The Machine we wanted didn’t exist – So, we built it.
The Fusion CNC Story
Bridging the Gap Between Hobbyist CNC and Industrial Machines
We’re not a big equipment manufacturer with boardrooms full of suits, sales quotas, and layers of marketing departments. We’re a small engineering company—Kestrel Corporation—that spends most of its time doing applied research and development to help keep our Service Men and Women, and our country, safe. It’s work we’re genuinely proud of, and it’s work we continue today.
Outside of that mission, we’ve always been makers and tinkerers at heart. We love pushing the envelope, trying new things, and seeing what’s actually possible when you put your mind to it. A few years back, we started getting into CNC woodworking and CNC carving. Like many people in our position, we bought a couple of high-end hobbyist CNC machines for our own shops.
But it didn’t take long to realize they just weren’t up to the task. The precision wasn’t there. The build quality felt flimsy. And when you’re trying to do professional work, those limitations become frustrating pretty quickly.
On the other end of the spectrum, the big industrial CNC routers didn’t make sense either. They were far too expensive for most small businesses, oversized for typical workshop spaces, and came with service requirements that small shops or home workshops simply don’t need (or can’t afford).
That’s when it hit us—there’s this huge gap between hobby CNC machines and industrial machines, and nobody was really serving it properly.
So we built our own CNC router. Out of frustration, sure, but also out of knowing we could do it better. Every single feature we designed into our professional CNC machine came from a real problem we’d faced in our own projects. Every decision came from actual time spent in the shop, getting our hands dirty—not from some boardroom presentation or market research report.
The spindle power? We needed it for hardwood projects that kept bogging down lesser machines. The rigid frame design? Because we were tired of chatter marks ruining precision cuts. The user-friendly software? Because we didn’t want to spend half our time fighting with complicated interfaces when we should be making things. These are some examples just to give you an idea.
That’s how Fusion CNC was born. Our owners and founding team began this journey right here in the lab and machine shop of a small engineering company—real people who actually use these tools, working on the same kinds of projects you probably are.
We’re genuinely proud of the CNC machines we’ve built. They aren’t hobby toys that’ll frustrate you with their limitations, and they aren’t industrial monsters that’ll bankrupt your small business. They’re simply well-engineered CNC routers designed for makers, small businesses, schools, and anyone who wants professional performance without losing their shirt.
And honestly? For us, that’s the whole point. We built the CNC machine we wished we could have bought in the first place.
A few pictures from the office, some of our work, and examples of carvings we have done with our machines.
Which CNC Machine is a Fit For You?
We developed a quiz for you to take to see which CNC machine is right for you even if it isn't ours.
Repeatable Precision Guaranteed
Dialing in the perfect feed rate and spindle speed can make or break your CNC project. That’s why we built the Fusion CNC Chip Load Calculator—a simple, powerful tool to take the guesswork out of machining.
Learning Hub
The Fusion CNC Learning Hub is where knowledge meets innovation. From practical CNC machining tips and feeds-and-speeds guides to project inspiration and industry insights, our blog is built to help makers, educators, and small shops succeed. Dive in, explore, and take your CNC skills to the next level.
Build Your Machine
Every shop is different, and your CNC should fit the way you work. With Fusion CNC, you get to choose the cutting area, spindle, and drive system that make the most sense for you—while still getting the same solid engineering across every build.