3-Axis CNC Router Machine
By Hemang Joshi · Founder, hjLabs.in · Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering · Published August 2, 2026
A precision 3-axis CNC router with an 850 × 940 × 95 mm work area and a 2.2 kW air-cooled spindle. Servo motors and ground ball screws on every axis, riding on LM linear guides, in a frame built from aluminium profile and solid machined aluminium blocks. The whole machine runs from a handheld pendant that writes the G-code itself — no PC at the machine. Optionally connects to the karmyogi.hjlabs.in browser workbench. Made in Gandhinagar, India.
Technical Specifications
| X-axis travel | 850 mm |
| Y-axis travel | 940 mm |
| Z-axis travel | 95 mm |
| Spindle | 2.2 kW air-cooled |
| Motors | Servo motors on X, Y and Z (closed loop) |
| Transmission | Ball screws on all three axes |
| Linear motion | LM linear guide rails on all axes |
| Frame | Aluminium extrusion profile with solid machined aluminium blocks at load-bearing joints |
| Control | Handheld pendant with on-machine G-code generation — no PC required |
| Optional control | karmyogi.hjlabs.in browser workbench over Web Serial |
| Bed | Flat work surface, custom fixturing and spoilboard options on request |
| Price | ₹1,55,000 + GST (shipping quoted separately) |
| Built in | Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India |
No PC at the Machine
Most CNC routers in this class come with an unspoken extra cost: a computer. A tower or laptop has to live next to the machine, run a control program, keep a driver working, and survive the dust. When it fails on a Tuesday morning, the machine is not a machine any more — it is furniture.
This router is built the other way round. The handheld pendant is the control system, and it generates the G-code on the machine itself. The operator enters the geometry and the cutting parameters on the pendant, and the pendant produces and runs the toolpath. Nothing is exported from a CAM seat, nothing is carried over on a USB stick, and nothing depends on a Windows machine staying healthy.
This is the same pendant hardware and the same design philosophy we use on the 3-Axis Selective Soldering Robot — adapted for routing work rather than soldering. It is a decision we keep making deliberately, because it is the difference between an operator who can run the machine on day one and an operator who needs a CAM course first.
The practical result is that the person who knows the material can run the machine. A carpenter who understands feeds and grain does not need to become a CAD technician to cut a panel.
Built for Rigidity: Ball Screws, LM Guides, Servos
Precision on a router is decided by three things: what drives the axis, what guides it, and what holds it all still. This machine does not compromise on any of the three.
Ball screws on all three axes. Not belts, not lead screws. A belt drive stretches under cutting load and gives up position; a plain lead screw has backlash that shows up the moment the cutter changes direction. Ground ball screws remove both problems, which is what lets a repeat cut land where the first one did.
LM linear guide rails. Recirculating-ball linear guides carry the cutting loads instead of the drive screw, and they resist the twisting moment a router generates when it takes a deep side pass. Rails on all axes is what keeps the spindle perpendicular under load rather than deflecting into the cut.
Servo motors, closed loop. Steppers are open loop: if one loses steps under load, nothing notices and the part is scrap. Servos know their true shaft position and correct it continuously. On a machine with a 2.2 kW spindle taking real cuts in hardwood or aluminium, that closed loop is what keeps a two-hour job dimensionally honest from the first pass to the last.
Aluminium profile plus solid aluminium blocks. The frame uses extrusion where stiffness-per-kilo matters and solid machined aluminium at the load-bearing joints, where a profile connector would flex. It is a deliberate mix, not a cost decision.
2.2 kW Air-Cooled Spindle
The 2.2 kW air-cooled spindle is the practical sweet spot for a machine this size. It has the torque to take a real depth of cut in hardwood, plywood and MDF, and enough top-end speed for clean finishing passes in acrylic and composite panel.
Air-cooled, deliberately. A water-cooled spindle means a pump, a reservoir, coolant lines across a moving gantry, and a failure mode where a leak or a dry pump quietly destroys the spindle. Air cooling removes the entire subsystem. There is no water to top up, nothing to freeze in winter, and one less thing to check before a shift.
The spindle is clamped in solid machined aluminium blocks rather than a folded bracket, so the cutting forces go into the structure instead of into a mount that flexes. The Z axis carrying it runs on its own ball screw and LM guides, the same as X and Y.
Optional: Drive It From Your Browser
The pendant is designed so you never need a computer. But when you want one — for a 3D toolpath preview on a large screen, or to lay out a nested sheet before cutting — the machine connects to karmyogi.hjlabs.in, our browser-native CAD/CAM and machine-control workbench.
karmyogi talks to the controller directly over Web Serial. There is nothing to install, no driver, no licence server and no cloud round-trip — your design files never leave your computer. It runs the same workbench used for CNC carving, laser cutting, pen plotting, PCB isolation routing and auto-soldering, so one interface covers every hjLabs machine on your floor.
The intended workflow is that both live side by side: the pendant for everyday production at the machine, the browser workbench when a job needs planning or visualisation first.
What It Is Used For
With an 850 × 940 mm work area, the machine takes a full furniture component or signage panel without repositioning the workpiece. Typical work includes:
- Furniture and joinery — cabinet parts, door skins, drawer fronts, jig and template cutting, dowel and shelf-pin drilling patterns.
- Signage and display — acrylic and ACP letter cutting, engraved plaques, backlit panel work, exhibition fixtures.
- Pattern and mould work — model board and tooling foam patterns, vacuum-forming bucks, sand-casting patterns.
- Electronics and prototyping — PCB isolation routing, enclosure cut-outs, panel drilling, front-panel engraving.
- Light aluminium work — plates, brackets, fixture bodies and spacers, with appropriate cutters, feeds and workholding.
- Education and training — a machine students can actually operate on day one, because the pendant does not require a CAM seat first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the work area of this 3-axis CNC router?
850 mm of travel on X, 940 mm on Y and 95 mm on Z. That is enough to take a full furniture component, signage panel, door skin or mould pattern without repositioning the workpiece.
Do I need a computer to run this CNC router?
No. The handheld pendant generates the G-code on the machine. You enter the geometry and cutting parameters on the pendant and it produces and runs the toolpath. There is no PC, no dongle and no laptop to keep alive next to the machine.
Why servo motors instead of stepper motors?
Servos run closed-loop — the drive knows the true shaft position and corrects for it. A stepper is open-loop, so if it loses steps under load nothing notices and the part is scrap. On a 2.2 kW router taking deep passes, closed-loop control is what keeps a long job dimensionally honest.
What materials can it cut?
Hardwood and softwood, plywood, MDF and HDF, acrylic and polycarbonate, ACP and composite panel, PCB and phenolic, model board and tooling foam. With the right cutters, feeds and workholding it also handles light aluminium work such as plates, brackets and fixture bodies.
What is the price of this CNC router in India?
₹1,55,000 plus GST, built to order in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Shipping is quoted separately because it depends on destination, weight and volume. Custom bed sizes and spindle options are quoted on request.
Can I connect it to a computer or app?
Optionally, yes. The pendant is self-sufficient, but the machine also connects to karmyogi.hjlabs.in over Web Serial — a browser-based CAD/CAM and control workbench with nothing to install and no file ever leaving your computer.
What ball screws and guides are used?
Ball screws on all three axes rather than belts or lead screws, riding on LM linear guide rails. The frame combines aluminium extrusion with solid machined aluminium blocks at the load-bearing joints. Ball screws remove the backlash and stretch that a belt drive introduces.
Can the bed size be customised?
Yes. The 850 × 940 mm work area is the standard build, but the frame architecture scales. Tell us the panel size you actually cut and we will quote the machine around it.
Related Machines
Need a Different Bed Size or Spindle?
Larger work area, water-cooled spindle, vacuum table, automatic tool change or a dedicated fixturing plate for your part — we build custom router variants to order.
Contact Us for Custom Enquiry