How do I purchase a Coast Runner CR-1?
Coast Runner is currently accepting deposits of 10% of the final price to reserve your CR-1 CNC mill.
Upon placing this deposit, you will be added to the current “batch” of depositors, whose mills will all ship roughly simultaneously.
Once your CNC mill is ready, we will contact you with an invoice for the final balance of the mill, upon receipt of which we will ship your CNC.
What payment methods can I use?
To place your Coast Runner deposit, you can use any debit or credit card associated with Visa, Mastercard or American Express. You can also pay via echeck.
When will I get my CNC mill?
The CR-1 mill is currently being released in batches. The first batch will ship in September 2024. Subsequent batches will ship in future months. When you place your deposit, the deposit page will state which batch you are in. Please note that this is an estimate, and production delays could arise.
When will I be asked to pay my final balance?
We will invoice you for your final balance shortly before we are ready to ship your mill. Our estimated ship date is listed on the product page from which you purchased your deposit (if you purchased a VIP deposit or other special deposit deal, then your product page may not be the public one in our online store.)
If you have questions about your expected ship date, please contact [email protected].
What destinations will you ship to?
Coast Runner CNC ships worldwide! Shipping will be charged as part of your final balance payment and will be based on your location.
We’ve estimated the shipping fee for your rewards, but please note that the shipping fee may be adjusted based on actual costs. We want to make sure that everyone gets the best deal possible, so we’ll do our best to find the lowest-priced logistics partner.
- Continental US US$150
- Hawaii/Alaska US$200
- Canada US$200
- Rest of the World US$350
All international purchasers outside the US and European Union countries will be responsible for taxes
What endmills does Coast Runner use?
Coast Runner uses industry standard ER-11 collets. Any endmill which can fit in this collet can be used in the CR-1. ER-11 collets can hold tools roughly between 1mm and 8mm diameter, or roughly 1/32″ through 5/16″.
How is the workpiece held on the table?
Coast Runner’s mounting table is parallel to the end mill shaft. This orientation maximizes fixture strength, minimizes complexity, and mechanically aligns the part to the machine upon insertion into the MakerSlide-patterned, open source T-slot stainless rails.
There are two T-Slot profiles running lengthwise across the X Table. These profiles are used to securely fasten materials and fixtures to the Coast Runner. The left side of each profile has an opening, which allows T-Nuts to slide into the T-Slot profiles.
What is included with my Coast Runner CR-1?
The following items are included with each Coast Runner purchase:
- Coast Runner CNC
- 6’ USB A-B cable
- 6’ NEMA 5-15/IEC C13 three prong power cable
- CR USB drive containing CRWrite software
- 17mm wrench
- 12mm wrench
- ER11 collet nut
What open source parts did Coast Runner design?
The entire machine is open source. For other open source designs, Coast Runner developed a custom spindle that exceeds the quality, accuracy, and cutting capabilities of any sub-$400 spindle.
CR also developed a custom signal conditioning PCB called GrbIO that reduces RF noise generated by the several stepper motors used on the machine. GrbIO includes screw-posts for easy wiring, including separate analog, digital, power supply and chassis grounds, which internally isolate noisy components from sensitive ground planes.
The plug-and-play PCB connects between existing Arduino boards, requires zero software changes, and should resolve many headaches on other derivative designs.
How fast can the machine run?
When cutting aluminum, there’s little reason to cut as fast as possible. For example, many machines that claim to cut aluminum do so by cutting as fast as possible at depths of just 0.001″, which results in poor part tolerance, as only the tip of the end mill actually cuts the metal. The result is the end mill tip dulls quickly and then part quality suffers.
Coast Runner is designed to cut deep grooves and thus doesn’t require a nonsense feed rate to overcome inadequate design. To directly answer the question, Coast Runner can run fast (80ipm), but doesn’t need to, as it’s rigid enough to cut like a real CNC.
What sort of maintenance is required for Coast Runner?
Coast Runner’s moving parts are entirely sealed from chip debris. All bearings are sealed and contain wipers to prevent foreign contaminate entry.
The rails are stainless steel and are factory lubricated, but do require periodic wiping to prolong life.
End Mills dull over time and are considered a consumable. Emptying the chip tray by use of a shop vac or similar after each job will prevent chip overflow.
Is the CRWrite software free?
Yes! Every Coast Runner milling machine comes with a free version of our machine control software. The software can be downloaded for free at coastrunner.net as well.
What filetypes does the CRWrite software support?
CRWrite accepts Coast Runner’s special “guided mode” control file, called a “crproj” file, which contains movement code, instructions and illustrations for a job.
CRWrite will also accept any text file containing gcode for use in manual mode.