[C.T.]

I am in the market for a used cnc knee mill or bed mill. But I am concerned about the controls. I need conversational something easy to learn because I still have to make a living. I have two cnc lathes now a Bridgeport ezpath and a Harrison alpha 550. So I am not completely lost. Would a pc based machine be better?Are the later models easier to program.

[Perseus]

what´s the cnc control? because the most important in the cnc machines is the cnc control


regards

[christinandavid]

I learnt on a Bridgeport Interact 4 with an ancient Heidenhain Control. 'Knee' style mill, pretty indestructible. I know, 'cause many apprentices had a go at destroying it. Found conversational mode a lot more user friendly than ISO mode. Very basic commands and pilot manual is still available online.

Newer controls are more powerful in a lot of respects, and preferred by the seasoned operator - but the navigation through the various screens along with the vast array of options can be daunting to the beginner.

DP

[BlueChip]

You can free yourself from the "conversational" control by using offline, PC based conversational software .... our KipwareM is a PC based conversational software that outputs "fanuc compatible" code pout of the box. About 90% of CNC controls are "fanuc compatible" so all you need to look for is a CNC control that is "fanuc compatible" ... and you should find a lot of choices.

Info on Kipware at www.KentechInc.com

[jthornton]

I have one conversational and 3 g code cnc's and the only difference is the labels. For example RAPID = G0, LINE = G1, ARC = G2/3. Once you learn the machine it don't matter what you call it IMHO.

John

[C.T.]

The Alpha I have has offline pc software write the program on my laptop and download via rs232 port.