Buying used woodworking machinery offers several benefits, such as extending your equipment budget and reducing the expense of equipment upgrades. If you need a new CNC router, buying it secondhand could be the best option. Before you buy, take steps to ensure a machine offers dependability and quality performance. Below are four tips for choosing a used CNC router machine that offers the dependability and performance of a new one.
Shop with Professional Sellers
As you shop for your machine, you may find routers for sale on eBay and Craigslist. You may also find them available through company auctions. In many instances, these options offer the best price, but there is a reason why: buying a machine that may or may not be properly inspected is extremely risky. Furthermore, assessing the seller’s expertise is often impossible.
If you need a router for immediate use in your production line, price should not be the deciding factor. Buying a professionally inspected router is also important from a purely financial standpoint.
Investigate Sellers’ Business History
As seasoned buyers of used woodworking machinery know well, even professional sellers can be customer unfriendly. Therefore, always evaluate a seller’s reputation at the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and inspect the reason behind its letter rating, especially if it is low. For example, if a seller has a “B” rating due to unresolved customer complaints, it is best to choose a seller that resolves complaints or has no history of customer issues. Although a “B” is not considered a terrible rating, choose a business with an “A” rating, if one is available.
References should also count toward a seller’s business history. However, if a seller’s references display glowing accounts that do not correspond with its BBB rating, use the latter as your standard of judgment.
Evaluate the Remaining Lifespan of a Router
When they receive proper maintenance, industrial grade CNC routers can last for decades—a major reason why buying them used is a good decision. Before you buy, assess how long you will use a router. If you will use it for years, opting for a remaining lifespan of ten years or more is optimal. If you will use it to meet increased production demand and then buy a new router when your income stabilizes, a remaining lifespan of ten years or less may be optimal.
Evaluate the Quality of a Router’s Control and Cutting Capacities
Two things distinguish a CNC router from a standard router: computer numerical control and sensitive cutter heads. When used or serviced improperly, CNC routers can develop control issues and lose their cherished cutting accuracy. Therefore, vigilantly inspect the control and cutting capacities of a used CNC router machine before you buy it. If you are unable to perform the inspection, hire an expert to perform it on your behalf.
RT Machine has the CNC Machinery You Need
At RT Machine, we carefully assess the quality of our owned CNC equipment prior to selling it. We can also locate the machinery you need when we do not have it in stock. If you need a used CNC machine that exceeds your expectations, browse through our product pages or call us today.
