When you mention Voron, most people think of one of the best-designed DIY 3D printers – whether it’s the popular Voron 2.4, Trident, or the compact Voron 0.2. The community around this open-source project is one of the most active in the entire 3D printing scene, and their documentation is clear and very understandable for builders. Now, the Voron team is leaving the waters of 3D printing and entering a completely different discipline – subtractive machining. The new open-source CNC mill Voron Cascade has just been released and promises the same approach that made their printers famous.
What is Voron?
Voron Design is a community open-source project that emerged around 2015 in response to the shortcomings of commercial 3D printers at that time. The idea was simple: to build a high-quality CoreXY printer at home using readily available parts, focusing on speed, accuracy, and reliability – all under a free license. All designs, BOMs, manuals, and printed parts are available for free on GitHub, and the project is backed by a group of enthusiasts with nothing sold “turnkey.” If you want to build a Voron, you buy parts from one of the verified suppliers or one piece at a time – and print the plastic components on your own printer. The result is printers that consistently rank among the best you can build at home and can easily compete with (and in some cases surpass) commercially sold 3D printers.
Voron Cascade – what is it?
Cascade is a desktop CNC mill in an enclosed design, built on a combination of aluminum profiles, 3D printed parts, and several machined components for key areas where higher rigidity is needed (for example, the X Carriage Plate). The working area is 275 × 220 × 90 mm, making it a true “desktop” machine – it fits on a work desk and is more than sufficient for a home workshop.
Cascade is not a direct competitor to industrial machines, as its construction principles do not allow for that. If you think of a similar machine, it is probably closest to the open-source mill Millennium Milo (github) – although with a different composition. Cascade will work great with materials like wood, plastic, and PCB. It should also handle softer metals.
Technical specifications and components
- Working area: 275 × 220 × 90 mm
- Construction: aluminum profiles + 3D printed parts + CNC machined key parts
- Guiding: linear rails MGN15
- Axis drive: NEMA 23 stepper motors + ball screws
- Drivers: TMC5160
- Spindle: G-Penny 1.5 kW / 24,000 RPM / ER16 with VFD (recommended variant)
- Control electronics: two options – Expatria FlexiHAL or BTT Scylla CNC
- Control board: Raspberry Pi SBC
- Estimated build cost: 2,000 – 3,000 USD (depending on selected components and sources)
An interesting aspect is the choice between the two control boards – FlexiHAL is aimed at more advanced CNC users, while BTT Scylla offers higher availability and a familiar environment for anyone who has worked with Klipper or other 3D printing boards from BigTreeTech.
Who is it for?
I’m not sure if complete beginners can build the Cascade. On the other hand, anyone who has already built a Voron (in any version) will find it a familiar discipline. The same style of documentation, similar construction philosophy, and the same way of sourcing parts. Plus, there is an active community that has been the strongest aspect of Voron for years.
Summary
Voron Cascade is a logical continuation of what the Voron team does best – taking a proven DIY philosophy and applying it to another category of machines. The result is a compact desktop CNC mill with open designs, decent equipment, and a reasonable price. It is not a replacement for a professional mill, but for hobbyists who want to mill wood, plastics, PCBs, or occasionally aluminum, and who already appreciate the “build it yourself” philosophy, it is an interesting novelty. Whether Cascade will catch on like Voron 2.4 or Trident remains to be seen – but the potential is definitely there.
Project GitHub: https://github.com/VoronDesign/Voron-Cascade
Assembly Manual (PDF): https://github.com/VoronDesign/Voron-Cascade/blob/main/Manual/Cascade_Assembly_Manual.pdf
Article on Hackster: https://www.hackster.io/news/voron-just-released-their-cascade-diy-cnc-mill-design-6b12148ccf9e
