Buddy
The power and precision of full-sized ShopBots
in a footprint as small as 16 sq. ft.
If you’re looking for a compact CNC solution that delivers affordable, full-production performance in the digital fabrication of wood, plastic, aluminum, and other materials, then ShopBot’s Buddy tool could be the right tool for your needs. Using advanced technology for CNC cutting, drilling, carving, and machining, ShopBot’s Buddy is easy to learn and use. Buddys have a small footprint, and can be positioned easily into your production flow. That makes them useful on the shop floor. They can be configured and reconfigured for specific production needs—Buddys are the agile production CNC solution.
Fully assembled and ready to work when rolled out of the shipping crate, the Buddy design makes use of a rigid, stationary gantry over a moving table. The gantry is a heavy custom extrusion, precisely machined for sturdy linear rails.The steel and solid aluminum Z-axis also rides on linear rails. The Buddy is available in 32” or 48” widths (actual cutting/machining widths are 32” and 49”) and have a front-back distance of 24”. The front-back length can be optionally expanded to 48” with a longer PowerStickTM (actual cutting and machining distances are 26” and 50”, respectively for this axis). The PowerStick is our award-winning motion and drive substrate of the moving table; PowerStick technology allows quick swaps between multiple tables and fixturing systems.
For more depth of cutting, Buddys are available with extended-height clearance while 3D cutting. The Buddy 32 and 48 are available with extended-height tablesides and a 14” Z-axis. The 14” Z-axis makes the Buddy the perfect tool for mold making, carving, and prototyping. See the specification table for summaries of the work envelope for various Buddy configurations.
