In addition to examining ROI and other financial aspects, it is important to address selecting the right CNC machine for the company’s specific applications. The CNC’s size, features and manufacturer are all significant. In Duran’s case, this was a Laguna SmartShop ll 5’ X 10’ 7.5HP spindle CNC Router.

“At the company I used to work for before opening my own shop, I worked with a similar CNC machine,” says Duran. “It was a 4’x8’, which is smaller than the one I purchased. I bought a bigger machine just because there was no way I could go wrong with a bigger CNC. But they are similar, so I knew how it worked and I knew it would be perfect for my company’s work.”

Integration of the CNC with the existing machines in the shop was not an issue for JD Woodcraft. Duran says the process was a smooth transition due to his previous CNC background. He already had experience operating a CNC machine and the software needed to use it, so the challenges were minimal.

“The process of deciding which software to purchase for the CNC was a little more difficult,” says Duran. “I looked at quite a few. A lot of them were too expensive for my budget. I was interested in getting the same software that I used at my old company. It was just perfect, but was way too expensive for us at the moment.”