[MrRage]

It seams like every single milling machine I’ve seen has a fixed table and an operator loads stock into the mill. So I started to wonder if companies out there made milling machines that were assembly line capable, and if they did how much would those things run?

I can barely afford a mini-mill so I’m not looking at buying something like this, I just want to know how much do they run. I’d guess around 200k, but I’m just speculating.

[Al_The_Man]

There are mills that are set up with pallet changers that are fed by a shuttle robot, the are called FMS systems, 'Flexible Manufacturing Sytems'.
Mazak used to boast that they had one of their own factory shops that had the lights almost permanently off as the machines did not need them on, only the maintenance personell.
Al.

[Geof]

Some of the Haas models are priced in the 85,000 range and they go up from their. Or you can do it the economy way; MiniMill with two vises that hold a base plate a bit wider than the X travel and homemade pallets that hold multiple (small) parts that just drop onto dowels on the base and fasten with two clamps. A Mini FMS for less than 35,000.

[aus-newb]

My guess is that one of those Mazak Manufacturing cells is going to set you back a few million. (Not a problem if you got the work LOL)

Craig

[MrRage]

Do you think there is a demand for inexpensive small to medium sized cells that can do FMS?

Like the sub 30k range

[trubleshtr]

There are also SPM's "special purpose machines" which we use alot of, designed to do one part over and over again, Our's are rather large almost the size of a 1000 sqft house, each with 8-10 cnc stations that face inwards to a Dial table that holds the part to be machined, the table is indexed taking the part on a carousel ride around the machine, where it is unloaded by robot, washed out from chips in a washer and set via conveyor to an automated assembly line...They ain't cheap!

[DieGuy]

We had a Voost-Alpine that had 8 axis and dual spindles, Load a blank on one end and a finished ready to inspect came out the other with tolerances to a couple tenths (0.0002) In 1990 dollars it was 3 million, it ran about 1 day month, that's the government for you!