Jump to content

Welcome to eMastercam

Register now to participate in the forums, access the download area, buy Mastercam training materials, post processors and more. This message will be removed once you have signed in.

Use your display name or email address to sign in:

New Machine, What do I need ?


Recommended Posts

I was raised by wolves, Old Germans and Swiss toolmakers so I have a different take on machinery and technology. I am a "get the part done anyway you can, design it the best way to be able to make it as cheaply and as perfectly as possible" kind of guy. I work for the taxpayers of Cali and I try to give them as much as a break as I can. Long story short; I bought a Haas Vf-2 with a HRT 160 4th axis. It is loaded up pretty well probe and all. I have run Haas Minimills, OfficeMills and the TMP-1 we have now, and I can find my way around masterCam. 

Most of our work is going to be whatever the Professors and Dr.'s dream up. Stainless Vacuum chambers, parts for robots, Formula SAE and microsurgical instruments. Just about everything and out of everything. Not much help in narrowing things down for you guys. Speed is not my problem as things are always needed last month when they are brought to me, but they will not pay for the type of machinetools that would speed up the process...…. so typical R&D machining.

We are getting thru the spindle Air and Coolant.

I am getting a couple of Orange vises ; so other than that...

1). What do you like for an all around coolant?

2). How about Cat40  toolholders ? Milling chucks, Hydraulic, Weldon-style, ER's and Tapping chucks ? 

3).  Chuck for the 4th ? 6 jaw? or ?

4) I would like a turbine or electric 40k+rpm speeder of some kind. It is hard to get real info from someone running them, I have tried to talk to the small company that makes the coolant driven ones that Horn is selling but no real info yet.

5).  insert tooling Feed mills, face mills,  Drills ?

Anything else I am missing ? I am looking for things that will last and be very versatile. At a university you can get money when the machine is new, but 2 months later there is just nothing available, so I have to think things all the way through. 

 

Also we are getting a TL-1 lathe. how about a versatile maker of some insert holders and inserts for that ? We had some good old Kennametal holders and inserts that worked great but they were at least 20 years old. So the guy before me bought Chinese holders and inserts that may have not been the good deal the price may have indicated. 

Anyway let the ideas fly …. I need them. Also most companies treat schools pretty well, but if you have a supplier that you really like please let me know. Many companies give awesome discounts at first then you are given to a rep that puts you into a group that in six months quotes you the catalog price and not even the flyer price..... I get it... but... we are all taxpayers

I would ask Titan but he's really busy...…. Thanks for any wisdom. -matt

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lots of questions..... sorry ...... if you have any input on anything  I would appreciate it. I just don’t have any one to talk to anymore except sales guys and well that is sometimes hazardous. I have been a one man shop for so long I am way behind in everything . I am so old I met Mr. Parsons, the guy who invented the first computer controlled machine tool. Thanks again.... - matt

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Matt,

As many holders as your budget will allow.

ERs are versatile - 25 and 16 are good systems and value for money.

Schunk hydraulics are also very good value.

For facemill, look at the Tagutec 3P system. The ally inserts cut titanium (and delrins) very well, and they do a steel insert that works well.

 

Oh, and with a TM1, if you're gunna use the handwheels you need your legs cutting off at the knees :D

WNMG are the best value as more edges and some D and V insert holders will do most OD work.

ISCAR was good to me for part off - GFN inserts lasted a long time on the prototraks.

Boring bars - I don't think you can go wrong with CCMT types - readily available and carbide bars are usually sold as a pack for 8mm/10mm/12mm bodies 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
13 hours ago, matt m said:

2). How about Cat40  toolholders ? Milling chucks, Hydraulic, Weldon-style, ER's and Tapping chucks ? 

3).  Chuck for the 4th ? 6 jaw? or ?

5).  insert tooling Feed mills, face mills,  Drills ?

 

 

2) Mari-Tool

3) why not a 3 jaw?

5) Sandvik is my goto for tooling, they also make great drills. I was strictly a Guhring drill guy, but have switched recently to Sandvik drills and they are just as good. They also make their own carbide so the price is usually cheaper. But their solid carbide end mills are still way too expensive.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went with Maritool.  ER11, 16, and 32, and a couple drill chucks, solid holders, and shrink fits.  You want short holders for most stuff, but you'll need some longer ones to reach toward the center of your rotary.  After running for three years I probably have about $50k in cutters stored up in the cabinet, hundreds of different EDPs.

  • Thanks 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the TL-1 did you get the tool changer or the tool post.

 

If your going with the tool post route I would recommend Dorian. I think they were way better that Aloris. Their through toolpost coolant is pretty cool, not much pressure but it does make life a little easier. Also gang tooling works well when you need it. Royal has an 5c collet closer for those machines that works pretty well.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did not know that there was such a thing...…. But after Googling them , they seem to run $3K about. So on the wish list that goes. Thanks !

There is a thread about those small speeders that run by air a Toodle they are called, Has anyone used one ? They seem like they could serve my purpose at $1K for a set-up and a few different cutters rather than spend 6K for a air turbine  or NSK type speeder. The problem with the "Toodle" is its metric and I still have a bout 75 1/8 shank tools left over from when I owned my shop.  thanks guys you are really helping me. -matt

Link to comment
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, #Rekd™ said:

We got this one with our machine. You need at least 90 PSI to run it though. Ours is 40K RPM

http://www.airturbinetools.com/spindles/specs/650cat40.html

 

 

I have 100 PSI but I have only 22 SCFM so I don't think that would be enough. I will ask a Rep about it. I have heard they work well.  I need to make a couple Inner Ocular lens molds soon. do you guys use it a lot ?  - matt

Link to comment
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, Rocketmachinist said:

For the TL-1 did you get the tool changer or the tool post.

 

If your going with the tool post route I would recommend Dorian. I think they were way better that Aloris. Their through toolpost coolant is pretty cool, not much pressure but it does make life a little easier. Also gang tooling works well when you need it. Royal has an 5c collet closer for those machines that works pretty well.

I did not get the tool changer.... I was going with the Dorian, And I still have the gang tooling from my office lathe, so I may even try that.  I was looking at the Royal 5C also. Thanks for the thoughts. -matt

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought two "office lathe" gang tooling blocks and put them on a pallet on the table of my mill.  I put the stock in the spindle to make lathe parts, and use work offsets for the tool positions.  I'm running some right now, with the 2nd op milling on the trunnion.  I use two identical toolholders with stock so I can load one while the other's running.  There are just two things I'm really missing, being through tool coolant for the lathe tools, and a constant surface speed function.

 

General Purpose Machine.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Join us!

eMastercam - your online source for all things Mastercam.

Together, we are the strongest Mastercam community on the web with over 56,000 members, and our online store offers a wide selection of training materials for all applications and skill levels.

Follow us

×
×
  • Create New...