[sdb3dnc]

- i live one hour north of Toronto,Ontario,Canada and want to buy/lease a Brand New Vertical Machining Centre that would be 40x20x20 Traverse and have 15-20hp with Cat40 Spindle Taper and capable of 6 or 7000 rpms as well as carrying 1000lbs of steel on the table from time to time where Lease/Financing and a 1yr. Parts and Labour Warranty is a Must...Fully Enclosed to run a CLEAN OPERATION and of course 3-axis capable where Fanuc Control is ok BUT i can't help but wonder if I'm better off with Proprietary Control like HURCO(WinMax) offers or even MILLTRONICS as I'm a One-Man Operation and every bit of Efficiency helps.

- just a little Nervous about Service when it comes to a Proprietary Control.
- or just do that "HAAS Thang" due to Fanuc/Yasnac Compatibility ?

- i found a thorough link to suppliers at - www.cmtda.com/pagefiles/listing_alpha_manu.asp?

- but just about every supplier has a different name or brand of VMC practically from A to Z and i find myself going round in circles.

- Now i know One Gets What They Paid For - PERIOD - But NEW Machines Impress NEW Customers...So Nothing Older then 2 years...like a Demo.

- Can AnyOne Tell Me - Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt - Noting the Criteria of the Top-First Paragraph... Which Dealer or Machine Maker would be able to get me from THEIR SHOWROOM delivered to MY UNIT and be UP AND RUNNING FOR THE LOWEST POSSIBLE COST in order for me to Protect what little Capital i have for StartUp and perhaps Get An Extended Parts and Labour Warranty for added Protection.

- i wouldnt be attempting this Crazy Mission with so Little Capital if i didn't have the Work and Customer Support Already In Place and Ready to Go...

Sincere Thanks in Advance,

sdb3dnc

[Caprirs]

Before making any final purchase decision, I strongly suggest asking other shops in your area which dealers are good and which are bad. Failure to support/service a machine after the sale will make even the coolest machine a useless pile of junk. So even if the most attractive machine is also the least expensive, the money saved will be lost when the machine requires service and you cannot get any help.

Most machine tool builders offer phone support if you are comfortable doing the service yourself. Obviously, if you're fixing the machine, you're not generating income.

Will you be programming using a CAD/CAM package? Or will you stand at the machine and program by hand?

Are you doing surfacing/mold type jobs? Short production job shop? How important is the tool change time?

[sdb3dnc]

-Cad/Cam via DNC is how Surfacing will be done and machined...
-50% will be for Tool and Die Making and 50% short runs for Custom Machine Manufacturer
-i have personal experience with Haas, First, Dah-Lih, Kao-Ming, Parpas, Tree and Mitsubishi VMCs with Fanuc, Heidenhan and Dynapath Controls BUT in all cases Machines were 10yrs old to date or better with exception of Kao-Ming Double-Column type Machine so Newest VMC Technology is new to me and Speed of Tool-Change-Time is NOT that critical
- be it 3seconds or 6 seconds is not a concern.
-looking for the best bang for the buck and with so many Machine Names Out There - i find myself going round in circles and am probably gonna default to a HAAS - if i can - i think???

Thanks
sdb3dnc

[sdb3dnc]

- i am kinda partial to keep my purchase on the North-American side - if i can - if they'll work with me that is - meaning...HAAS...MILLTRONICS...LAGUN-REPUBLIC...etc.

Thanks,
sdb3dnc

[MrMagooo]

You may consider a factory rebuilt FADAL, this week for WESTECH show they usually have some amazing deals. I know FADAL is not a MORI...but for a start-up it gets the job done.

[PixMan]

Contact Elliott Matsuura and see what they can do to help you. Great guys, I've worked with them in the past.

Here's their website: http://www.elliottmachinery.com/

They have the Toyoda line now as well as Matsuura, and offer really solid support for either make. The Toyoda machines will come in at a lower price point than the Matsuura, and will out-perform a Haas.

[Motherlode97]

IMHO,
Sounds like a slam dunk for HAAS. They'll be building machines for a long time and have a good reputation for small to medium sized shops. I've personally run a boat load of equipment and for the buck, I'd go with HAAS.

ML97

[DareBee]

Both Haas and Fadal have great support in Southern Ontario.
I wouldn't touch a Milltronics machine (not that service is bad, but it is too frequent).