I’ve never used a CNC Machine before purchasing the Genmitsu 3020-PRO MAX, and to be honest I didn’t know if I could figure it out. I have to say that I sure had a lot to learn. Granted I did watch a whole lot of YouTube and seen the different types of machines. The one thing that hooked me was the wood cravings that could be created that as a wood craftsman I could never accomplish with the limited experience I have. I chose this machine over others was first the price, ease of assembly (it comes mostly assembled already) and simplicity of the operation. I purchased my unit in July of 2022 but since I was not ready to start I didn’t open the box till June. Getting the 3020 was pretty easy. Learning the difference softwares and programs was the default part. The box it came in had all the parts and manuals to put it together but was missing a USB stick with the software! At first I was a bit taken back by this and sent an email to the customer service department. This is when I first realized I had made the right choice. A service member (Hong or Mr. Hong) was right on spot with sending me a link to download software. I used a Laptop with Windows 10 and was able to setup the comport and install Candle. A software that uses files called gcode (*.nc file) to tell the machine what to do. Also one of the files was a test file that craved a small 2.5D image. I know this now but didn’t know then that a machine with three axles will only crave 2.5D as the other 0.5 is the flat surface on the bottom. From this one file I was able to figure out the files needed to take a object (2.5D) and turn it into a work of art. To my surprise it actually takes three steps to complete first. 1st was finding the object files. Too my delight in found 1000’s of free files in a *.stl format online. As I’m not going to use these files or creations to sell I downloaded and modified using a software already available in Windows called 3D Build. I then downloaded a trial version of MeshCam. As my CNC machine is located in a spare room, I used another Laptop to modify the files, open these files with MeshCam to create the tool paths and convert the files from an STL file into a NC file that the Genmitsu 3020-PRO MAX uses. I only was able to convert 15 files using MeshCam before the trial version ran out. I have tried other softwares but after using MeshCam I will pay for the license ($250.00 one time payment) as other programs where not as easy to learn and the results as positive. I would have purchased the software already but ran into issues with the stepper motors. I started getting what I first thought was banding with the X and Y axis that increased very quickly, projects halfway completed were being ruined. I emailed Hong and told him my troubles and he sent 2 new stepper motors to me free of charge. I installed the new motors and it’s back to creating beautiful works of art. While the machine was down I was able to give the machine a good cleaning. My only drawback with the machine is that the manufacturer does not at this time offer a explanation kit for this model. I’m hoping one will come out in the near future. Overall I give this one an 4 1/2 Stars. It’s built strong, service is excellent and it’s a very good investment for anyone looking to get into using a CNC Machine.

UPDATE: 8/26/22 - I have been watching someone uploading new videos of the router table, their spindle is running smooth & this is my major concern. I am tempted to order again but fear if I get the whole machine put together again then find my spindle, which seemed okay the first time UNTIL I turned it on, will be imbalanced again. It is a hard decision. I think I only got a lemon. It had the bad socket for the Z stepper anyway. Maybe I should order again. I am weighing this option heavily. I want to have this or the proverxl very much. I already have a large CNC machine from Stepcraft (much more expensive line), I want something small. I want to tinker, I want to upgrade, I just want the base machine to also be nice from the start.—-original review below—-I open the package which arrived with small holes in the box. Everything seems fine. First sight of trouble: Little screwdriver handle is cracked. Snapped right off, it was hanging by a thread. “No big deal, just a little screwdriver, I have iFixIt & I will use my own drivers”. Hex keys are okay, they give more than you need for some reason. I go on, assemble frame - wow, solid, very nice. Now comes to wiring. Watch videos, see mess. Try myself. Mess. All thought to frame, NO thought to cable management. For this price, where are cable drag chains or silicone wiring? Plug in steppers last because it is good practice. Discover Z axis Stepper Motor has a little chip out of the plug in socket. “i hear they have good support, I will ask for a replacement I guess - community on FB is good”. Plug it in, seems reasonable - turn on machine. Jog a few times x & y, cool. Jog Z. Vibration. Turn on spindle: Extreme imbalance, vibration. Maybe it is okay, maybe it is not. For 50 dollars MORE than it used to be, for 500+ dollar small CNC, the unit I received is too much of a gamble. I am saddened & depressed about it. I loved everything about it except the wiring + the broken stepper plug (another reviewer had this issue, theirs was worse, mine was still enough to worry). I give Tech Support 4 stars because community seems to love them & their community is active on FB. Accuracy low because this kind of imbalance could not ever be accurate. YMMV. For beginners I will give 3 stars. Maybe? It is not difficult to assemble. It is sturdy. The QC issues I have faced ultimately lead to me now returning the machine. The gamble is too high :(

This is my first desktop CNC. I got this over the cheaper 3018 models because it has a heavier gantry assembly, larger spindle motor, all aluminum parts, and came mostly assembled. Final assembly was not a problem. The only difficulty I had was with the controller losing communication during cutting jobs. After I replaced the USB cable with another one the problem went away. I also put a couple of ferrite beads on the USB cable in case the spindle or stepper motors were generating stray RFI causing the disconnect problem.I am using Universal G Code Sender instead of the included Candle software, and bought a copy of Vectric Carve 2D for my CAD/CAM software instead of using the limited free versions of other software available.