cnc lathe & mill machine recommendation needed??

[MasterCAM Rulez]

Hi everyone,

 

The new company that I work for thinking of getting more cnc lathe /mill machine,

we manufacturing sink faucet. we currently have a small Miltronic CNC lathe no CNC milling though.

Is there any CNC (lathe, mill) machine that is affordable, durable, with an excellent service & warranty that anyone can recommend?

 

I’m thinking Hitachi (lathe, mill)!!!!???

 

Btw, they don’t have cad/cam, so tell them to get MasterCAM.

I would like to know how much is the lathe (2 axis [no mill/turn]), Milling 3-4 axis MasterCAM software cost?

 

Thanks in advance

[Guest]

quote:

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I’m thinking Hitachi (lathe, mill)!!!!???

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Hitachi Seiki was purchased by Mori

 

quote:

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I would like to know how much is the lathe (2 axis [no mill/turn]), Milling 3-4 axis MasterCAM software cost?

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For an answer to that one your going to have to call the local reseller where ever you are located. Pricing discussion is not allowed on the forum.

 

Now to your main question

quote:

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Is there any CNC (lathe, mill) machine that is affordable, durable, with an excellent service & warranty that anyone can recommend? [Confused]

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I would consider an Okuma lathe/mill

[MasterCAM Rulez]

hey John,

 

i noticed you always the first to reply to every post i've posted.

 

Is the Okuma affordable John? (i'm not talking about brand name machine John)

 

we lookin for an affordable and durable?

[Guest]

Well I suppose that depends on what you consider affordable.

 

They are not as as pricey as Mazaks or several other "high end" machines but they are not by any means the bottom of the barrel.

 

A decent mill/turn I would think depending on size is going to run you low to mid 200k to start, they only go up from there.

[MasterCAM Rulez]

Quote

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Well I suppose that depends on what you consider affordable.

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That i dont know, i don't want to ask him that.

 

Hey John, can i ask you another question about cnc lathe setup method. i notice some company use geometry way (G54), i always use Tool wear offset method (G50).

 

what is the different between the two?

do i need to change lathe parameter if i apply othermethod(geometry method)?

 

Hope you understand what i'm saying

[Guest]

On a 2 axis lathe I generally use the G50 to set my work work shift. I do not use tool tip compensation, I add or subtract my tool tip radius right into the code.

 

On our 4 axis lathe I use the G54, G55, etc, because will many different operations being performed. I set the all turning on G54, I set the face milling ops on G55 and the radial milling ops on G56. It helps to be able to control the different operations and shift or "adjust" them as needed with affecting the entire program.

 

That's how I do it. I am sure there are others who do it a different way for different reasons.

 

I have never has to change any parameters to jump between the 2 methods. I do like to stick to one method on a machine though don't need to be messing the operators up doing things in different ways.

[chris m]

This topic has been covered in some depth within the last year or so, I suggest a forum search for mill turn or something similar. For the 'affordable' machine I think that Daewoo has a pretty good reputation and are less axpensive than the big Japanese machine tool builders.

 

Are you looking for a lathe or for a 'multifunction' [b-axis type] machine?

 

Multiaxis lathes are built by pretty much everybody, the really good ones are built by the usual suspects: Okuma, Mori Seiki, Nakamura-Tome, etc. We have an Okuma LT-15M twin-twin with live tools and an LNS Servo Quickload bar feed which is a great, reliable, powerful, accurate, fast machine but it was not cheap [close to $500K when it was completely tooled and had the workholding, barfeed, options, etc figured in].

 

I know that one of our members [i think Troy 'CNCGuy' Newman, but I'm not sure] just bought a beautiful new Mori live-tool lathe for incredibly short money and the single turret or single spindle machines from Okuma and Mori are less $$ than you'd think.

 

If you want a 'multifunction' machine then I think you really want to stay away from anybody but the big guys: Mazak, Okuma, Nakamura, Mori have enough trouble getting those machines right to screw around with the 'lesser' companies.

 

 

C

[Guest]

quote:

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big guys: Mazak,

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WOW chris, you said the M word

 

[chris m]

John, you know that Mazak SUCKS in my opinion, but they are a real player in that business so I figured I would take my feelings out of it....

[MasterCAM Rulez]

Hey chris,

___________________________________________

I think that Daewoo has a pretty good reputation and are less axpensive than the big Japanese machine tool builders.

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Daewoo lathe or milling machine? how much?

 

 

my company looking for a 2 axis lathe, milling 3 axis the affordable one.

 

now i'm looking at Fadal & Haas are they any good and cheap??

[chris m]

Haas' website allows you to 'build' a machine and get a quote right online; you gotta do some work for yourself...

 

If you are just looking for a 2-axis lathe and a 3-axis VMC [i'd buy the 4-ax prep no matter what] you have about a million options. What are you cutting? What tolerances? How long does the machine need to last? How much $$ is available? You need answers to these questions before you can 'pick' a machine.

 

I have worked with Haas machines for years and they are what they are, user friendly controls, decent rigidity, big travel for the $$, plug-and-play cheap money 4th axis, etc. I personally find Haas lathes to be very unimpressive, my friend owns an SL20 and an SL30, but I run expensive iron so it is really not a fair comparison.

 

I personally hate Fadals but there are many people who have had great success with them.

 

I have heard good things about Daewoo and DooSan but have never actually owned either one.

 

Do a forum search for any of these names and you will find many threads with actual experiences related by forum members.

 

 

There are plenty of low-budet machines around, Vipers and the like, the only question is what you need and can afford.

 

ALWAYS remember that you get what you pay for. There is a reason that Okuma can sell lathes for $140K when the same sized machine from Haas is $50K.

 

C

[MasterCAM Rulez]

Chris,

 

i read some of the past Posted forum and you recommended Doosan buy http://www.methodsmachine.com

their service Very good?

Affordable machine with an excellent SERVICE is what my boss looking for?

 

i forget to mention we do mainly BRASS?

[chris m]

I do not know where you are located but in my area Methods is excellent in every facet of the business: service, parts, tech support, etc.

 

I have been told that many of the DooSan machines are copies of Okuma-Howa machines [which DooSan supposedly built as subcontractors for Okuma-Howa], they certainly look just like O-H machines. We have Okuma-Howa lathes that have been getting the snot beat out of them for 20 years and still are solid machines; very rugged and very reliable. If you buy something with solid iron, THK ballscrews and the like, and a Fanuc control it'll be tough to go too wrong

 

C

[MasterCAM Rulez]

I live in NY area,probably i tell my boss to give Methods a call.