[TiagoSantos]

I thought on a properly designed machine, steppers were just as capable as servos, for 30% less money! :P

[SCzEngrgGroup]

That is good to know.
I have never seen any where what size the axis motors are, I am curious if they a NEMA34 or something odd. I hope you can let us know.

Have you ever put up any screen shots of your custom machine software. I also follow along with the KFlop group.

I will be watching for your post and impressions of the machine.

Thanks
Rob

The motors look like NEMA34s to me.

Regards,
Ray L.

[SCzEngrgGroup]

I thought on a properly designed machine, steppers were just as capable as servos, for 30% less money! :P

They certainly *can* be. In this case, I'm sure the steppers are just as good as the servos at cutting speeds, but the rapids are rather slower than I'm used to - 75 IPM for the stepper version vs 500 IPM for the servo version. Given the relatively large travels, I expect the steppers to be somewhat painfully slow, after working on my 250 IPM knee mill all these years. Given mine spends a good portion of its time doing "production" work, and time is money, the servos are a no-brainer.

And, BTW, the Pro/Servo has AC servos, not DC. So the cost differential is considerably more than 30%.

Regards,
Ray L.

[azam1959]

[QUOTE=Just recently found a local machinist that very kindly tried to offload his Novakon HM-145 or whatever it was. After describing in detail what a POS it had been for him, he wanted 6 grand for it. Yeahh..

[/QUOTE]

did not realize that these machines value increase with time...i thought new 145 were less than 6k and at the end of model life pricing was even more attractive to clear our inventory and machines in the pipeline ... or may be i am getting confused with nm135.

[UniqueMachining]

azam1959

And this post is related to the thread how?

Do I detect a pattern? It seems that when a positive thread gets going a totally unrelated negative comment manages to work its way in.

As mother said "If you can't say something nice, say nothing".

John

[azam1959]

negative comment!!

you may want to read my last post and may be other posts on Novakon thread as well :-)

if i want to be negative ... hope you will not see that part of me.

enjoy the day John.

azam1959

negative comment manages to work its way in.


John

[ViperTX]

Ray,

Any thoughts on an ATC for the Torus Pro? Wondering if the lack of an ATC affected your choice of machines?

Thanks,
Paul

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Ray,

Any thoughts on an ATC for the Torus Pro? Wondering if the lack of an ATC affected your choice of machines?

Thanks,
Paul

Paul,

Not in the least, because I plan to build one real soon. I just finished building one for my knee mill.

Regards,
Ray L.

[ViperTX]

Ray,

What are your thoughts on a Torus Pro verus a used 1998 or so Fadal VMC-15?

Thanks for any feedback.

Paul

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Ray,

What are your thoughts on a Torus Pro verus a used 1998 or so Fadal VMC-15?

Thanks for any feedback.

Paul

Completely different animals, for one thing - kind of like comparing a new Honda to a used Ferrari. The Fadal is a more capable machine, as it weighs almost 5X as much, as almost 4X the spindle power. I would expect a machine like that could do most jobs MUCH faster, as it'll be considerably more rigid - it HAS to be, to be able to use all that power.

But for me, buying an old VMC is always a major risk. If you get lucky, it can turn out great, but if you end up with a lemon, it can send you to the poor house. And even seemingly minor repairs can cost you a fortune because the parts are often very special, and available only from the manufacturer at a high price. A simple thing like a ballscrew or drive motor can set you back thousands. I've seen too many people go that route, and end up spending a fortune getting it to work reliably. I know one guy here on the Zone that bought a Cinncinatti VMC - thought he got a really good deal on it. That was over a year ago. Last I heard, he had spent more on replacement parts than he did on the machine, and it STILL wasn't working right. He'd managed to blow several axis drives, at over $1K each.

There's also just the logistics of dealing with something like that. Neither the machine nor the BIG forklift required to move then will fit through a standard residential garage door, and a standard garage floor may not be adequate for the weight. Power is also an issue, as they pull a LOT of current when working hard - probably needs a dedicated 50A (or more) circuit. You'd also need REAL 3-phase power, which is generally not available in residential areas.

So, it boils down to how much performance you want, and how much money you're willing to put at risk. I'd love to have something that fast and that powerful, but it's more important to be up and running reliably, and I expect the Torus to give me that. It looks to me like a lot of machine for the money. I should know soon enough!

Regards,
Ray L.

[ViperTX]

Ray,

Thank you for the insight.

Paul

[Titaniumboy]

So...................how many machinists does it take to get a Novakon up a hill?


Just kidding. Obviously your Novakon made it up your driveway in one piece. Any good stories or lessons learned?

Titaniumboy