Onefinity CNC
Onefinity machines use solid steel ball screw rails rather than extrusion and belts, and run their own controller with an onboard touchscreen rather than a GRBL sender on a PC. Which controller depends on the series, and none of them are GRBL, so generic sender advice often does not apply.
What is different about the platform
- Ball screw driven steel rails rather than aluminium extrusion with belts. That is where the rigidity comes from and it is the main design decision behind the machine.
- No frame in the box. You supply the table, which means the flatness and stability of your own bench becomes part of the machine's accuracy.
- An onboard controller with a touchscreen. The machine runs the file itself rather than being fed by a sender on a laptop, so there is no USB connection to drop mid-job.
The controller is not GRBL, and it is not the same across the range
This matters more than people expect when following generic tutorials, and it is the single thing people get wrong when they search for help.
| Series | Controller |
|---|---|
| Original series (Woodworker, Journeyman, Machinist, Foreman) and Pro Series | Onefinity's own controller, derived from Buildbotics |
| Apprentice | Redline RTX-1, an open loop version of the Redline controller |
| Elite Series, Gen 1 | Masso Touch on the 2023 machines, with a 15 inch screen on the machine. Onefinity later sold the same machine as the Gen 1 Elite Redline Series, and a Masso machine can be converted, see below. |
| Elite Series, Gen 2 | Redline, with a 15 inch screen on the machine |
Spec Controller by series is published by Onefinity on its own product pages. Check yours before following any tutorial, because a Masso procedure and a Buildbotics procedure are not interchangeable.
Whichever one you have, none of them are GRBL, so:
- Post processor choice differs. Use the post intended for this controller, not a generic GRBL post. Getting this wrong is the most common setup problem. See post processors.
- Advice written for GRBL senders may not apply, including $-parameter settings, sender specific workflows and some macro syntax.
- The file runs from the machine, typically loaded over the network or from a drive, rather than streamed from a computer.
Setup points specific to this machine
- Your table is part of the machine. Build it flat and stiff, and expect to surface a spoilboard on top of it before doing accurate work.
- Homing establishes the machine coordinate reference. Do it at the start of a session, and it is what lets you recover a work zero after an interruption. See homing and limits.
- Probing. The touch probe sets X, Y and Z from a corner or a surface. Make sure the probe block dimensions configured in the controller match the block you actually own, because a mismatch shows up as a consistent offset in every job.
- Tool changes pause the job, and Z has to be re-established for the new tool unless you are using a tool length sensor. Do not re-zero XY.
- Squaring. The rails need to be square to each other. Check it after assembly and after any time the machine is moved. See squaring and tramming.
You can change the controller without changing the machine
This is the genuinely unusual thing about the platform and it is not widely known. The controller is not welded to the machine: Onefinity sell kits that convert an older machine to the current Redline control system while keeping the rails, the frame and the cutting area you already have. There are two of them, and which one you need depends on what you have now.
| Coming from | What the kit swaps |
|---|---|
| Elite with the Masso controller (the Gen 1 Elite) | Control system, 15 inch touch display, motion controller, an input and output adapter that adds a tool changer port, and the homing sensors. Your closed loop motors stay unless you choose the optional heavier ones. |
| Original or Pro series with the Buildbotics controller | Everything above, plus closed loop motors for all three axes, drag chains, the full wiring set and a display mount. This is the bigger jump, because it converts an open loop machine to a closed loop one at the same time. The kit page lists the Z-20 slider as a requirement, so an older machine on the Z-16 needs that upgrade first; check the current listing. |
Both were four figure purchases when CHIP read the listings in September 2026, which puts them in the same conversation as a used machine, so it is worth reading the listing rather than the summary here. Three things on both kit pages decide whether it is for you:
- It does not change your machine size. Electronics, motors and control only. A Woodworker stays a Woodworker.
- It is a part exchange, not a trade in. You keep the machine and send back the old electronics on a prepaid label, and those parts get reused. Read what you are required to return before you buy: on the Masso kit it is the touch screen, the power supply, the cables and the old homing sensors.
- The Redline spindle is the only spindle supported. It comes as a 1.5 kW 110 V or a 2.2 kW 220 V, and sizing the spindle explains how to choose. Both kit pages say so in those words. If you run something else, ask before you order rather than after.
Where it sits in the market
The Onefinity is a rigid, screw driven machine at a prosumer price with a self contained controller. That combination suits people who want to cut hardwood seriously without building a machine or managing a PC-based sender.
It is not automatically the right machine. If you need a very large cutting area, a rack and pinion machine may be a better fit. If you want the broadest possible community documentation, a GRBL based machine has more of it. If your budget is tight and your work is light, a smaller machine will do the job. CHIP would rather you bought the right machine than this one.