Problems with HAAS

[Karl Corry]

I want some info on what people think of Haas machines? Recently my boss bought a vf4 with pallet changer, sl 30 with bar feed and a mini mill. the company is mostly fabracation and plasma work, but was spending alot of money on subcontracting machining work. so we were recommended on get these machines for all our work. Quite frankly they are not up to the work we needed.

Could have been doing with a sub spindle on lathe.

vf 4 on rigid enough waiting on tool changer to some off any day yet and the mini mill just crap! The service from them is unbelivably bad. Had a crash on lathe took 8 day for them to come and fix it.

basically what they said they would do for us they havent.

Now i only came to work here after the deal was made for the machines so there would have been a few things i would have done differently if i'd been there from start.

Things have got that bad that boss getting rid of machines!(only 2 MONTHS OLD,,,yes 2 months!)

so what machines to go for next?

We need good machining capabilities and good service we are based in ireland.

any help on this would be great thanks!

[Guest]

Well, Karl your boss got what he paid for.

 

There was a time when a HAAS was a decent machine but in the mid-90's they grew to big to fast IMO and their quality suffered for it.

 

Granted I do not foot the bill but I am a Mori-Seiki guy. I love these machine they will do anything I ask of them. Our local service has been terrific.

 

Just one man's opinion

[Lars Christensen]

You get what you pay for when it comes to Haas in my opinion, it is a ok machine for the money, a big plus here in the Rochester area in the north east of America is that the Haas guy is there the same day if there is a issue. It is a cheap machine, if you compare it to a Matsuraa, and it is built that way.

 

Lars

[Lars Christensen]

ohhh and it is defently not a production machine in my opinion.

[Bruce Caulley]

Since you are nearer to the direct support base, I would recommend DMG. I would also take a look at colchester since they are close by also. If you want the best though look at mori seiki, makino or mazak. Just hold your breath before looking at the price though.

 

Bruce

[Jeff the haas_guy]

I have run Haas's for 10 years and one thing

is certain about them. They are basically a lightweight machine. The 40 taper can't handle heavy machining. I prefer the mazak myself. Very expensive but durable and great repeatability. You need to run Haas's with light cuts. They do well with speed machining.

[chris m]

OK:

 

1) It isn't the lathe's fault your company didn't buy a sub-spindle

 

2) It isn't Haas' fault that you crashed the machine

 

3) What do you expect of a Mini-Mill? You ain't gonna get a RoboDrill for $20K.

 

4) Don't know what you mean about the toolchanger falling off, but if the machine is 2 months old it should run perfect or be fixed immediately if there isa warranty issue.

 

 

That being said:

 

1) 8 days is a long time to wait for a service call

 

2) The SL30 is a big machine for the $$ but not the most rugged piece you will ever see and not fast.

 

3) If your VF4 has the umbrella-style toolchanger I will agree that those suck, although they are better than the comparable Fadal toolchanger

 

 

If you are doing large / heavy work [which it sounds like you are] the machines that you bought don't sound like a particularly good fit. Since they don't offer the VF4 with a 50-taper you should probably be looking for another manufacturer. I don't know what your budget is, or who reps who in your country, so I'm not much help, but you should definitely ask around at shops in your area and see who has the good reputation. The distributor is as important as the machine itself in a small machining operation like you have; service and tech support will be key.

 

C

[Lumpnut]

We have a VF-OE (01') , and love it. The only REAL problems we've had are with the toolchanger. The service in our area is great also. However , we don't do any real heavy machining. Mostly aluminum and plastics. A 1/2" endmill is huge for us typicaly. So it's the perfect machine for us.

 

Haas machines are cheap compared to others , but that doesn't make them crappy machines. Yes , you usually get what you pay for , but you must consider the applications it will be used for BEFORE you buy anything. Would you buy a Saturn to go racing because it's cheaper than a Porche , then say the Saturns a POS cuz you lost the race ?

 

[Brendan O' Regan]

I would recommened Mazak, DMG mills and Gildmeister lathes.

 

I worked on a Makak machine in my last place of emloyment and found that the comany reping them had a good service. A service guy would be out within 24Hrs but an Expensive machine to buy.

 

I now work on a DMG 64V linear machine. Service is good but the service guys have to come over from the UK which adds costs to us. But i would not recommened the siemens controller as it has limited us in some areas.

 

The two machines are good for heavy machining.

 

A problem in Ireland is that a lot of machines that are sold here have to come through the Uk as there is no main agents here only selling reps. Thus when a machine goes down and you need a service you have to get someone over, pay for their flights and accomadation which is not cheap.

[Steve at JPI]

I don't have firsthand HAAS lathe experience, but used a Mini Mill and a VF-2 for two years at my last job. LOVED them both. I didn't do a lot of heavy machining, but with the 700ipm rapid on the VF2, I could add more light cuts and not lose a lot of time.(Yes, did lose SOME time.) We were holding a true position on some small holes (.256") of .006, and roundness of about .0003 on an interpolated bore of 1.250" which I felt was pretty good for a "low end" machine.

 

I agree, they're more suited for aluminum and other "easy" materials, but as far as bang-for-the-buck, you can't beat them. The control is VERY user-friendly too, especially compared to a FADAL.

 

If you decide to sell the Mini Mill, let me know!!

 

Steve from Jaeco

 

O/T Lars, where do you work? I'm from Rochester!

[ToolMan184]

quote:

---

Would you buy a Saturn to go racing because it's cheaper than a Porche , then say the Saturns a POS cuz you lost the race ?

---

I sure would. Just to get to put the Porche in the wall.

I just had to say that. Now I feel better.

[iowajim62]

Mazak Mills Vertical or Horizontal 50 Taper

Okuma or Nakamura for Lathes

Fanuc Robodrill for little stuff

 

Don't buy Toyoda or Matsurra

 

jm2c

[Jeff the haas_guy]

Mini mills are useless in my opinion. Very clumsy to work in and a small Z axis. With a vise on the table, and the toolchanger, there is almost no room for a tool change.

[PeterM]

Here at Preci Mfg. we have 4 haas mills, vf-3,vf-4, 2 mini's, along with Kitamura's, Mori's and Mori-Yasnac's. They run day and night. They are not the most rugged machine tool out there and the tool change mechanism, and thru the spindle coolant are prone to break down. However the control is hands down the most user friendly that I have seen, and heck, 4th axis, 1 mg memory, helical and on an on for one low base price makes it hard to beat, see what other manufacturers charge you for those, options. Peter