EverPrecision 2002 CNC machines

Hi all,

Just soliciting some input from anyone who's used an EverPrecision

2002-series device before (see for what I mean, similar to an LPKF S42, but slightly better spec). I've been looking around for a milling machine to create PCBs at home, and I've got a good offer (less than $4k) on a nearly-new (used a dozen times or so) EP2002-H model. That's about 1/3 the cost of buying it new...

On paper it all looks wonderful: - the machine can do 4mil traces with a 60k rpm spindle (as in

- it does an automatic surface-map of the part to compensate for defects in the copper-clad FR4 - tool height is automatically figured out and compensated for - it has double-sided support (and therefore multiple layers with some extra effort) - the software is downloadable, so there's no problems there - the guy I'd be buying from sounds genuine, and open to helping me out if there are problems after the sale.

Before spending that sort of cash, though, I was just wondering if there was anyone with experience with the thing to give me some background - I've not heard of the manufacturer before (though they seem to have been around a while)...

I'm aware that this is probably more expensive than using a board- house, but for me it's not the monetary expense that's the crucial thing, it's the time it takes to get a board back ready to start soldering. Even if you pay $$$ to get a fast turnaround, it's still slow compared to an hour or two on the mill. Actually, given that my last board cost ~$200 (Eurocard size, 2-day service, PCB-pool), it doesn't take *so* many of them to pay for the mill...

Thanks for any help, Simon.