[fourperf]

Would someone who has a vf1 or 2 mind measuring the height of the ceiling. Floor to highest point. I have 106 inches and hope that is enough. The dimensions say 104.50 inches but I dont think that takes into consideration the leveling pads so I dont know how much additional height I need.

Thanks

Mark

[Donkey Hotey]

I don't care how many threads you start butcha' coulda' just posted the question in the other thread.

104.5" sounds about right. I can get you an exact number if you need it. Mine pokes up just beyond the ceiling joists (the spindle is right between a pair of them).

The joists are at 99" and the spindle & cable track run up between them another 4-6" during tool change. I can start it up and get you an exact number tomorrow.

Is your ceiling drywalled? Limited by a second floor? If there's nothing above it, you could cut a rectangle through the drywall (between joists) and just make sure the machine is centered under the hole. The part that pokes up is just the width of the spindle sheetmetal and really, it's just the 6" cable guide using up the height.

[fourperf]

Thanks greg, it didnt even occur to me to do that. I have a dry walled ceiling 2nd floor above. I have 97 inches to the drywall ceiling and another 9 inches to the bottom of the second story floor (in between the floor joists). Also if you woulnt mind measuring from the floor to the top of the enclosure while you are in measuring mode I would really appreciate it. The dimension on the Haas site are not that complete. How much room did you leave behind your machine (between the machine and the wall)

[Geof]

What type of toolchanger?

[slatern44]

Checked mine this morning. 103" to the top of the metal guards around the Spindle and 108" to the top of the black flex cord. Its also up about 1" off the leveling pads so you could lower is down a little. I left two feet from the back wall and three feet from the side wall.
Hope this helps.

[Donkey Hotey]

The door on the back of the machine is 36" and it's supposed to have enough room to open fully. Mine isn't against a wall. It's in the center of the floor and the operator side faces the back wall. I have all of my machines in the center of the floor like that, in a row with their backside facing toward the doors.

I park motorcycles up against the back of the machines. That leaves service access to all of them.

As for the height: yeah, that's gonna' be tight. I'll measure it when things warm up a bit.

[Geof]

Yes, as slatern44 says, 108 inches to the top of the cable carrier when the spindle is at maximum height in a tool change.

[fourperf]

umbrella toolchanger

thanks guys.

[Geof]

umbrella toolchanger

thanks guys.

That was the type I measured.

The Side Mount extends up the side of the spindle to slightly higher than 8 feet and makes things so wide it may not be possible to fit between the ceiling joists.

How about your door clearance for getting it in?

[fourperf]

my door clearance is 84 inches wide and 84 inches tall. The salesman told me that shouldnt br a problem with a little dismanteling. I am just hoping I dont have to cut through the floor

[Donkey Hotey]

The Side Mount extends up the side of the spindle to slightly higher than 8 feet and makes things so wide it may not be possible to fit between the ceiling joists.

Yeah, the sidemount changer is out for garage installations. They can't easily remove it to get the machine under the door. And it adds quite a bit to the cost of the machine.

I wanted the SM changer but I guess there are enough trade-offs between the two designs that I think it was a draw (oversize tools, heavy tools, etc).

[Donkey Hotey]

Mark,

If you've got 108" I'd say you're okay with the height. I'm not so sure on the width. The leveling feet on mine are at the lowest setting. To the best of where I can measure it looks like 103-104" at the cable guide. The highest point is not the spindle sheetmetal (although that also protrudes above 100").

The widest point of the sheetmetal around the spindle that would protrude above the studs is 16.5". That might be a problem for you if you have the second floor above. I don't know what the stud spacing is for a load-bearing floor but I'm guessing 16" on center.

The top of the main cabinet (the coolant enclosure) is 69" tall. The arm that supports the control pendant sticks up above that about 4-5 more inches (depending on where you measure).

It might be worth a trip to either the HFO in Torrance or the showroom in Oxnard. Bring a copy of the machine outline in their brochure and a tape measure. Measure everything you think you'll need.

That's what I did. When they delivered it, I had tape lines on the ground for exactly where the machine had to go. It was spot-on.

[fourperf]

thanks you very much for doing that

mark

looks like it will work

[Donkey Hotey]

Well, check that obstacle off the list.

I know you're concerned about cost (aren't we all?) but I'll restate it: if you go for the VF series, really consider the VF-2 instead of the VF-1. That extra $4K adds 50% to the available table area.

And if you consider the probing, you lose about 5" of space in the upper-left corner of the machine where the tool presetter lives. The extra 10" of travel softens that loss.

[fourperf]

I am leaning towards the vf 2. Did you get the probe?

[helix77]

SO THE VF2SS WITH A SIDE MOUNT WILL NOT FIT THROUGH A 96 INCH GARAGE DOOR OPENING.....

IF ANYONE HAS ANY GOOD IDEAS ON A PHASE CONVERTER LET ME KNOW

[Donkey Hotey]

Most garage doors are 7 feet (84 inches). No, it won't fit under that but it will find under a 96" opening.

[mpstech]

I dont have a vf2 but the tm-1 had both the problems of not fitting directly under the garage door and needed more ceiling height to operate than I actually had. Both problems were solved.

To fit the machine under the 7'(84) inch garage door the riggers tilted the machine back just enough to clear the door frame and then pushed/slide the machine using the hydraulics of there flatbed truck to get it under the door frame.
(APPENDED)On the way home I remembered that I also removed the
tower from the control cabinet and layed it and the z axis cables over and out of the way. No cables were disconnected.

To overcome the operating height limitation I was able to lengthen the z-axis bracket that hits the z-axis home switch by 2". I then limited the overall down (negative) travel by the same 2 inches. If you have a tool changer then the tool change position parameter need be changed as well, it's referenced from the z-axis home position. Don't forget to record the original parameters so you can get back to factory specs.

[helix77]

ya ... i am doing 8' garage doors ... the garage itself has 10' cielings. 1075 sqr feet of shop space ..if i can get the wife to part in the drive!!

[jhonman11]

I thinks Most garage doors are ft 6 something.....