How to convert your 3D printer into a CNC machine

In a recent video, YouTuber RCLifeOn demonstrates how to convert a 3D printer into a CNC milling machine.

It’s a known fact that I love 3D printers despite the fact that I don’t own one. I’ve considered purchasing one several times, but doubt always stops me. Do I really need a 3D printer? How often will I actually use it? What if there is a technological advancement in 3D printing right after I purchase one? I’m always waiting for the right moment to make the leap to 3D printing, but now I know why. I’m waiting for someone to design, build, and market a device that can both 3D print and CNC. In a recent video, YouTuber RCLifeOn demonstrates how to convert a 3D printer into a CNC milling machine.

About the Author

Alexis Gajewski

Alexis Gajewski

Senior Content Strategist

Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.

During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry. 

Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.

She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.

Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.

Connect with Alexis on LinkedIn

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