Hi Folks...

I'm setting up a prototyping shop and...after looking around a bit...have settled on the Tormach PCNC 1100 with the 4'th axis option as a good entry point...

I'm new to CNC...but am a professional engineer and know my way around CAD pretty good...

A 5 axis machine would be ideal but the prices are a bit steep...

Couple of questions...how hard would it be to convert this machine to 5 axis...I have seen a video of a factory demonstrator that was done some time back...but apparently nothing has come of it...

I have seen two approaches...one is to mount a trunnion table to the 8 inch rotary...with a 6 inch rotary mounted to the trunnion...another might be to use the tilting, motorized 8 inch table and stick a stepper motor where the hand crank goes...?

I'm wondering if anyone has tried the latter...?

It seems the trunnion table would be stiffer due to the support from both ends...but this is not a major concern as my work pieces are not that big...and I see a lot of the bigger machines use this method...

I assume that the machine is able to support the extra axis in terms of electronics...?...I saw on the factory video that they have both the A and C axis on the screen...

Also I'm wondering if this machine will work with Inventor HSM...which I already have...does that mean I would not need to buy the Spructcam...?

I am comfortable in the Inventor Pro environment so this would be a plus for me...

Also not interested in buying used...or getting into any kind of project to refurbish or convert a manual machine...I know there are good values out there...but I need to take the machine out of the box and start learning and cutting...just setting up shop is going to take enough time and effort as it is...

The fifth axis is not actually an immediate priority...but more of a growth path...thanks in advance to any and all input...

Regards,

Flanker...