Lunyee 3020 Nova in-depth review: A GREAT budget CNC machine with a STUPID design flaw! (I fixed it)

Lunyee announced the 3020 Nova as an affordable desktop CNC promising to mill aluminum and other non-ferrous metals with absolutely no issues thanks to an all-metal construction and HG15 linear rails as well as ball screws on all axes. Paired with a trim router for the spindle, this setup should indeed be capable of some serious machining work, which is why I was very intrigued when they reached out about a potential review, and patrons of the channel agreed it would be worth taking a look at it.
So here’s my take on what this machine offers and a real-world test of whether it can keep those promises!
This is part 1 of what will be a multi-part video series covering this machine and some machining and CNC basics in extreme detail.

Check out the 3020 Nova at the Lunyee store:

https://www.lunyeecnc.com/products/lunyee-3020-nova-cnc-router?sca_ref=12122911.ID00s0pdNg

(This is NOT an affiliate link but definitely a tracking one, so I stand to gain little whether you buy the machine or not, and I genuinely don’t care if you do! XD All that might happen is they won’t send me any future machines, which I think I’m also fine with)

Lunyee says they’re aware of the ball screw underconstrainment and bed flatness issues and are currently working on a fix – but as it stands, until those changes actually make it into production, you’ll, in my opinion, have to immediately upgrade the machine with some additional thrust bearings if you want to go reasonably fast, but thankfully this is an easy fix. Here’s the F8-16M 8x16x5mm thrust bearings I got:

https://aliexpress.com/item/1005009194179435.html?

(also no affiliate)
Like mentioned, you’d ideally back these up with a Belleville washer, but the problem I currently see with that is that it’ll add to the thickness and leave little contact area for the knob to grab onto. I’ll properly test this mod in the next video and maybe come up with a tweak to make it more reliable. Also, I’m having trouble finding decent Belleville washers on AliX; here’s a wave spring washer that looks like it might have the right stiffness instead:

https://aliexpress.com/item/1005010476333578.html?

Try at your own risk, though! I have no idea if these will actually be the right strength, and having to buy 50 of them just to try sure is a bummer.

Anyway, here’s the awesome page explaining CNC machining theory:
https://shapeokoenthusiasts.gitbook.io/shapeoko-cnc-a-to-z/feeds-and-speeds-basics

Definitely check out Koz’s feedrate calculator:
https://cnc-doctor.retro-freedom.nz

Regarding the upgrades I did in the video, here are the rail covers I whipped up:
https://www.printables.com/model/1824516-lunyee-3020-nova-y-axis-rail-covers

The trim router speeds as measured:
1: 6000 RPM
1.5: 8500 RPM
2: 11000 RPM
2.5: 13500 RPM
3: 16000 RPM
3.5: 18500 RPM
4: 21000 RPM
4.5: 23500 RPM
5: 26000 RPM
5.5: 27500 RPM
6: 29000 RPM

And the roughly tuned, much less conservative GRBL settings I used:
$22 = 0
$110 = 4500
$111 = 4500
$112 = 1000
$120 = 400
$121 = 400
$122 = 400
(again, this breaks homing so the feature is disabled until I can get to the bottom of the issue and come up with a workaround)

Timestamps:
0:00 intro
1:29 disclosure
3:24 unboxing
4:38 first impression
8:37 machine setup
17:09 first plywood cuts
20:36 first MDF engraving
21:39 first acrylic engraving
24:15 aluminum engraving attempts
28:22 Z-probe issues
30:43 first aluminum engraving
32:40 first relief carving
36:55 real testing begins
39:26 spoilboard leveling
40:35 poplar plywood cutting tests
42:54 spruce cutting test
44:20 beech plywood cutting test
45:47 MDF cutting test
46:32 HDF cutting test
48:16 things are getting serious
52:04 acrylic cutting test
53:30 PLA cutting test
55:24 aluminum cutting test
58:25 can it do mild steel?!
1:07:21 project time!
1:14:26 what I like about the 3020 Nova
1:19:13 the design flaw
1:24:57 how to fix it
1:28:13 other issues
1:29:24 my nitpicks
1:31:18 it’s fun to use
1:32:45 you NEED dust collection
1:33:33 alternatives
1:34:56 buy if… you’re willing to fix it
1:36:17 outro

My review policy:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c2kk3CaDmkIdmhNF2yAucxVDt5Z6IC4B/view?usp=sharing

——————————————————————————————————-
Support this channel on Patreon: https://patreon.chronicmechatronic.xyz

Now on Bluesky: @chronicmechatronic.bsky.social

Join my ̶d̶e̶a̶d̶ subreddit r/chronicmechatronic ! Why? No idea.

My ̶a̶b̶a̶n̶d̶o̶n̶e̶d̶ Shutterstock:
https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Floraf

Or download free stock photos from my ̶a̶b̶a̶n̶d̶o̶n̶e̶d̶ profiles on Unsplash:
https://unsplash.com/@floraf
https://unsplash.com/@clicabout

ɴᴏᴛᴇ:
there are only so many sites I have the energy to
actively maintain, and aside from YouTube that’s
mostly Patreon and Bluesky at the moment
——————————————————————————————————————

source