Haas office mills

Dave RI · May 21, 2009

Guys ,

I just retruned from Eastec here on the east coast where i leaned about the office mill line that Haas carries , i am a small shop that is run from a basement of my house so we are limited on space , it seems that this machine will be a good fit , but i am looking for some pros and cons on this type milling center . Most things we do are small and aluminum so we do light work would this be ok for this light work and how rugged are these machines ? Thanks alot for any help

Dave

SIM · May 22, 2009

Not first hand info, but from a good source.

Buy the Mini-mill.

Speedie · May 22, 2009

Why would you buy a new mill if your running from a basement? You can get twice the mill for half the price if you buy used. Depending on your basement size that is.

Tyler Machine · May 22, 2009

I big plus for the Mini Mill is that it can run on 220 single phase current.

the tool holders for the office mill are going to be expensive because they're not a widely used size.

Matt@RFR · May 22, 2009

Speedie said:
Why would you buy a new mill if your running from a basement? You can get twice the mill for half the price if you buy used. Depending on your basement size that is.

So the location and type of building dictates what kind of machines you need? Interesting. I may have screwed up then, because there's an '07 VF-2ss in my garage. Please advise. :rolleyes5:

Hdpg · May 22, 2009

The Office Mill is fine for light work, very light work as in watchmaking or jewellery. The travels are short, the spindle is oddball and the price is more than a MiniMill. Get a MiniMill even if you have to chainsaw a hole through the wall to get it in; better yet get a Supper MiniMill with faster rapids and a 10,000 rpm spindle.

Dave RI · May 23, 2009

Thanks guys for the insight

Like i said i am a "small " shop i am starting out so i am trying to keep the overhead down so i can pass some of that along to my few customers , i really think that alot of the problem now a days is shops have all this equipment that they used in the past and now that bussiness is in the tank they still need to make those payments on all that equipment to sit there , sorry for going off topic here but i wanted to explain my story but anyways the mini mill wins hands down for me then , why would they make different toolholders for the office mill ? Lastly i will probably not buy new , there is alot of used machines out there so why not take advantage of this . Thanks guys for all the inout it is greatly appreciated !

Dave

kerrprecision · May 30, 2009

Are you talking about the tm-1 i was at eastec and never looked at the haas cause all the companys i have work for are not big fans of them but since i'm like you working out of my garge now i'm expolring every option should have looked at haas.

Mitanium · May 30, 2009

Dave RI

The robodrill is a possible alternative, if that interests you. It is quite small and has a 30-taper.

ormachine · May 30, 2009

kerrprecision,
the office mill is different than the TM-1
TM-1 can do alot more than the office mill

Steve Seebold · Jun 1, 2009

The office mill is nice, but they start at around $50,000.00. You can get a brand new Mini with rigid tap, high speed look ahead, chip auger and 4th axis for less than that, and the Mini has more power.

david n · Jun 1, 2009

Get a super mini and be done with it. Here's mine http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/showthread.php/machine-porn-ahhh-gotta-181041.html

I have a VF2, SL20, the mini, plus all the other manual goodies in a 28X32 shop and I will be adding another SL20 by the end of the summer. If Haas is still offering their inventory discounts, you can get a brand spanking new super mini on you floor for the mid $30's. I wish I had a few more bucks to spend, I'd add another one tomorrow.

Hdpg · Jun 1, 2009

david n said:
Get a super mini and be done with it...

Get a Super Mini with the 4" Z axis lift and then you can use the HRT210 rotary in it.

I have all three versions of MiniMills, VF2s, VF0, TM3P and I think value for money and floor space occupied the raised Super is the best bang for your buck provied your parts fit in it.

Hitechceo · Aug 25, 2012

I'm new here so bear with me. I am also looking at the Office Mill from Haas. I am not new to Haas, I have a VF-4 and a VF-2 with a 10,000 RPM spindle. I was shocked by the price of the Office Mill as Haas has always been known for reasonably priced machines. My story is simple, I am looking at retirement however I have a few customers that could simplify an early retirement. The Office Mill can run on the power in my home. No more commercial property just to get 3 phase power. I have a customer base comprised of aerospace and military and medical base companies. I've worked for these customers for 10 plus years and I will miss them much more than going into the shop 7 days a week. I also need something to keep me from getting bored. In 16 years I've had maybe 4 service calls on my Haas. I don't run production on the Haas but build injection and compression molds, stamping and extrusion dies, and speciality equipment. My oldest, the VF-4 (1996), can interpolate a perfectly round hole for a dowel pin after all these years. At the same time I can drill a 1 1/2" hole into 4140 steel with a carbide insertable drill. My VF-2 has the high speed spindle for the intricate cavity work. You would never, ever buy a VMC without programmable coolant once you've had one. I also specialize in production wire EDM but that's for another post. Bottom line: Haas Rocks!

machineit2 · Aug 26, 2012

All of your current machines could run off of residential power with a simple phase converter. I run my shop off of a phase converter as there is hardly any 3 phase industrial units in my area.

When I was in California, I ran a VF-1 a CNC gang lathe and several other small machines off of one 30 hp converter that I built myself.

Now I run my VF-2 and other equipment of of a single 20 hp converter.

Mike

Weasel · Aug 26, 2012

We have a Mini ( 6k) a Super (10K ) and a Brother ( 16K ). We run a lot of small tools .040 to .015 , and the jump in RPM makes a huge difference.
So what is your average tool size ?If you a running a lot of real small tools, get the most RPMs you can afford.

If I had a limited budget, I would get a Super with a 5C 4th axis. That should be around 50 K, and would give a lot of flexibility.If you get a Super with the 4 inch riser, you will either have to buy extended holders or put the vise on a 2 inch subplate, but this package gives the most flexibility.
If you can't run 3 phase, the Mini with a 4th is a great deal, this is what I started with in a friends garage.

I've been interested in the Office mill, and will look it over at IMTS in a couple weeks .

You can't go wrong with a Haas, great control, good value,and easy to fix ( but rarely goes down ).

haastec · Aug 27, 2012

Hitechceo said:
I'm new here so bear with me. I am also looking at the Office Mill from Haas. I am not new to Haas, I have a VF-4 and a VF-2 with a 10,000 RPM spindle. I was shocked by the price of the Office Mill as Haas has always been known for reasonably priced machines. My story is simple, I am looking at retirement however I have a few customers that could simplify an early retirement. The Office Mill can run on the power in my home. No more commercial property just to get 3 phase power. I have a customer base comprised of aerospace and military and medical base companies. I've worked for these customers for 10 plus years and I will miss them much more than going into the shop 7 days a week. I also need something to keep me from getting bored. In 16 years I've had maybe 4 service calls on my Haas. I don't run production on the Haas but build injection and compression molds, stamping and extrusion dies, and speciality equipment. My oldest, the VF-4 (1996), can interpolate a perfectly round hole for a dowel pin after all these years. At the same time I can drill a 1 1/2" hole into 4140 steel with a carbide insertable drill. My VF-2 has the high speed spindle for the intricate cavity work. You would never, ever buy a VMC without programmable coolant once you've had one. I also specialize in production wire EDM but that's for another post. Bottom line: Haas Rocks!

I am with machineit2, pick the most useful machine and run it off a phase converter. Benefits are: you know the machine history, performance, and the price is right. Also with the OM you will have to get all new tooling.

Is the OM big enough for what you want to make? Another option would be the Mini Mill; it can run on 220V single.

Bruce Griffing · Aug 27, 2012

If you are thinking about something with a 50k budget, use part of the money to get a really good electronic phase converter instead (see below). With the right one, you can run any size Haas you want.

Phase Perfect | Digital Phase Converters | Phase Converters | American Rotary

I have a Phase Perfect and I love that thing.

Laurentian · Aug 27, 2012

I would think that the office mil is basically a light milling / electrode engraving
machine for non ferrous or small finely detailed parts as mentioned above.
The high frequency spindle option would make it attractive as such.

machineit2 · Aug 27, 2012

At those prices you better love it! Hope it's puttin out more than electricity!

Love the sale price savings on the 20hp!

Mike

Haas office mills

Aluminum

Titanium

Stainless

Plastic

Titanium

Stainless

Aluminum

Aluminum

Plastic

Aluminum

Banned

Diamond

Stainless

Plastic

Hot Rolled

Aluminum

Hot Rolled

Titanium

Stainless

Hot Rolled

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