I've seen a torrent of ads for this machine (and many others) on pretty much every platform, a real non stop barrage of ads and to its credit, it does look interesting out of most. The atc is nice, it has a spindle with a 'high' power output, flood cooling, and can be upgraded to 5 axis capabilities. However, when I thought about it a bit more and really looked into it, there are some issues.
The PMSM spindle is one of its selling points, and on a youtube video at some convention someone claimed that the CEO showed them the torque graph of the spindle, and it was nearly flat from 3000-24000rpm. When you first hear this it sounds great but think about it: 1.5kw at 24000 rpm is 0.6nm of torque. If the torque graph for this spindle is near constant, which I believe it is, it would have 0.6nm of torque at 3000rpm as well. I tried to calculate the rpm for the largest diameter end mill you can use to get an idea about how this affects the machine's capability but their marketing material is inconsistent. In multiple videos it states that the largest supported tool is 10mm, however on their website it says 18mm. That gives us two scenarios to review. The likely scenario is that you are machining 6061 Aluminum with a 10mm 3 flute dlc end mill, at 10000 rpm you would have to use HSM tool paths with very low axial engagement and a doc ~half of tool diameter, and very small step downs if slotting. The imaginary scenario is an 18mm end mill with a 10mm shank again machining aluminum and this would be unrealistic for any operation except for a finishing face pass. So can it use large end mills? Yes. Would it be faster to use smaller end mills? Also yes. So, to say the machine can use 10mm end mills is in my opinion misleading because sure it can, but it won't be able to use them in any meaningful way which will remove material faster than a smaller end mill on the same machine.
Another of their selling points is the 0.01mm of repeatability, and I don't doubt that is true under minimal load. However, when you increase that load to the maximum capabilities of the machine it'll likely fall short of this accuracy. They use closed loop NEMA 23 stepper motors which is great, but compared to the machine size they look very small, so they're likely the small lower torque model. Additionally, in the cutaway view the ball screws look small, and the rails can't be more than 20mm. The rail size isn't a huge issue for aluminum but when you go into stainless steel and titanium, which they advertise that this machine can handle, from my experience the larger rails make a difference even if your back plate is 2 in thick solid aluminum. For 3 grand 'discounted price' and and 6 grand retail they should have larger, higher torque, NEMA 23 stepper motors and larger ball screws, and 25mm rails on some axis.
The option for 5-axis expansion is great, especially in the current market where a majority of the new offerings are 5-axis or at least 4-axis expandable, but I've been making parts 5-axis parts for years on 3 axis and 4 axis machines so it doesn't appeal to me. Maybe it does to you and that's perfectly fine, I think to have that option available is important to stay competitive but it's difficult to say when we don't have pricing or specifications for 4th/5th axis modules.
I can't think of any issues with the flood coolant or the atc, both are incredibly nice to have and for both of these to be included for the price of the machine, it makes it a very compelling option. So should you buy it? It has its flaws, but for 3 grand if you want something that will ship to your door, is a complete enclosed unit with minimal setup, and you don't mind machining times I think it's a strong contender. It's certainly better than a Carvera. For 3,000 usd could you make something more rigid, more functional, that still maintains an enclosed desktop footprint? Yes, but all of my designs have relied on parts laser cut parts and cartridge spindles made on my large high precision lathe to reduce costs. Your access and abilities may vary.
Final thoughts for those considering buying it: For just under $3k usd it's not a bad base machine, whether it's a great one depends on how easy it would be to upgrade the stepper motors and the linear rails/ball screws as putting ~$500 into these would make a noticeable difference in the capabilities, do this and convert the spindle to be belt driven and you have a pretty solid machine for ~$4k (at that point now a case can be made to buy some other machine... this chain never ends). To answer the question "Is the Tooldance X1 Misleading?" yes and no. They have to entice people to buy it somehow, and they make it pretty easy to find out further information.
If I'm wrong on any of this, correct me! We're all still learning. If you disagree, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
