[velocitycnc]

Hey guys/gals,

So after about a year of cutting my teeth prototyping on a new Tormach 1100 mill, I'm ready to jump to the next level. Not to say there's anything wrong with it, it's helped me learn machining (from zero background to fairly proficient) to making prototypes like our Mosin Nagant MN2014 Picatinny rail (photo below). But sadly, it's now holding me back as it cannot machine runs for my new products fast enough (that's not what it's meant for of course) nor is the control software (Mach 3) reliable enough for unattended long cycles on expensive stock. My beloved Tormach was a great mill for what it is and in a relatively short period of time, it's helped me propel my business to the next level (I should also give a shout out to their support staff, who are awesome).

Below is my own novel designed rail for the Mosin Nagant rifle which I machined out of a billet of 6061-T6. It's success has allowed me to move to the next level =) My customers seem to love it!




That said, I'm now trying to decide on a manufacturing capable VMC but my budget is limited to a max of $100k. I only wish to buy new machines. I'm down to a new Haas, since any comparable spec Japanese or European VMC (as far as I've found) costs 2-3x the Haas VF-2 (loaded + 4th axis rotary). My plan is to use it to not only prototype new products but to produce short runs (100-200+ units) on new products to test the market. Then, if the product is accepted by the market,--I'll send it to a USA machine house whom have the staff and quantity of machines capable of higher numbers.

Can anyone with direct experience with a Haas in a production environment tell me if it's a good choice for production quantity & quality parts (from aluminum to steel to titanium)? My products do not require aerospace/medical device precision but quality is of utmost importance.