GANGTOOL Lathe

[PrototypeFred]

Hello: I work for a company in the medical research area. I am looking to buy a good GANGTOOL Lathe. I have looked at the "PRODIGY"

from SNK out of Florida. I was wondering if any of you know of any good GANGTOOL lathe to recommend so I can narrow down my search. I am looking for something compact, 6000 RPM . All the parts I make are about 1/8 or smaller in diameter.And we use a lot of Ti 6-4 or SST 316L.

Thanks for all suggestions

[Aaron AKA. Zippy]

Fred,

The one gang machine that I ran was a Seilo. It had a Mitsubishi Meldas control and a bar feeder. It often ran 24/7 @ 6000rpm. At the time, nearly 5yrs ago, it was a very low priced machine made in Korea. But to tell you the truth it was an extremly accurate and in the three years I ran we never had a problem with it.

Just put'n in my two cents.

Zippy

[PrototypeFred]

I earched on Google for that brand of lathe to get the specs. And it does not show up????

This is the problem with machinery sometimes made in Korea. They usually close up after a few years. And then you can't get parts or service with it. I am looking for something that if it breaks down I can get it serviced right away.

Thanks

Fred

[Aaron AKA. Zippy]

Oops bad spelling. Try Saeilo. Made in Tiahland... think I spelled that wrong to.

Zippy

[Bill Craven]

Tsugami makes Gang tool style lathes, Hardinge also. Both are well known brands for quality (and price).

 

Swiss style machines -like Citizen- also use a gang tool approach.

[chris m]

I have heard good things about Tsugami though I have never run one. Hardinge does make a gang-tool lathe which is probably a nice machine but Hardinge has some serious service shortages [at least in my area] so make sure they can support it if you buy one.

 

C

[jbel]

We have three of the Hardinge gang type lathes in our organization and they have been reasonably accurate and reliable machines.

[Keith Graydon]

We have had an OmniTurn C-axis Lathemodel GT-75 for 5-6 years. It is bult on a weldment frame and uses linear slides. A Hardinge style spindle with a 4000 rpm C-axis motor. A home Brew PC based controller. A Simple and effective machine. THere are some limitations in its functionality (no g94 without spindle being on)which means that c-axis face drilling is done in Long hand. It is a decent capable machine without a lot of options.

 

 

-Keith

 

[ 04-18-2005, 09:43 AM: Message edited by: Keith Graydon ]

[Philcott]

Fred,

 

We have been running a hardinge GT for many years and it is a good machine. We did have some earlier problems with the rails wearing out but Hardinge finally (3rd time) put in some titainium rails and we have not had trouble since. We machine tight tolerances on it day in and day out with no trouble. That said, before buying another gang tooler I would look at what other options are out there for the same reason Chris has stated regarding service.

 

Phil