[Jon.N.CNC]

Hi, well today is the day the ship with the mill docked......it will take 3 days for the container to be off loaded, inspected and cleared etc.

The first money outlay came as an invoice request by the shipping receiving agents at this end to pay the Port of Melbourne fees etc which are A$402.........next bill will be for the actual shipping brokerage fees from the company recommended by the shippers to do the brokerage, which will come to 15% of the mill cost....in US dollars. at the present currency conversion rate.

The paperwork the brokers need to have are the invoice from Skyfire.com for the cost of the mill.......in US dollars...... and as the OZ dollar is right down it's going to be more costly now than 2 years ago....... the invoice for the shipping agent's port fees, and a letter of authority to allow them to act on my behalf for the brokerage.

Once the shipping agents have finished unloading etc......, taking 3 days......the shipping brokers will take the box to their depot to do what they have to do, and then after 10 days the box will be available either for delivery or collection.

I live 5 km from the depot, and as the delivery fees were quoted at $300, I opted to collect the box myself with my trailer.....the box being 1.3M cubed and weighing only 200Kg should be easy to transport with the average 4X3 trailer, so I should take possession by the 26th Oct.

I'll do the handling, once I get it home, with an engine crane and rope slings etc.

It's apparent that if you buy from a local dealer, the extra importation cost of the machine....whatever.....has to be fully borne directly by the buyer, including the dealer's mark up, and you only get what you see.....no option to have customisation with a standard import, whereas if you decide to do the import thing yourself, you still have to pay the import charges but get to have what you want without a dealer having his hand in your pocket too.

With the ball now rolling as Defeng states it is, the delivery for a basic stock item mill should be a lot faster than the present situation.........the mill I ordered, when loaded, took only 16 days.....27th Sep to 13 Oct...... from port to port.
Ian.

I'd have strong reserves about putting it in a trailer, one bad pot hole and game over

[RCaffin]

I have a feeling that '4x3 box trailer' means the frame or chassis is built out of 4" x 3" x 3/16" steel box section.
But I might be wrong.

Cheers
Roger

[LeeWay]

I'd have strong reserves about putting it in a trailer, one bad pot hole and game over

If it is tied down correctly, no real concerns. Of course I may not know the type of pot hole you are talking about.

[daniellyall]

over there they have one that eat trucks

[LeeWay]

over there they have one that eat trucks

That one should be avoided.

[handlewanker]

ooooPs.....not having the trailer at home right now....it's at my son's place..... I think I'm sure it's 6'X 4' ......standard Oz bullet proof haul any old sh!t kind of trailer.

BTW......we don't have pot holes in our roads in the 'burbs........maybe out back on the dirt track roads where the Dingoes and 'Roos roam, but not any where in my area.

Did ya'all see the massive back from national holiday week traffic tail back they had in China last week.....something like 30 lanes of traffic all funnelling into 2 or 3 lanes......if Defeng was in that lot, he'll be away for a lot longer than last time.....LOL......and they do it every year.,,,,,wow what an excuse to be late back to start work.
Ian.

[RCaffin]

I think Daniel was referring to the sinkhole in Qld.

Cheers
Roger

[daniellyall]

na just a poke at you aucker`s look`s like the All Black`s are going to win again

[RCaffin]

Who or what are the All Black, and do they have an SVM-0?


Cheers
Roger

[handlewanker]

LOL.......the SVM-0 is all red, except for the bits that are black or dark grey....whatever....., or were before the back casing was removed and the full enclosure was fitted.

That's a worry for anyone wanting to have the full enclosure as an after thought.........all the electronics etc will have to be removed and re- wired to fit in the full enclosure.

Perhaps an after market full enclosure would only be supplied fully kitted out with the electronics.......that makes inventory simpler for Defeng and also for the buyer too, as it's just a re plug in of the steppers/servos.... whatever...... to a different location.

I know some will say why pay for two lots of electronics...... well you have to remove the back casing and all the electronics anyway to fit the mill in the enclosure, but when it's realised that a fully fitted after market full enclosure just means you drop in the mill (any mill?) and plug in without having a complex wiring diagram to sort out.....that makes sense.

BTW, provided the full pre wired enclosure comes in at under a grand ( for OZ buyers), you can buy it, probably with Paypal, without having to enlist the services of a customs broker. .......and that makes a whole lot more sense.
Ian.

[handlewanker]

OK, a bit more update on the brokerage procedure I'm experiencing.

The Customs have asked if the machine has been used to mill wood, plastics or metals of any description and have also requested a declaration from the supplier that the mill is brand new, never been used and is not second hand etc......I've just emailed Defeng requesting an attached form be signed to that affect......I don't think the Customs will release the goods to the Brokers until the declaration arrives........DEFENG DO YOUR BEST MATE.

I think it would have been simpler if the Customs had been informed of the SKYFIRE.COM website to see that they are manufacturers not second hand goods suppliers etc.

It is also possible that the invoice from Defeng, listing all the options that made up the mill, confused them into thinking this was a shipment of mill parts and not a complete brand new machine.....sigh.
Ian.

[RCaffin]

Um - are you missing something here? If the machine is second hand, the import duty may be much lower.

Cheers
Roger

[gary_808]

But also may need to go under very expensive fumigation and quarantine procedures if second hand and can't prove it hasn't milled wood etc.

[handlewanker]

Hi, a question on the Cad/Cam software to design parts

By this I mean the actual Cad/Cam program that produces the parts so that the mill can do the necessary etc.

I am using the trial version of Fusion 360, and the 30 day period has expired.....this is where you go to the free offer of the start up licence provided you aren't making more than $100,000 a year with it.....wow.

The problem I'm having is......on the Fusion drawing pad, there is a blue pull down menu to indicate the options on offer......I clicked on the start up option box and got the country option..... clicked on it for Australia..... but the next box for the terms of agreement or the submit box is inactive and does not work.

They appear to be inactive even with clicking on each and all characters in the boxes.......at the end of the terms of agreement characters it just open a menu giving the conditions etc with nothing further to activate.

Clicking on the "decide later" box at the bottom just closes the menu down.

The help team have been working on the problem over tree weeks now but have not been able to get a result.

In the meantime, Autodesk/Fusion has extended the trial period to another 30 day term.

Has anyone had the same problem and a solution?
Ian.

[RCaffin]

Relocate to the USA - at least in theory.

cheers
Roger

[handlewanker]

Hi....well Fusion 360 is cloud based......I didn't know the USA was on a cloud.....LOL.

It really is a serious problem as I'm just getting the hang of 3D drawing the Fusion way, ,and the second trial period is running out.

The program is intended for international distribution as it options different countries without any exclusion.
Ian.

[daniellyall]

Ian the server had a major problem yesterday there was all sort of problem`s try again today if it does not work post on the fusion forum (you are already signed up it`s your fusion login) they will sort you out.

[handlewanker]

Hi Dan.......BTDT......this problem goes back a coupla' weeks......the help team are working on it but have no answers yet.......they've never come across this problem before they say.

I get the impression that working with cloud based applications is going to be susceptible to all kinds of glitches along the way........mainly because they are beyond someone's control so can't be fixed......you just can't beat having the program on disc even if you have to pay occasionally when they announce a new "update", or should I say fixing the program as it ambles along.

I get the impression too that all cars might one day be driverless and you just rent them on a casual basis like a taxi but controlled by someone far away......that's when I get away from the car as an independent means of transport.

If you look at CNC machining in that light, that's exactly what we're doing too by allowing the program to move the handles instead of the operator.......God help us when the control program is in the clouds and we are so far removed from it's control that it ceases to exist as a user friendly source.

We could be forced to pay a "small" but continuous monthly access fee to have the very latest CNC program update available.......that's when the world of big brother inches another step closer to home.......If I'm going to have a pee, I don't want someone else's hand on the handle guiding it......even if it is a means to save water by not having to wash my hands afterwards......LOL.
Ian.

[RCaffin]

The Cloud is perfectly and completely 100% reliable ... except for those totally rare and unexpected times when it isn't. Like when we take a lightning hit on the phone line, or someone runs a backhoe through the cable, or someone misconfigues a router during an update, or ...

We went to get new driving licences recently. OK, photos taken, eyesight checked, no unpaid fines or anything: now pay for the licence. "Oh Dear: do you have (several hundred dollars) cash? Our bank server in the cloud is down and we can't use credit cards right now."

Snicker
snicker
snicker

Cheers
Roger

[handlewanker]

Hi........do I really need Cad?.....if Fusion doesn't materialise I'm going to have to re-evaluate my options in other directions.........I might have to give Turbocad V21 another looksee as I own the disc and it loads very quickly, even if I have to have something else to do the Cam part.
Ian.