Masuter 4040 is a cheap CNC router that has a large working area of 400 x 380 x 55mm (15.75″ x 14.96″ x 2.16″). It has a 60W spindle and stepper motors called NEMA17. Max speed is 2000mm/min and the spindle speed ranges from 0 to 100,000.
The control board has a new 32-bit chip that works more efficiently and is more stable than the one that came with it. A 300W spindle and power modules can also be added to it. There are separate add-ons for sale.
There are many types of materials that Masuter 4040 can engrave and cut and drill. These include wood and MDF as well as acrylic and resin, among other things. Speed: 1000mm/min; depth per pass: 0.2mm; plunge rate: 200mm/min.
The machine has a HOME button and a button to stop it in an emergency. The machine will go home when you press the button.
Main parts are already put together. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to put the whole thing together, and then it’s done. The machine can run software called Grbl. It can run on Windows XP/7/10, Linux, and Mac OS.
The media couldn’t be loaded because it was too big to move.
I like how well-packed this was right away. When I buy something online, I can’t tell you how many other things have parts that just jiggle around inside. This was packed very well, and each piece was very well protected.
Assembling was a breeze. You only need the tools that came with the box, and it took me about 90 minutes from cutting the box open to cutting my first test piece. I tightened things up too early and had trouble aligning things until I loosened them again. I also forgot to put washers in, so I went back and put them in just for record. If you didn’t make the same mistakes I did (and also kept stopping to take pictures), it would be done in half the time or less.
When I was wiring, it took the longest time for me to finish the project. This is how it works: The wires are labeled and it’s very easy to get them all connected. There are a lot of wires, but the company did a good job. You have to check the diagram in the manual and plug each cable into the right slot. Make sure all the cables are plugged in (both ends) or it won’t work. You don’t want to have a safety mechanism that doesn’t work or send your X-axis coordinates to the Z-axis. I spent about 15 minutes on that alone because I kept going back and looking at it again and again and again.
Now plug the machine in, as well as the USB stick. You’ll do this by installing the machine’s drivers on your computer and copying the controller program over from the machine to your computer (I put mine in a folder on the desktop so I can find it easily). You don’t “install” the program, you just start it. This makes it easy to get rid of the program at any time, on purpose or by accident. The MAZE one is my favorite because you only have to change one number to change the depth of the cut. If you know anything about CNC carving this way, you know how many number sets there can be and how time-consuming it would be for a newbie like me to change every single Z-axis to a different value manually.
A lot of people get into CNC because they think it looks cool, but don’t be fooled: It is interesting, but it’s not easy. Calibration is still required every time you cut something new, even if you use a pre-made file from the internet. You also need to know how to use the editor to change things about your cut (which may or may not involve a little math). It’s not as easy to use as just dragging and dropping. It’s not like a Cricut or something, and it’s still not as easy to use as the easy-to-use things that people like me usually prefer.
Then again, it is interesting and it is very satisfying to figure out how to make it do what you want it to. Sure, there will be a time when you can put in a picture or vector and say, “Plot your cutting path to carve this at a 1mm depth.” For now, you’ll have to do the math yourself.
In any case, I bought this so I could make big projects (well, big FLAT projects) without taking up a lot of space in my small house. The most important things for me were the price, the size, and the ability to switch out the cutter for a laser. This machine meets all three of those needs. It has a lot of cutting space, but the footprint is still small. It’s the same size as one of those paper cutters you used in elementary school, and it weighs about the same. You can pick it up and move it if you want. It’s very cheap compared to other CNC machines. It’s cheaper than most of the other machines I’ve found that were the same size. I’m happy that I didn’t have to spend a lot of money to start learning about CNC. I haven’t bought mine yet, but soon, because I want to make a big woodblock laser print for my girlfriend’s office. She’s a big fan of Hobo font, so I’ll probably make a sign with her name spelled out in that type of font, with plant-like decorations around the outside.
You know what? I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.
