Based on our record, The Nomad 883 Pro should be more popular than Shapeways. It has been mentiond 5 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.
Silver and gold should be easy for any machine to cut, especially since you are just drilling holes. The problem is the alignment, you will need a very precise jig to hold them and you will need to be very good at setting the machine zero. If you are off just a few thousanths, your holes will be misaligned. A small desktop machine like the Carbide3d Nomad would work. To get it aligned properly you would probably... Source: about 2 years ago
The Nomad would be my first thought. If that's too small, you're into Tormach territory. Source: over 2 years ago
However, looking at what you said you wanted to make, you mention model parts and other smaller components. The only budget friendly machine I can think of that might be able to do that sort of stuff is the Carbide Nomad. Source: almost 3 years ago
For metal, l'd suggest the Nomad, a Bantam, or a Tormach mill (I don't know if any of these are in stock). You could also get a manual vertical mill and cnc it. Grizzly and Little Machine Shop are both good companies and have mills in stock. (I think Precision Matthews and Dropros are back ordered). Then, you can get anything you want for wood, since it's a lot less demanding. Source: about 3 years ago
The Nomad or the xsTECH Router are the first two that come to mind. Source: about 3 years ago
You can even download a CAD model of the gear you want & scale it down to the size you're looking to use, and then get it made from shapeways.com or find an SLA printer or something. Source: about 2 years ago
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