SNK machines

[So not a Guru]

Anyone familiar with SNK machines? We're considering getting a 5X  gantry mill. Any informed advice would be appreciated.

We don't need a huge envelope, but at least 120" x 40"

[TheePres]

I am very familiar with SNK machines. Any specific questions you have on them?

120" is way to small for gantry style, at that size take a look at the HPS series.

[So not a Guru]

13 minutes ago, TheePres said:

take a look at the HPS series

That 5000rpm max is too slow. The RB looks like it might suit our needs a little better.

[TheePres]

I am working on the HPS-120B/5 now. It has 15k rpm spindle 50hp X124.00" Y51.50" Z30.00". The  drawbacks to this machine its only A+-90.0. and you lose quite a bit of Y travel when tilted.

The RB series is a good machine also but the Z" travel is very limited, but does come with W column for extended reach. We still have yet to dial in our post for the "W".

My favorite is the PS6B series gantry , has a larger travel than you need.  This has A+-110. with no loss of Y axis.

Im sure all these have many options as far as spindle; gear driven or direct drive.

[lowcountrycamo]

We have 3 Horizontal Aluminum machines.  They might be similar to the HPS-120B/5,  or just alike.  20K spindle and never go above 16000 because spindles only last about 1year at that speed.  We run big parts at 300ipm for 20hrs daily.  We have some that have lasted weeks.  Although we get 6months warranty.  Loose 10 days for each spindle.   This is the older design so maybe they have improved.   For all I know that is normal for machines like this and a similar Makino Mag is much more$.  I like the SNK other than that.  They can make a 1000 lbs of chips in a shift.

[Colin Gilchrist]

For any gantry 5 Axis machine, you should plan from the installation to have a backup spindle, maintained and ready for install. We did this at Boeing for our large 5X Gantry machines. (We had 8 machines, and had 3 replacement spindles ready at any given time.) It would take about 4-6 hours of downtime to swap the spindle out, and we'd be back up and running.

I suppose it also depends on if this machine will be running production or not. As lowcountrycamo mentioned, you will lose a minimum of 10 days of downtime, every time that spindle blows. Running at high RPM for most of it's life, it will blow at some point. The question is; are you ready for it when it happens?

What kind of material are you cutting? Who said "let's get a SNK machine", and why did they pick that brand? I have nothing personal against SNK, I just wonder how the service is, in your area. Have you looked at Makino or Matsuura? If it was my money being spent, I would exhaust my options with both of those builders, before I'd consider anyone else...

[So not a Guru]

Colin, we'll be cutting mostly aluminum on the machine. I found SNK through a quick search for gantry & bridge mills. We are open to all suggestions on this. We have a DMS 5X router with a 12' x 5' bed, but it is way to light for the type of work we have in mind (aerospace ribs, stiffeners & bulkheads). No one here is well versed in this type of equipment, so we're trying to get some research in.

[Colin Gilchrist]

Ok, cool. Since you are new to this world, spend some time looking through "Techspex". Their website is good for hunting down a specific manufacturer of equipment, based on some broad search specifications. Also, if you just go to their "Builder Search", it will list most of the major Machine Tool Builders that I'd consider:

https://www.techspex.com/builders/search

Have you checked out Zimmerman? You mentioned you don't have a lot of experience with Gantry machines, so I'd take a hard look at these guys as well. The biggest issue you'll face is making sure whatever machine you buy has good service in your area. This really varies pretty widely from region to region. The difficulty with a "large, expensive" Gantry Mill, is they often have to send a Tech from Japan or Germany, if you run into issues with the machine/control. Many of the large German or Japanese MTB's will have great USA service departments.

When you go looking for a new Gantry, ask the salesman to provide you with contact info for someone "local", in your area, that has one of these machines installed. That way you can ask someone with direct experience how their service is.

http://www.f-zimmermann.com/us/milling-machines/

 

 

[So not a Guru]

Thanks Colin!