The construction kit for the Stepcraft M.700 milling machine in the test

Stepcraft presented three new machines in 2020: the M.500, M.700 and M.1000, where the number stands for the rounded travel length in the longitudinal direction. In contrast to the D series, the new milling machines no longer use simple rollers running directly on the aluminum profiles, but high-quality linear rails made of polished steel, and ball screws can also be ordered at an additional cost.

The extensive Stepcraft system accessories can also be used with the new machines: For example, a 3D print head or an engraving laser are available that can be installed instead of the milling motor. There is an oscillating tangential knife for processing rubber and leather, a drag knife for plotting text foils and a hot wire insert for cutting styrofoam – and much more.

Our test device, the M.700, reached us as a kit – a carefully packaged, 40kg heavy 3D puzzle on a pallet. So we already had the opportunity to work intensively with the machine during assembly: The assembly instructions consist of a merciless 96 pages, which relativizes the manufacturer’s statement “built in a few hours” as a euphemism for “4 days of work at a time”.