[petesurrey]

Hi i have been on the forum a while now and really love the site but i now need to ask advice.

I have 3 injection moulding machines that i own personally and run parts on for the company i work for.
I have until now been paying for tooling which is great but we really want to start making our own tooling.
I have a good background in manual machining and trained as a tool maker and i run a Mach 3 cnc router that i designed and made as well as an EMCO 120 cnc lathe.

I have been given approval to buy a cnc milling machine to enable me to make tools at work to not only save a bit of money but also allow us to make prototypes out of plastic and metal.

The machine has to go in a business unit and not pollute the whole room so a VMC would be a good machine as it can be closed up and keep the dust and mess at bay.

The budget is 10k pounds so a little tight. This is not including VAT so 12k including VAT.

I really like the cincinnati Sabre 500 or arrow 500 but i am not sure if they would be the best option.
I have seen machines like Yang SMV 600 or Dugard Eagle 1000 that look pretty good but would appreciate some advice.

The controller choices out there are either Fanuc omd or Acaramatic. There is also the od Heidenham that looks good.

Can anyone please comment on the above and whether they would be suitable for cnc machining steel, ally, plastics and composites.

I would really like rigid tap but i am unsure if the above machine have that feature.

Tool changer is a must for me because i want to run prototype plastic parts that will require lots of surfacing. Hence the need for roughing cutter then change to small ball nose.

I am using mastercam for cam and soldworks for 3d so that side is covered.

Thanks Guys really appreciate any feedback

[nautomation]

Fanuc Controller is good enough for your need to various flexible Cutting needs