a far larger range of add-ons made for its frame.

Against the LUNYEE 3018 Pro Max, the 500W VEVOR matches the 80 mm Z, the 12 mm rods, the six limit switches and the handwheels. LUNYEE quotes 0–12,000 rpm and 5,000 mm/min; VEVOR adds a screen on its offline controller and names LightBurn support.

• First machine, wood and acrylic: the 60W VEVOR or the Genmitsu 3018-PRO.
• First machine, thick stock: the 500W VEVOR or the LUNYEE Pro Max.
• Metal most weeks: a linear-guide frame such as the Pro Ultra.

More 775 builds line up in the 3018-PRO kits compared entry, and the rail-guided option in the LUNYEE 3018 Pro Ultra entry.