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Following a thorough warm-up with detailed development diaries and all-you-need-to-know blog posts, Sienci Labs’ new AltMill CNC machine is now available to order.

Priced at $2,950 for a kit containing all the essentials to get started, minus a router or spindle, this freestanding new machine offers a 48×48-inch (1,219 x 1,219 mm) work area. A spindle and dust shoe kit ($515) is available separately. It includes a 1.5KV spindle that can be powered by a 110V outlet, plus a VFD driver for the spindle, a set of three ER-16 collets (1/8″, 1/4″, and 3/8″), and dust shoe accessories.

Many of the differences between the company’s entry-level LongMill and the new AltMill could be summarized as the duo of productivity and value. Sienci Labs explains that where its LongMill presented a low-cost entry point, the AltMill is an ROI machine, upgraded in areas to maximize speed and stability.

Its open design lets users pass materials through, making it possible to work on half of a standard sheet of 4’x8′ MDF or plywood without cutting it down first. You’re not stuck with having to find a larger sheet of wood to mount the machine, either, with the AltMill coming with table legs that Sienci Labs says (with refreshing honesty) offer a decent default level of stability for all users but potentially fall short at maximum speeds and accelerations.

A new feature that’s somewhat unique to this class of machine, as best we can tell, is your ability to tram the AltMill with “nod adjustment” baked into the X-axis gantry, and further tramming possible at the spindle mount.

According to Sienci Labs’ self-proclaimed unscientific findings (again, honesty), the AltMill outperforms other hobbyist-grade systems for flexural rigidity. From this, thanks in part to beefed-up mechanical components, including larger extrusions, ball screws and linear guides, plus closed-loop stepper motors and improvements in the power supply, it can operate several times faster than the LongMill – the company’s answer to machines such as the Inventables X-Carve and Shapeoko 3.

In another post, Sienci Labs explains that the first orders are expected to begin shipping in July 2024. The AltMill is available from the Sienci Labs web store, though we recommend reading through the very long, and very interesting blog post detailing the design and decisions behind it.

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License: The text of "Sienci Labs Launches Most ‘Effective Value’ AltMill CNC Machine" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.