Looking for your advice on VMC buy
Hello Guys and Gals
I know you are probably sick of giving advice on which CNC is the "best". I realize they all have pros and cons and I have read everything I can. I'm just looking for some first hand advice on a few used models that are available to me.
About me:
Amatuer manual machinist, totally new to CNC and G-Code. Currently back in school learning CAD/CAM.
90% of my parts will be 6061 and 10% 360 brass.
50-100 parts per month
Eventually I will need to incorporate a 4 axis
If the unit breaks it will most likely be me making the repairs so OTS parts are desirable.
The available machines (all are priced around 7000 USD except the Fadal VMC 15 which is around 5000USD):
2009 Milltronics RW 12 (chip conveyer,Centurion 7,Rigid Tap)
2012 Fadal 4020HT (box ways)
2003 Fadal 4020HT
2000 Fadal VMC 15 (4 axis pre-wired)
2002 Fadal 4020HT (low hours)
2006 Hurco VM1 (rigid tap)
Mazak VTC-16B (rigid tap, Mazatrol M plus 32 Control)
2001 Haas VF4 (4 axis ready, rigid tap, chip auger, floppy drive)
Sorry for all the trouble.
Re: Looking for your advice on VMC buy
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GemFaceting
Hello Guys and Gals
I know you are probably sick of giving advice on which CNC is the "best". I realize they all have pros and cons and I have read everything I can. I'm just looking for some first hand advice on a few used models that are available to me.
About me:
Amatuer manual machinist, totally new to CNC and G-Code. Currently back in school learning CAD/CAM.
90% of my parts will be 6061 and 10% 360 brass.
50-100 parts per month
Eventually I will need to incorporate a 4 axis
If the unit breaks it will most likely be me making the repairs so OTS parts are desirable.
The available machines (all are priced around 7000 USD except the Fadal VMC 15 which is around 5000USD):
2009 Milltronics RW 12 (chip conveyer,Centurion 7,Rigid Tap)
2012 Fadal 4020HT (box ways)
2003 Fadal 4020HT
2000 Fadal VMC 15 (4 axis pre-wired)
2002 Fadal 4020HT (low hours)
2006 Hurco VM1 (rigid tap)
Mazak VTC-16B (rigid tap, Mazatrol M plus 32 Control)
2001 Haas VF4 (4 axis ready, rigid tap, chip auger, floppy drive)
Sorry for all the trouble.
My first real vmc was a Cincinnati arrow. I did all the repairs myself and was able to make some money and learn before jumping into a nice new machine. I loved my Cincinnati and the tech support was always great helping me pin down a problem.
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Re: Looking for your advice on VMC buy
Any of these machines can make you some coin. Nice thing about Hurco, Mazak, Haas and Milltronics is that it's a bit easier for parts and support. I'm not sure where FADAL stands at this point. Me, I'd probably go Mazak or Hurco, but that's just personal preference.
Re: Looking for your advice on VMC buy
I don't know the specs of those machines, but I can offer some things I have found useful. A long X axis for a start - if you are making a lot of small parts that need a fixture, it's easier and cheaper to have them all in a line towards the front of the bed where you can reach them easily. Wide access door / doors for the same reason. Big tool changer, it's surprising how many tools some jobs need. Powerful coolant pump - when you are using many different tools you will need many coolant nozzles to get the coolant to the right place. Big coolant tank too.
Re: Looking for your advice on VMC buy
If you are maintaining yourself the Fadal is probably your best bet. If you can work on a chevy or Ford you can fix a Fadal. Most reliable Fadals are the Linear ones (No Gibs to adjust, No Turcite to fail, more consistently accurate... etc.) VMC 15, 15xt, 2216L, 3016L, 4020A, 5020A(boxway z axis though). All documentation is free download everything from places like Fadal Manuals | ItsCnc.com and lol probably 25 percent of the stuff on the fadal you can buy from https://www.mcmaster.com/ or Ebay ... good luck
