How Much Does CNC Router Cost? | 2022 CNC Router Buyers’ Guide

by FORSUN CNC mechanic

There are hundreds or even thousands of CNC machines on the market today, and their prices vary depending on a variety of factors. We’ll take a closer look at the cost of CNC router machines to help machinists and hobbyists buy cost-effective CNC machines for a variety of tasks.

The most expensive CNC machines are the 6- and 5-axis robotic CNCs used to manufacture high-end military equipment, costing in excess of millions of dollars. On the other hand, entry-level hobbyists with prices as low as $3000 can use very affordable CNC machines.

Although the CNC router machine has a high cost, it has high production efficiency and saves processing costs. Therefore, many companies opt for CNC router machines. So how do choose the right CNC router machine? And what factors will affect the price of CNC routers?

How Much Does CNC Router Cost?

Whether you are an amateur or a professional CNC machine operator, you should know that there are many types of CNC machine tools, such as CNC woodworking milling machines, CNC milling machines, CNC lathes, etc. Almost every amateur dreams of owning a CNC machine tool. Now let’s look at the approximate prices of CNC machines in the market. Hobbyist CNC routers $1k-3k, professional CNC routers $5k-100k.

These are just rough calculations. The prices of CNC machines of different sizes vary by brand. When choosing CNC machine tools, we should consider our actual manufacturing needs more.

For example, if your part size is small, a small CNC machine can meet your needs, but you will only need to spend less, why not? If you want an industrial CNC machine for cabinet nesting, you’re going to need a powerful, high-volume professional machine, and even better with automatic tool change and automatic feeding.

Different CNC router machines cost

Wood CNC Router Cost

CNC woodworking router machine is the most widely used CNC woodworking router machine among CNC machine tools. The CNC wood router machine is also the best-selling CNC wood router machine in the world. BuyCNC provides customers with various wood CNC router machines. We can also customize professional CNC machine tools according to customer needs. Wood CNC router machines can not only process wood, but also soft metals such as acrylic, plastic, aluminum, etc., so they are very popular with customers.

Because the cost of a CNC wood router machine has a lot to do with the size, material, and function of the machine. For example, if you are a hobbyist, then you may choose to buy a small CNC wood router machine. Very cheap, around $2,500 to $4,000, cheap and capable of processing. If you are a large furniture manufacturer, then we recommend you to buy a large wood CNC engraving machine, because the large wood CNC engraving machine can meet all the needs of wood processing. But this kind of large wood carving machine is more expensive, and the cost of a professional wood carving machine is about 4,000 to 20,000 US dollars.

Stone CNC Router Cost

CNC stone engraving machine is a machine specialized in processing stone. It is suitable for engraving, cutting, embossing, lettering, and cutting various types of stone. Because the size of the stone is relatively large and the weight is also very heavy, most CNC stone engraving machines require a large area. Actual CNC Stone router costs vary by CNC router configuration but typically exceed $5,000.

Buy Used CNC Router Machine

This is a very economical option and idea that will save you the cost of buying new CNC parts and accessories. However, you must be careful when selecting and buying used items as they may be defective or sometimes no longer available. For example, if any of the machine parts are badly damaged, it is impossible to restore the equipment to its previous form for second-hand use.

Except for defects or serious damage, the normal lifespan of a CNC machine is no more than 10 to 15 years. Lifespan also depends on how you operate the machine, what precautions you take for user and equipment safety, and the type of work that CNC machine routinely performs. Well, it’s important to inform you that although this is a budget-friendly CNC machine building idea, the new CNC parts are bound to outperform the old ones in terms of performance and price.

Tip: When buying used CNC equipment/parts, don’t forget to check the maintenance auction records for the parts you are about to buy.

Finally, when buying used equipment, explain why the seller is giving it away at a low price. If the reason is that the shop is no longer working on projects that require the utility of this machine, then this is a satisfactory answer. Or, if it’s a seller who is losing money in business and wants to sell the CNC equipment, this is another good deal. If you don’t know the reasoning behind the sale, trust your gut and reject the deal immediately.

Learn more: Should I Buy or Build A CNC Router Machine?

How to choose the right CNC router machine?

Different types of CNC router machine tools cost different. So you should confirm what kind of material you want to machine with the CNC machine? What kind of work do you want to do with a CNC machine?

If you want to carve wood furniture, a common spindle of 3-4kw is enough.

If you want to nest panel furniture, the ATC machine with a 9kw spindle will have high output.

If you want to process stone, it is best to choose a CNC router machine tool with a high-power water-cooled spindle. For example 5.5kw or 7.5kw spindle. If polishing, engraving, and cutting stone, you need an ATC CNC machine with a servo-mechanical spindle for high torque.

Only the spindle aspect is considered above. If your job requires, you also need to pay attention to other components such as controller, bed structure, motor, guide rail, positioning cylinder, etc.

If you have the idea of buying CNC machines overseas, the cost of the machine, customs clearance, taxes, and shipping should be included in the final price.

In conclusion

As you can see, there are a few components to consider when calculating the cost of benchtop CNC machining. Often, many merchants will take the time to come back with an offer at some point in the recent past. Screwing up here and there can result in prices that are unproductive for producers or fairly overpriced and don’t bring jobs. For a complete guide to router technical details and pricing, check out the other blog posts on our website, or you can contact us directly.