So I have been digging in the FB groups concerning the 1100M that was used at Battlebots. I have some info from first hand use and pictures! Faster spindle, enclosure changes, and possibly rigid tapping! See the attachments!
So I have been digging in the FB groups concerning the 1100M that was used at Battlebots. I have some info from first hand use and pictures! Faster spindle, enclosure changes, and possibly rigid tapping! See the attachments!
Cool. We need more specs.
I wonder when NYCCNC will get one.
rigid tapping, faster spindle, and an improved base with better coolant drainage. 'bout time.
some nice upgrades right there.
Wonder what the M" in "1100M" means?
Tim
Tormach 1100-3, Grizzly G0709 lathe, Clausing 8520 mill, SolidWorks, HSMWorks.
Hopefully not 1100MuchMoreMoney
I asked one of the tech's will the base mount to the current production 1100..sadly it won't with out modification...so that tells me the machine it self has changed as well.
I just bought my machine in Jan. Of this year....grrrr!
i wonder if some of the features will be able to be retrofitted onto the older meachines, ala the series III upgrade. I would be interested in some of the freatures, but I definitely don't want to buy a new machine to get them.
What the been the hangup on rigid tapping wtih the Tormach? I don't have one, though I have window shopped. Seems to me all you need is a spindle encoder.
Sounds promising! I like the machine but I've held off buying another one because of the crappy stand/enclosure cobble job though I see it still has those crappy bellows way covers which I also detest. Too bad Mikini flamed out as many of the Tormach design flaws were addressed in their design.
I suspect that the reason they didn't implement rigid tapping is a combination of software and hardware shortcommings. The motor has very little torque at the low speeds that you need to run for tapping which means that it is likely that the spindle will slow down some. Combined with the limmitation on Mach3 and Linux CNC (the basis for PathPilot) of only reading one pulse per revolution and you have a combination in which the z movement is likely to get out of synch with the taps needed momvement and lead to tap breakage. It was probably also a low prioroity given the intended use and user base expected for the machine.
...and replaced with FAR worse problems...
And someone please tell me the great value of rigid tapping? A T/C holder can do very nearly the same job, and is more than adequate for all but a few corner case applications (like tapping to the very bottom of a blind hole), and those few cases can be easily handled with thread milling, which gives you a LOT more flexibility, albeit at lower speed. I have a set of six home-made T/C heads I use for all my tapping.
Regards,
Ray L.
Rumor is there will be two versions of the machine. 1100M and 1100MX. The MX will be the servo driven model and has rigid tapping. The base casting is different which suggest larger y travels. The 1100M has the larger base castings, this is all from someone who used the machine at Battlebots, but is stepper driven and no rigid tapping. The price point for the servo machine has been suggested that it will be a stones throw from a Haas Mini Mill.
The biggest advantages to a servo drive motor for me would be larger slower drilling, larger slower tapping period rigid or not and slower feeds and speeds with large end mills. Handy for titanium or stainless. Not to mention being able to run a good sized arbor slitting saw at the proper stupidly slow RPM with plenty of torque.
I've idly perused a few catalogs of large servo motors that could replace my 770 drive... but if you already have a working machine it's a silly expense and a LOT of work.
Now on a bigger more rigid 1100... it's going to come down to cost.
The 1100M might have a lot of upgrades over my machine, but ya know what makes my 1100 Series II running Mach III a better machine than an 1100M?
MINE IS PAID FOR.