What's new
What's new

Haas VF0 / VF1 buying advice needed please

Tricky

Cast Iron
Joined
Jun 4, 2005
Location
Uk
Hi Folks,

We are about to out our 4 Arrow 500's with A2100 control on in the next few weeks and are struggling to find some thing to replace them with.

We don't want any more A2100 machines because their resale value in the UK is plumiting faster than a lead weight, so buying some Arrow mk2's (if I could find some) would be a bad waste of money and the control's are getting more and more expensive to fix (even without genuine parts)

So we don't want to fork out on new VF1's with would come in at just under £30k each and they don't have 3 in UK stock and the Super Mini-Mills have tiny tool changes.

So apart from looking to try and find 3 identical Fanuc control machines in good condition, we are thinking about used Haas's, because they seem to grow on trees at the moment for around £15k.

We were thinking about VF0 / VF1's around 1998 which would appear to still have the CRT type monitors.

Is their much between them, have they changed much, I read some stuff about DC servo's which worries me, when did they move to AC motors ?

I understand that Haas controls are basically PC based, like the A2100's so can I put a ethernet card staight in one around the late 1990's or do we need expensive options ?

Would an average 1997 VF0 still interpilate a round bore down to 0.0005" (12 microns) like our Arrows still can ?

Any advice would be greatfully received !
 
We have a '00 VF0E (E is the extended table). That machine is a real workhorse.

On the ethernet, I don't think that was an option for the year of machine your are looking for. Ours uses the 3-1/2" floppy or DB25 cable.

A buddy of mine that is a Haas tech. told us to try and get a machine that has the Vector drives, don't remember the reason, but he strongly recommended it.

Our machine is capable of what you are looking for, but it has been well taken care of, every used machine is different.
 
Thanks for the Vector drive pointer, I guess that is refering to the AC Spindle Motor.

I think if a Haas is running under MSdos and it uses a PC motherboard it must be able to take an ethernet card.
I don't know if the mono screen ones run under dos or not though.

With the A2100's you can set it all up an use it, but the machine software won't let you select a network drive unless have the option enabled, which makes it useable but not so user freindly !
 
The vector drive specifies the Haas brand of spindle drive unit in the machine. The upgrades were to add a parameter in the drive to do the spindle orient for TC without using the shot pin thing to lock the spindle in place. The shot pin is a pain and causes problems. They also have more power and a closed loop feedback system to better manage rpms.

interpolation with a 10yo Haas in .0005? That would depend greatly on the machine condition and care. Depending the the diameter, I am not sure I would even buy a Haas for that kind of work. Maybe a Mori or Makino? I sure to love Haas machines but I say it over and over, I wish their machine matched their control.
 
Hi Folks,

we are thinking about used Haas's, because they seem to grow on trees at the moment for around £15k.
key term; What does this statement mean? They are plentiful? Think it over a little more. If the market is flooded with a used product, either it is obsolete, was mass produced, does not accomplish its job anymore, or costs more to maintain then a new machine. Otherwise whoever owned it beforehand lost it to a bank. How many HAAS machines are sold each year in the UK?

There is a reason for everything.
 
VF-0's where belt driven and the VF-1 had the gearbox for low speed torque.

Interpolate to .0005, I'm thinking probly not unless very well taken care of. They only guarantee .0004 when new, if I remenber right.
 
Well like them or hate them the Haas's are the Ford of the machine tool world in the UK

They sell loads of them 400 last year in the UK so I heard.

So it stands to reason that there will be at least 10 Haas's for every Matsurra or Morri on the used market at any one time. Plus small (<10 employee) job shops in the uk can't afford new Matsurra's but they can afford a new £30k VF1

If I could buy 4 around 8 year old Matsurra's VMC's at almost new Haas prices next week I would, but at the moment there is only 1 RA1-F for sale in the uk which needs a new spindle, and i don't want a twin pallet machine which is not working.

Because of the number of used Haas's for sale it is easy to find a few good, not so hammered or crashed machines out of a bunch of a dozen or so.
 
I'm more worried about expensive to activate options and lack of ethernet which we cured on our A2100 controls.

And inherintly bad problems which Haas owners are used to having to put up with or work around.

Can we just stick a ethernet card in the back of it and install some MSdos drivers and make it work ?
 
Been thinking about some mode like that. We did that with our Tree. Haas is a little more integrated and a pain for the DIYr. When you figure it out, let me know.
 








 
Back
Top