Lathe recomendation

[Hymen]

We're looking to buy a used Miyano bnj42. Dual spindle dual turret w/live tooling, standard with collet system. This is proving to be hard to find. New is $260,000. Although it seems to be a great machine, I can't justify the cost.

I'm looking in a new direction and am hoping for some input on a machine and model. I think Okuma because I've only really read a lot of good things about them. I've never ran one.

From the info I've gathered the miyano holds tolerances great through changing temp. Morning to night and at startup. If you smack it up it takes only a few hours to realign.

http://www.miyano-usa.com/products.asp?id=...g%205-10%20Axis

I looking for a machine that comes standard with a collet system. Looking for a smaller machine up to 1-1/2" stock small footprint dual spindles dual turret. but not a swiss turn. Owner dosen't want to introduce a new style of turning?

The LT200 would be suitablt but it looks like it is a chucking nmachine.

Any companies you know of that make a lathe with a collet system as standard that are reputible machine builders?

Any info helpful!

[Rick Henrickson 65]

LT 200 great tool both turrets can work on both spindles a bit spendy but very good. as far as the thermal growth issue you mentioned make sure the turret and spindles are on the same casting and it shouldnt be an issue. how about a mazak multiplex only 1 turret per spindle but a little cheaper! no lathe is really standard with collets or chucks it is just how you quote the package!

[Hymen]

The Miyano above is built with Collets!

[MMT-USA]

Nakamura all the way..

[chris m]

Hmmmmm.... MMT..... Sudbury, MA....

 

You wouldn't be "Methods Machine Tools" would you? Nakamura makes a very nice machine, but you should at least tell the guy you are their rep....

 

I have a 2001 Okuma LT-15M Big Bore [same size, I believe, as the current LT300 ] with a Production Dynamics Full-Bore collet chuck [uses a Hardinge S30 master collet] on one side and a MicroCentric air-operated 3-jaw on the other side. The machine ships with bare spindles so it is not a 'chucking machine' or a 'collet machine' by birth, you set up the thing the way you want. The machine I have is very powerful, rigid, and reliable; makes thousands of parts every month. There is some thermal growth in the mornings [around .0008 - .0015 depending on how hard the machine works for a given part] but Okumas newer technology probably cuts a lot of that down. I run, exclusively, parts with at least one feature that has a .0005 tolerance and run them all day long with no issues.

 

C

[MMT-USA]

Chris...very observant of you.. but I'm sure Hymen could figure that out. I'm not here to sell machines, just to see what your talking about.

[chris m]

After I "figured out" what was what I went back and clicked on your profile...duh

 

Not super bright first thing in the morning...

 

What's going on down there on Union Avenue? I was down for the Turning Expo [or whatever the hell they called it]; you guys can really put on a show!

[88Matt]

Love the mori seiki.

 

And no, I'm not a dealer.

[MMT-USA]

We're not a dealer. We are the direct importer..

 

Thanks though

[chris m]

Don't start big-timing us already...

 

Since you guys are drinking buddies with the Matsuura family, is the guy who races open-wheeled cars [iRL, CART, something like that] related to them?

[88Matt]

Wouldn't it be better to be the "direct exporter"?

 

Just a Thought.

[Zoober]

You can't go wrong with Miyano for small collet machines.

Hymen, You are dead on about the accuracies and temps. I've been around Miyano's since the 80's (yes, ex-app. engineer for dealer ) and have seen the small machines out run all others - Cycle times, reliability, and accuracy wise.

If crashed, a Miyano spindle and turret can be re-aligned in a few hours, and then be just as good as before. The larger machines, well prolly Mori, or Okuma.

Fire away, boys!

[Hymen]

88Matt, Already have a Mori ZL-150SMC it's a bit big for the work we are doing but it does the job. We've retofitted it with a collet system. The Machine we are looking for will relieve the overloaded schedule it has. Plus if it goes down we' re in trouble. I chase the machine around from 6am til 9am then all is well till around 2pm and then sometimes it changes up again. We do have temp controled shop but ...

We are although looking to get another Mori ZL-154 SMC single turret. This would save us a bit of money on tooling holder and collets.

 

chris m, Thanks for the info.

 

Zoober that what I've been hearing. Those machines are hard to find used right now. Missed a chance at 2 of them, and with the way manufacturing has picked up I don't see anyone wanting to sell such a good machine.

 

MMT-USA how do these ship collet or chuck? Which models have dual turrets and spindles? and approximate foot prints.

[Jack Neelands™]

we are in the process of retro-fitting the chucks on 8 okuma lathes that were purchased by our customer for wheel spinners that form .250 thick steel plate and then face the steel plate to size for the inside of a truck wheel....they are about 10 yrs old and have duo turrets...now they are being cleaned up and repainted but other than that our millwrights found nothing else wrong with them ....they are as sound as the day they come off the line...we have a majority of okumas here so i am being biased

[MMT-USA]

Sorry guys,

 

Just trying to help by giving my feedback and hoping I can help with your day to day job. We're testing this software on some of the latest technology.

 

Exporter...no, our sales and support are for the USA only.

 

Wouldn't you guys like to know if Haas, Mori, Miyano or any other machine tool manufacturer reads this forum?

 

Manufacturers probably dont respond because they feel your going to berate them.

[Guest]

Well HAAS and FADAL deserve to be berated

 

[MMT-USA]

You guys are too funny

[MMT-USA]

IMTS is coming...hope you guys are coming. Should be a great year for new technology in all aspects

[Hymen]

Any more opinions out there?

[desmotom]

Mori all the way, love them. There like the cadilac of CNC lathes. We have 403, 2-603's , and an NL2500 I think the only on in Canada.

[Zoober]

And then there's the Mercedes........

BX26S

Only a 6" machine, but still......

[S.Hall]

I used to run the Okuma twin turrets and,they are very stable machines. As far as thermal change goes, ive actually used the ware settings to keep up untill the opp temp peaked. As far as programming, they are easy to program. You can use the standard variables or (basic) as in , if 1 is > 2 go to. Very solid. I used to run bearings with .0005 tolerences and,up to 10 different V Tapers. Flawless.

[Greg Williams]

quote:

---

Wouldn't you guys like to know if Haas, Mori, Miyano or any other machine tool manufacturer reads this forum?

---

My Guess is that there are a few Okuma people (I know of 2) that visit this forum and they have plenty of Mastercam and machining tips to Offer without pushing there product.

[Kyle Waters]

Hymen, we currently have an 1989 Okuma LB-15(yep there still around) and a 2001 Mori MT2000SZ. I think a lot of what you want will be determined by the parts you're making and control preference. Both of our machines have conversational software, yet another preference.If you are looking at accuracy, both of these machines we have run GREAT. We do a warm up in the morning for a half hour, then start making money. We are currently getting a LB300 and a NL2500 quoted both with live tooling, dual chucks and -Y- axis. We put Microcentric chucks on our Mori(use bar feeder with lights-out), those are GREAT. You should call the local distributors up, give them a part, tell them how YOU want it made - to eliminate any skill differences between the application guys -, and enjoy the show!

[chris m]

MicroCentric chucks are great, everything else about the company sucks. That being said, the chucks are the nuts [i have 5 of them] and luckily I never really need to deal with them for anything because the chucks never break.

 

C

 

As far as The Methods' guy's question: I know that Robert E. Morris [NE Okuma rep] has guys lurking here, Okuma has at least one factory guy, and Mazak has / had at least one guy out here over the years because some forum members were contacted outside of the forum and asked to shut up a couple of years ago when there was some pretty frank 'Mazak sucks' talk going on among their customers on the forum.