Just got a Makino V55 w/fanuc control

[RandleXX]

14000 RPM

1900 IPM

 

Anyone have any experience with these?

[beej]

I've programmed them, but never run one. they are sweet machines though.

[Chris Rizzo]

I just came from an auction here (about 3 hrs ago) where one sold for 90k. 2001 machine pretty darn clean.

[peter_w]

I just got back from that same auction, i used to work in that shop, in fact i used to run that very machine.

[SBerg]

I have heard good stories about that Makino V55.

[Chris Rizzo]

what happened to the business? Just dry up?

 

I sure liked that little Monarch lathe, it went for a pile of $$ though.

[mowens]

I've programmed them. Lot's of fun.

[peter_w]

it was one of the top mold and die shops in portland when i started out there 12 years ago, then the owner wanted out about 5 years ago and had the bad luck of selling it to the wrong person (crook )who basically ran it into the ground.

[RandleXX]

That's the exact machine we just bought at the Portland auction. Wow 90K? My boss didn't say how much he paid for it.

 

So Peter_W, is there anything I should know about this machine? It appears to have been used to cut graphite.

[Chris Rizzo]

huh, small world!

 

I don't know exactly they go for new, but that seemed like a low-ish price for a new-ish Japanese machine.

[DavidB]

Makino

[HevyMetl]

If they cut graphite on it without a vaccume that could be bad. We run an SNC64 here with and I wouldn't trade it for the world for the small work we do. Randall all I can say is you got yourself one fine piece of equipment IF if was taken care of. The maintenance on them is minimal. Keep the spindle oil fresh and the grease fittings greased every 1000 hours. I have watched the one run at Auburn Hill, MI in the show room and it is truley amazing the finishes and tolerances the mahcine will hold. Make sure you understand how the SUPER GI.3 works, and run it in High Accuracy mode (M250 G5P10000) and watch the thing fly. I would love to have one right beside our other machine.

[peter_w]

It's a small world RandleXX. The machine was used to cut graphite with a very poor vacuum system, when we first saw the exposed ball screw on the top of the machine, we tried to tell our bosses that this shouldnt be used to cut graphite, but what can you do, they say make the trode and it sure makes a nice cloud of dust. You should have the x axis ball screw replaced 15K, and for 20-25K you can get it converted to an oil based lubrication system from makino. other wise i would just recomend you go thru and vacuum out t the spindle chiller on the side of the machine, and open up the back of the machine and clean out all the fans. The machine has not been run in over a year now. If you have any more questions email me

[toolall1]

Makino ,we use them for graphite good machines

[Hymen]

Wow had no idea so many of you are from the portland area.

[Mjölnir]

quote:

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Makino ,we use them for graphite good machines

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I'll take a Roku-Roku over a Makino any day for graphite.

[HevyMetl]

Obiviously you haven't ran a Makino with SGi active. I have test ran a path for a guy on this forum testing our Makino against his ROKU and our machine decimated his machine time on the exaxt same path. Roku Roku could not match the Makino on any of the test paths that I sent them. They blamed it on the toolpath, but the makino still beat them at a minimum of 10% of cycle time. I will say that all of our paths are very small movememts generally within a 1" cube.

[Rick46]

There good machines till they need repaired then they dig deep into the companys wallet...

[HevyMetl]

I haven't had to repair mine yet. 4 years and counting. Knock on wood.

[Rick46]

the glass scales I think thats what they are called in the machine we have are out so they have been turned off in the controller and just using the axis encoders now instead of both.. to expensive to repair at present time.. the finsh isnt that much different but when the scales were on it would leave jerky finish in y axis..

[HevyMetl]

I don't know your situation, but glass scales generally go out and fail, or get bad read sections and error out. The problem you are describing sounds more like a ball screw or thrust bearing problem. I am no machine service technician JM2C.

[Rick46]

@ heavymetl... you may be right.. thats what phone tech support said it was and we disabled them and it dosent leave the jerky finish anymore..but who knows... I am no machine service tech either..lol...