I threadmill lots of NPT holes. Vardex threadmills are garbage in my experience. I recommend Seco Thread mills. Dont waste your time with tapering the hole. thats old school. Some drawings call for drill. 687 and ream taper. Ignore that. Drill .718 and threadmill to size from a straight hole with a seco thread mill. it will be much faster. The exact tool I used was a .718 KSEM drill, and a 2 insert regular length NPT seco thread mill. very quick.

I threadmill lots of NPT holes. Vardex threadmills are garbage in my experience. I recommend Seco Thread mills. Dont waste your time with tapering the hole. thats old school. Some drawings call for drill. 687 and ream taper. Ignore that. Drill .718 and threadmill to size from a straight hole with a seco thread mill. it will be much faster. The exact tool I used was a .718 KSEM drill, and a 2 insert regular length NPT seco thread mill. very quick.

I threadmill lots of NPT holes. Vardex threadmills are garbage in my experience. I recommend Seco Thread mills. Dont waste your time with tapering the hole. thats old school. Some drawings call for drill. 687 and ream taper. Ignore that. Drill .718 and threadmill to size from a straight hole with a seco thread mill. it will be much faster. The exact tool I used was a .718 KSEM drill, and a 2 insert regular length NPT seco thread mill. very quick.

You could try walter valenite. I am not aware of the price or quality, however I am pretty sure they also make capto tools

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For Mazak the E, I and J series Integrex all use square bed style machines where the Y axis comes directly outward (no wedge style compond axis). They have full range of travel E670 is 30+" off the top of my head. Only the "standard" integrex uses a wedge design. In lathe mode the X is diameter or rad (depending on modal commands) and the Z is left and right, however for milling, with G68 tilted work plane active, the Z is the tool axis regardless of its orientation, and the x and Y are relative to your rotation of the coordinate system thats been commanded. It makes programming very easy for milling. Change the tool plane in mastercam and the post spits out G68 for you. Works very well.

I agree with the fake y axis comment. the slant bed style mtm machines are excellent for parts with mostly turning and some small amounts of milling and drilling, but for parts with more milling the slant style makes its limitations very obvious. For complex milled parts, the E series Integrex or Mori NT style machine is much better. Trying to machine five axis on spindle 2 causes grief with Integrex MkIV machines as well. Thats one way for toolchanging, but the method that I was referring to with MDI on the integrex is actually even easier than that, MDI mode, press toolchange softkey, type tool number, press input, cycle start. Laser tool measurement works the same way. Very simple

Our industry locally is mostly oilfield components. Large, mostly round, tons of turning and less milling. I cant really point you to a specific shop, however Im sure there are still a few shops around Windsor Ontario that are very good at this type of thing, that area was mostly based on automotive mould making and the industry has collapsed in the area. Im sure theres still a few more than capable shops in the area. Might be a good place to look.

Cant comment on the macro side as I have never attempted to do what you are doing. I could look into it, but some of those values can be difficult to find (control manufacturers dont share all of the variables too nicely, if they even exist in some cases). But powerfulp's comment seems to be more useful than the way I would have approached it, so I wont comment on that lol. As mentioned tho, Mazaks have several ways of dealing with it. You have horsepower and thrust force on your tool data, that should limit the speed and feed if the load climbs too much. Theres auto pecking (which feeds until it hits a max load, then starts to peck (but thats designed for HSS drills), and finally theres an overload detection option which is activated with a series of Mcodes. Ive used this before to help customers with "less than attentive" nightshift operators. Basically the machine will either stop feeding and give an alarm, or it will stop feed and spindle and give an alarm when a set load is exceeded for a set amount of time.

I would look for information on Kuraki boring mills as this machine should work in a similar fashion. I was looking at purchasing an Giddings and Lewis Numericenter 15 a while back. Im kind of kicking myself for letting it pass. They dont make big solid machines like this anymore. Slow lumbering beasts. lol

Matsuura makes a damned good machining centre. Depending on the size of the parts, Im not sure of their currently available models, but I have worked with RA2, RA3, MC-1000, RA-IV mills all with 15,000-20,000 rpm spindles. They are box way machines, and are very rigid. We had minimal issues with them, and they were very accurate. We machined most parts to tight GDT tolerances and most required CMM. To give you an idea, we machined parts to .0002 tolerances consistently (machine on assembly, final op on the parts), We did have to dry run the machine to keep consistent sizes. But we made these parts in volume and held size (free machining brass was the material for that part). Mazak and DMG also make several machines with linear motors that are very very fast. Rapids to almost 5000ipm. Check out DMG DMF 360 Linear, (and similar in case your parts are not that large), also Mazak Super Mould Maker, and FJV mills are dual column very rigid machines. If your parts are small enough to fit on a horizontal, Check out the Mazak Micro series horizontals, they are very accurate machines. If you would like some advice feel free to shoot me a message with some more details.

You dont know me, and because it says I have only several posts here doesnt mean im new here. I have been around here for years. Im going to excuse your ignorance this one time. Im not about to get into a pissing match with someone I've never met over a web forum because they dont agree with my opinion. My comments were a direct response to this I have direct experience. I work with different machine tools and controls every single day.

Mazak support is usually relatively strong. In terms of service it depends on the area, some service is completed by dealers, some by Mazak themselves. Warranty service is performed exclusively by Mazak. One of my large customers in Edmonton had a machine that was behind schedule on installation, They sent one installer from Kentucky, one from Japan. Once they discovered that it was taking longer than they thought it should they brought a third service guy to help get it done (FYI it was a very large machine, not a simple install). Mazak is usually pretty quick to support their machines. They also have a policy of replacement parts being shipped within 24 hours of the order being placed. They have a large and very automated parts facility at their factory in Kentucky. Also if you havent been to the Kentucky factory, It would be worth the trip, it will help you see what Mazak is all about. That plant is really not as impressive as their Japanese factories though. But to see the level of automation they use it is very impressive. Especially if you intend to run fully automated yourself.

Hi Chris, Could you clarify what you mean by generic engine posts? Im kind of interested in paying reduced prices for posts for customization purposes. I always work with different machines, this might help me out.

Not sure about these drills, but I have run 20+x on 4130 steel at 3/8" dia using OSG drills with 1000psi coolant, and up to 40x dia 3/16!!! dia Guhring (also in 4130). how do you drill them? I had previously made a post adjustment for a customer to run in mastercam to simply use a drilling cycle and get gun drilling sort of output. What I do is this pilot drill with either this drill (or where tool life is concerned a short drill) to 1-2x dia toolchange to long drill no coolant and 100rpm, rapid to position spindle to 1000rpm (depending on material, maybe slower), NO COOLANT drill about 1x dia deeper (at like 2 ipm) back off .005 in z accelerate spindle to cutting speed, dwell, 1000psi coolant on feed to depth no pecking (in 4130 - 3/8 drill feeding 32 ipm, 3/16 feeding at 12-14 ipm) retract .01, coolant off, spindle 100 rpm retract all the way out toolchange, done

Yeah I havent had too much experience with okumas (a little bit, but not extensively), but if I worked on them more I would be fine. One example that turned me off on the multus was just doing a toolchange in MDI, compared to an integrex it just seemed weird to me. Ive worked with Moris before as well. Damned good machines. But $$$$$$$! I know several of them around had some problems with toolchangers, their dual drive ball screw systems, etc. every machine has their issues though. The Integrex SY cannot even be compared to current machines. The SY machines were around in the mid 90s. I would imagine long before the multus and macturn had been on the drawing board, but then again I dont know okumas that well so I may be wrong. Even the MkIV Integrex over the MkIII integrex was a major improvement (IMO). I know in my area, Mazak dominates the competition. There are a few Mori NT machines around here, but there are a ton more Integrex machines than anything ive seen around. Tim, if the mazak applications guy said they didnt even know how to make your part, you were talking to the wrong guy. I worked with a customer just recently who had an applications guy give him a timestudy of 17 minutes, when it should have been 3 times that amount. For a 100+lb forging, I had the machine cutting extremely aggressively with top end tools cutting steel at up to 650ipm just to hit the 45 minute mark. I told them they should have asked me first lol. I used to be an applications guy for a mazak reseller (thats why I know them so well lol) In terms of work cell, the integrex machines have the Flex GL gantry robot for some models, they also have the E-Bot 720 which is i believe a 6 axis fanuc robot. however im not sure if ive ever seen an E-Bot 720 running on anything but an E-500HS which sounds like it is much larger than you need. If you want some help with figuring out best fit and planning the project feel free to shoot me an email, I can take a look at what you are planning to do and make some suggestions, Ive worked extensively with MTM machines. In terms of mastercam and whatever machine you choose of the three, machine model is pretty much irrelevant. The will all work just fine with Mastercam, regardless of configration, its all about how things are set up.

#3901 should be your part count value. test it by forcing a number in the counter on the control, then go to MDI and type #500=#3901 and see if you get that value in your #500 on the macro variable page. This may not show up right away, you might have to type it 2 or 3 times before it shows up. Also #3902 is the number of required parts value. I used to be an applications guy for a Mazak dealer. at the end of the program just add #3901=#3901+1 you could use it something like this (off the top of my head) ... .... #3901=#3901+1 IF [#3901GT#3902] GOTO100 M99 N100 M30 Hope this helps

might need to slightly increase the depth of cut, also I agree with insert suggestions --> very sharp and high positive geometry and chip breaker. 1000psi coolant and mist collectors, and also you will want to monitor tool life during the day, then set the machine to use backup tools (ie change tools after so much tool life, or parts cut, Mazaks have the capability built in, other machines I cant really comment, but Macros and easily accomplish this) The last suggestion will require some time to fine tune. Also, if your machine has Overload detection, use it. its helpful if a drill welds into the part from built up edges.

Hi Tim, I believe Brian from Spring Tech may have passed you my information. In my opinion, the mazak would be better bang for buck. Ive worked with many different Integrex models, and they work very well depending on what you want. Integrex MkIV is good if you do a lot of turning, E series if you do a lot of milling. My personal opinion is that the Okumas controls are more complex than they need to be. Mori NT are good machines, however you will definetly pay for them. Also Mazak has many different MTM models, they pioneered the multitasking process more than 20 years ago. ive balance turned (two turrets at once, not quite the same, but similar to pinch turning) 6061 T6 at .052 ipr at 1/2" doc (per side) on an integrex 400ST. Ive also run 14-15" long 66mm coromill 210 feedmills at 300+ipm on Integrex E670HS, finishing within .002 finish size exceeding required 63 finish with a Coromill 790, helical interpolating to the same 14+" depth in 4130 steel(keep in mind this is an 80,000 - 100,000 lb machine). If you dont require odd angle work, you can also go for I and J series integrex machines which are much lower priced, and work very well as well, I have a few customers with I series machines. You can travel well below the spindle (in x axis) for easier milling (which is usually a limitation on some of these types of machines). They have optional 5 degree or 1 degree B axis index. Basically its similar to the E series but is not capable of simultaneous 5 axis machining. Just my 2 cents Also, do you currently have a robotic integrator in mind? will you be using manufacturer supplied robots? or implementing your own cell? I can provide you with assistance with the Integrex machines and robotic integration if you require.

For me, I have a college diploma as a Mechanical Technician - Toolmaking, and a one year certificate in Machine Shop. While attending school I was working as an operator in several shops that made relatively complex parts with tight tolerances and using GDT. From there I took a lower paying job working for a reseller, where I gained tons of experience, before I moved on to work for a machine tool reseller. After a while, I went back to working in a shop where I spent the next few years working with several 7-9 axis multitasking machines, as well as working on the side doing contract work. Eventually I left there and started my own company. The long and the short of it is, I learned 10x what I could learn in school by working hard on the job. At just 27 years old, I have my own CNC equipment, full package of Mastercam, and a large 6+1 axis robot on the way, and Robotmaster in the works. For me, I do not feel it is worth it to go back to school (as much as I love learning), it makes more sense to hire an engineer when necessary. It cost me around 20,000 for my education, I couldnt imagine having to have spent 2-3 times that amount to make my start. Over time, it begins to make much less sense to return to school for several years.

Sounds like this thread should be in the community feedback forum...

I was helping with a shop move once with one of my previous companies. Last machine to go out at the last second (their contract with the building owners had stiff penalties for late move out) got to the door and wouldnt fit through. lol With a crane and riggers and all sorts of machine tool service guys waiting, needless to say it becomes fairly expensive for each passing minute. So we frantically ripped covers and sheet metal off, and also ended up removing the y axis servo motor. But we got it out. lol

Sounds good Lee, I will contact you when I return to Edmonton. Im currently out of town on holidays. I should be back around Jan 4th or 5th. I will give you a call then. Cheers Brandon