Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Thanks for your reply David
No I have not seen the machine it is not under power and I am told it has been in storage in the guy's garage for about a year. That's about all I know about it right now I will call him tomorrow and ask for a serial number and more info.
Marci
Get the machine serial number. Call your local dealer and ask for a machine history.
Marci,
What role would this machine play in your business?
Marci,
What role would this machine play in your business?
What might the serial number be? I am curious and would like to see the history of the machine.
What's your budget? If you're just a weekend warrior or a hobbiest, a nice cnc bed mill or plain cnc mill may be a good option.
http://www.machinetools.com/us/machines/view/70001
http://www.machinetools.com/us/machines/view/79500
Marci
Wow, well for a learning machine tool, if in good nick...that's wonderful.
Do you have a shop in an industrial zoned area?
The reason I ask is most residential districts do not make allowances for 3 phase service and the machine you are looking at will require such power. Granted there are ways of getting around that, but the cost factor will rise.
BTW is the machine wired for 240 or 480? If you look at the transformer in the lower right of the control cabinet it will be marked.
If single phase is your only option, try looking for a good used HAAS Mini Mill or any of the HAAS Tool Room products as they will run on either 208 3 phase or 240 single phase.
If that machine isn't a total POS, grab it and do a happy dance. Holy cow, a VF-2 for that price? Look it over, make sure it doesn't have some obvious physical damage, rust, etc. I'd be wary of it at that price, but times are tough. If he was a functioning business and just needed to move out when the lease ran out, it might be a solid machine for a screaming price.
There is no knee-mill conversion or hobby mill in the world that is going to hold a candle to a VF-2 (even if it's an old one). Repairs could get pricey, replacement spindles are in the thousands, ditto for the spindle amplifier but, you can't avoid the fact that it's a real CNC with a real toolchanger, a real coolant system and a real enclosure. The instant depreciation on a new VF-2 would exceed the purchase price of this one. If you try it and it doesn't work out, sell it for parts on eBay and you'd still be ahead of the game.
Things to consider:
- What's it going to cost you to get three phase power (rotary phase converter) for it? Include installation costs if you aren't handy with electricity.
- Do you have enough cool, dry air to keep up with it? My Husky, two-stage, 6 HP runs about 30% of the time, keeping up with the tool changer and the spindle purge. Anything smaller will run continuously and destroy itself. It also needs to be dry air (chiller/dryer). This is important if it's humid where you live.
- Transportation and installation: it's a heavy machine and professional riggers are a pretty good idea. It takes a big forklift and some big roller skates to move one safely.
- How high is the ceiling where it will go and will it fit under the doorway? The wire guide track on top can be disassembled and the Z-axis motor can be removed to get it through a 7 foot doorway but, it's tight.
Notice
This website or its third-party tools process personal data (e.g. browsing data or IP addresses) and use cookies or other identifiers, which are necessary for its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. To learn more, please refer to the cookie policy. In case of sale of your personal information, you may opt out by sending us an email via our Contact Us page. To find out more about the categories of personal information collected and the purposes for which such information will be used, please refer to our privacy policy. You accept the use of cookies or other identifiers by closing or dismissing this notice, by scrolling this page, by clicking a link or button or by continuing to browse otherwise.