Hi Folks,

We are about to out our 4 Arrow 500's with A2100 control on in the next few weeks and are struggling to find some thing to replace them with.

We don't want any more A2100 machines because their resale value in the UK is plumiting faster than a lead weight, so buying some Arrow mk2's (if I could find some) would be a bad waste of money and the control's are getting more and more expensive to fix (even without genuine parts)

So we don't want to fork out on new VF1's which would come in at just under £30k each and they don't have 3 in UK stock and the Super Mini-Mills have tiny tool changes.

So apart from looking to try and find 3 identical Fanuc control machines in good condition, we are thinking about used Haas's, because they seem to grow on trees at the moment for around £15k.

We were thinking about VF0 / VF1's around 1998 which would appear to still have the CRT type monitors.

Is their much between them, have they changed much, I read some stuff about DC servo's which worries me, when did they move to AC motors ?

I understand that Haas controls are basically PC based, like the A2100's so can I put a ethernet card staight in one around the late 1990's or do we need expensive options ?

Would an average 1997 VF0 still interpilate a round bore down to 0.0005" (12 microns) like our Arrows still can ?

Any advice would be greatfully received !