As someone who has made a living from doing professional retrofits for several years this is my take on the choice a person has when looking at doing a retro fit. And the subject of attempting your own.
Many times the person attempting his own retrofit is very capable, just not that experienced, so what seems like a good idea, ends up being a long learning curve.
Ask anyone that has attempted using one of the PC based Packed systems that claim a retrofit can be done in 3 days.
I would like a $ for every customer of mine that has waved some Magazine article at me showing essentially how a PC can be wheeled up to a machine, connect a few wires and Bingo, CNC retrofit on the cheap.
For someone like myself, it usually requires attendance at one or more of the Manufacturers plants to learn the integration procedure in a fairly short order to cut short this learning curve.
NO, there is NO such thing as a plug and play system, every machine has its challenges and certain 'Engineering' question have to be overcome, it is slightly easier when a retrofit on the same model has already been carried out..
I have used everything from in house designed 'simple' systems using Galil or Acroloop to Camsoft up to Mitsubishi and Fanuc.
If I have a customer that wants a professional system with the lowest possible down time, I would easily suggest a high end system like Mitsubishi, where there is a higher chance of predicting the outcome in terms of successful sytem in the lowest time possible.
Especially when this machine is someones livelyhood.
If you have the luxury of unlimited time, that is another matter.
Comments like 'This product stinks' or 'This is the best system on the market' is rather worthless without some kind of Rational justification or reasoning that is qualified somehow
My 2¢
Al..
CNC, Mechatronics Integration and Custom Machine Design
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
Albert E.