Roland DGSHAPE DE-3E

What is a DE-3E?
The DE-3E (the successor to the EGX-350E) has been developed by Roland primarily for use as an engraving machine but, with 40mm of usable Z-axis to play with, it is still an excellent 3D capable machine. The generous bed size, fast axis travel and 50W spindle motor all make it a serious contender as a main CNC milling resource. Build quality is superb (as you would expect from Roland) and the machine is quiet enough to run in a workshop or studio environment. The entire machining envelope is enclosed by a robust, interlocked case so safety is assured and dust and debris will be largely contained. Operation for 2D work is simple and output is direct from 2D Design V2 with a familiar, simple dialogue to set up tool depths, feeds and speeds. Machine control is via a remote Handy Panel but, apart from switching the machine on to start with, most of the control will be via software through the output dialog box so the Handy Panel will see little use until you start to do 3D work. Top loading tools and the unique TechSoft collet system make tool setting very easy, accurate and reliable. If your main priority is for 2D and 2.5D modelling in light material and PCB production (in particular) then this may well be all the machine you will ever need – more power and bigger capacity is simply not needed for this sort of work.

Unique to this machine is an Active Surface Tracking system (effectively a floating-head arrangement) to maintain consistent cutting depth even on bowed or curved surfaces. If the machine’s sacrificial bed is kept skimmed and flat, then this feature is unlikely to be a big advantage, but if you do need to engrave an uneven surface then Active Tracking could well get you out of a tight spot.

Also unique to the DE-3E is a laser pointer which can be used for accurately locating the XY work origin for ‘awkward’ shapes or if using a vice. It can also be used to preview the engraving area or tool path.

With the DE-3E, you will have a versatile and competent machine at surprisingly low cost.