Router tolerance

[RaiderX]

Am curious what kind of accuracy people are getting out of there 5 axis routers.

We have a quite worn DMI that claims .005 new and that is killing me making mold tooling. most of our final part tolerances are +/-.03 but I like my tooling money on.

TIA 

Doug

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

Can you run some tests to see what it'll hold?  Circle/diamond/square or ballbar?

[RaiderX]

it has been lazered and dialed into .003 linear. but table has some drop in areas. ways are worn a bit and am sure of backlash etc. I am impressed for a ten year old machine with very hard life (previous machinists were pretty rough on it).

I guess my real question is what machines might be recommended that might be a bit tighter out of the gate. I have been spoiled with matsuura's, makino's and okuma's but we need 5 axis and loads of travel on a shoe string budget.

current machine has 76x136x47 travel head head full 5 axis.

Whats out there? Just trying to load up info because there is rumor of new machine??

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

Is rebuilding that machine an option?  Does the control allow for volumetric accuracy adjustments?  Don't know much about the router world I'm afraid.

[crazy^millman]

Onsurd would be a very solid choice, then you got CMS, Moitionmaster, Thermwood. I could hold .002 on a Thermwood, but I was always retramming that thing to make it hold it. Routers have come a long way, but are routers. Want accuracy then look to a JOBS, Zimmerman, Fukay or Fidia. Big bucks, but money well spent for the right parts.

[Lord Wukits]

We run a Motionmaster and we hold ~+/-.005 on average, but thats measuring plastic on the trim fixtures. 

[huskermcdoogle]

All depends on where in the volume you are, and how much repetitive work you do.  Our CMS machines will do well fresly calibrated, certainly sub .005", but the racks wear if you do repetitive work, and will skew things a bit on pitch comp and squareness of the bridge.  One thing to note is that long unsupported spans will potentially sag a few thou, and if you have a laser you can measure this and know what the sag is, so if you need to get rid of it, you can put in a simple removable column for a particular job.  I do believe CMS sells one for the Ares machine we have.  Currently with the jobs we are running, it doesn't really matter, only when doing a head calibration do you really need to be conscience of it.