phantom cncsystemPROVerified business?

I purchased a custom 5 X 10 CNC from this company earlier this year, and I could not be happier with my choice. Not only has the machine itself been awesome, their staff has been great about helping me with any questions I’ve had. I highly recommend Phantom CNC, they’re a great company all the way around.

I have never come across a CNC machine that is more difficult to use than the Phantom Atomic CNC Router. I am a Tool & Die Maker who has been programming and operating many different CNC machines for 35 years. This machine was new in mid 2025. Frustrating software glitches. Mostly they occur when using inch-mode. Examples: While in inch-mode feedrates must be programmed in mm/min. Inch-mode G81 (drilling) "R" clearance height must be inches but Z-depth must be millimeters. M0 program-stop does not work. Well it stops but the machine will not restart. I had to set up the machine to run production. This was a big problem for us because we have to pause the machine to flip the parts over. Adding a second program as a new start point is very error prone. No answer from Phantom for a solution. G28 X0 Y0 causes an uncommanded Z-negative rapid move down to just above the workpiece, then rapids at that level to the machine home, right through any fixtures that might be in the way. I find the user interface (pendant) to be difficult to use. In my opinion there are not enough buttons so the buttons you have do many different things depending on the mode. Perhaps it is the same with other machines at this price level, I wouldn't know. The pendant is handheld, so more buttons would make it bigger and awkward. I suppose it's a trade-off. A user manual does not come with the machine but it can be downloaded. I find it quite inadequate as it does not walk you through any normal operation. It's a big problem because setting up and operating the machine is not intuitive. At this time there is only one YouTube video going over the control but it is incomplete. Unusual terminology in the manual annoys me, example: "Empty Way Speed" instead of "Rapid Rate" and "Public Bias" for some offset option. We have the tool changer option. It is amazingly snail. Which is sad because there is no reason why it couldn't happen at rapid rate with a simple software upgrade. The good: the machine appears to be robustly built, rigid, fast, and very accurate even at high feedrates (milled circles are perfectly round).

It's a dream come true! Learning curve was not as steep as I thought. Still making rookie mistakes, but just look at this gorgeous stuff. Loving my new Phantom CNC 4x4!