Goodway cnc's, or other taiwan brands?

Any of you seen or used those Goodway, or I think also sold as Yama Seiki CNC turning centers? Are they on the better end of Taiwain brands? any others maybe worth a look? (feeler, or ...? ) none of these get talked about much on here, so probably not very popular eh?

Just wondering if they're any decent for the $ or worth checking out at all. My first couple options appear to have fallen off the map, too many red flags, so now its the debate between other lower end machines, or waiting another year or 2 and saving up more $ for a high end brand that costs twice as much, ugh.


thanks

You're looking for a lathe?

I'm quite impressed by our Victors - marketed as Fortune in the States. The iron is carbon copy of '90's Mori SL series, very robust and reliable. We have one that is 20 years old and going strong.

Caveat: Ours are big lathes, I have no experience with their smaller machines, which I guess is what you're looking for?

Caveat 2: The Victors are basically the source of my contempt for Fanuc controls. They are O/Oi series with no-frills integration and they both suck. I have an 18i on a Doosan that I hate less.

Thanks, and yes a lathe/turning center, I forgot to mention that in first post.

Its weird how there's pretty much 10 medium/big brands, and then about a 100 or more tiny other manufacturers/brands, and their machines hardly ever show up anywhere, I wonder how they all stay in business at all.

I have a Goodway GLS 2000 LYS with Y-axis and subspindel. I have had it for about 5 years and it has been running very good for the money. Sometimes I leave it on all night mostly it's working okay but has nothing to do with the machine itself. I have had some small issues like leaking pneumatic "easy to fix" and some indicators that moved also easy to fix. Mostly it run within plus minus 0,01mm after I got a good ventilation in the room to hold the temperature as stable as I can in my small shop. I mostly run aluminium but some steel without any issues. One other thing is that it take quite much oil for the guides.

Anyone familiar with FocusCNC? I think they look similar to the chevalier ones, maybe same builder for a few of the models.

Hey SND, Im heading to cmts next week. If you'd like, I dont mind getting some info for you from the "taiwan" section of the show.

If you happen to see anything that's quite interesting please let me know, any chance you'll take a look at the Samsung machines?
I'd really like to go to it but got a lot of other things to get done here, debated trying to fly out for a day but I'm not sure its worth it at this point. A few weeks ago I was ready to write a cheque and now I'm pretty much ready to just say screw it.

SND - what kind of machine are you looking for, and what are you trying to do with it? I know you're looking for a "lathe" but do you want a 2-axis, live tools, y-axis, sub spindle? And what's the goal for it? Job-shopping, or specific job/task? And what's the budget...? I'm curious why you'd consider a new off-brand machine, but not a used name brand. Personally, I'd feel much safer buying a used Mori, Okuma or Mazak, knowing there's a huge install base with good parts & service support, vs. a no-name brand with nearly non-existent parts & service support. How good is a "warranty" if there's nothing to back it up...?

Jashley73 said:

SND - what kind of machine are you looking for, and what are you trying to do with it? I know you're looking for a "lathe" but do you want a 2-axis, live tools, y-axis, sub spindle? And what's the goal for it? Job-shopping, or specific job/task? And what's the budget...? I'm curious why you'd consider a new off-brand machine, but not a used name brand. Personally, I'd feel much safer buying a used Mori, Okuma or Mazak, knowing there's a huge install base with good parts & service support, vs. a no-name brand with nearly non-existent parts & service support. How good is a "warranty" if there's nothing to back it up...?

Click to expand...

Agree, at least about the ones that I've simply never heard of.

However, some Taiwanese MTB's do have a bit of history, a large installed base, and decent support. Victor, that I already mentioned, have been selling machines here in the UK for probably 30 years and there are tons of them around. Their UK agent has changed once or twice in the time I've had them, but support has never been a problem. That said, the only parts I've ever needed have been Fanuc parts.

Well.. I had a reply type up, hit send and it refreshed and lost everything, this site's been acting up lately, usually trying to make double posts...

anyway, I'll try to re-answer tonight, got other crap to get done first.

We have 4 Yama seki lathes, no out of the ordinary problems so far. They have a US service and parts facility. English (mostly) speaking techs have bailed me an time or two.
About Us

It looks like they have one dealer in Canada
LaMarche Machinery Inc.

One other thing is that it take quite much oil for the guides.
Adjust the timer setting in the PMC to fix that.

ifixcnc said:

One other thing is that it take quite much oil for the guides.
Adjust the timer setting in the PMC to fix that.

Click to expand...

Yes, our Victors also use slide oil like it's going out of fashion.

But, maybe that's why even the oldest one on the floor still has immaculate slideways 20 years later...

Jashley73 said:

SND - what kind of machine are you looking for, and what are you trying to do with it? I know you're looking for a "lathe" but do you want a 2-axis, live tools, y-axis, sub spindle? And what's the goal for it? Job-shopping, or specific job/task? And what's the budget...? I'm curious why you'd consider a new off-brand machine, but not a used name brand. Personally, I'd feel much safer buying a used Mori, Okuma or Mazak, knowing there's a huge install base with good parts & service support, vs. a no-name brand with nearly non-existent parts & service support. How good is a "warranty" if there's nothing to back it up...?

Click to expand...

Initially was looking for a fairly basic 2 axis, 8-10" chucker with good tailstock, something in the 70-85K(usd) range that I wouldn't have to finance or stress about, sign a cheque, done, that hasn't quite worked out so far. It appears if I want some service and a higher end machine(jap brand) I need to double the money, by which point I might as well add Y-axis and maybe a sub spindle too. But I don't have much of that kind of work and I'm getting too tired of this sh*t to fight to find it, at that point I might as well keep doing what I'm doing a few more years, and maybe see if there's something else to life than just making parts to pay bills.

Canada has no used cnc market, none I've ever found, it nearly all goes to the US if there's auctions, if a shop sells a used machine in my area its because its dead. I'm also not interested to spend 50-60+% of the price of a new machine on a 15-20yr old thing that's been crashed who knows how many times. I want something I could keep 20+yrs. Other problem, many brands never sold a machine in my region the last 20-30yrs if ever at all, I think this is part of why some don't seem interested to sell around here.

Whatever brand I buy there's about a 99.9% chance I'm the guy fixing it, and if I really can't someone has to be flown in, big part of why I wanted a fairly basic 2 axis, belted spindle, less stuff to go wrong than Y and all that. I know the taiwan and other less known brands would be a pain or impossible to get parts/technical info for, so in all reality I don't really want to go down to that level, hard enough to get anything out of some of the bigger guys eh.

so anyhow, plan right now is to finish moving and get the shop all back in order, might also try to get more than 3hrs of sleep tomorrow night

Our parent company in Ireland has been buying Victors for 20+ years and are still buying them. We've recently purchased a VT-A26Y lathe. Their company HQ and parts warehouse is in Somerset New Jersey. I've found the guys working there fairly helpful so far.
The 'A' range of lathes are the higher spec models with direct drive spindles but i think the standard range is belted and has a basic Fanuc controller. I'm pretty sure i saw a machine there that would fit your description and price range pretty closely when in the warehouse.

Happy hunting.

Thanks for the info. I'll check into the Victor/fortune machines and see how their prices compare with the rest, sounds like they make a fairly decent machine and have been around many years.

SND said:

Thanks for the info. I'll check into the Victor/fortune machines and see how their prices compare with the rest, sounds like they make a fairly decent machine and have been around many years.

Click to expand...

SND, I absolutely hear you. Im in southern Onterrible, and the used machine market is absolute shit. Its guys that are closing shop selling on kijiji for a premium. The GOOD used machines go state side, just like our pickup trucks.
IF you are able to hold out, there are good deals out there, but they are rare.

I picked up a '99 4020 Fadal for 3K locally after it failed to sell at auction. A spindle swap (that I hand in hand) and thrust bearings, and I'm a happy camper.
Also picked up a Mitutoyo CMM for dirt as nobody knew how to use it....
I bought a Nakamura TMC-3 for $1200... thats a whole different ball game, but I finally got it running (rats had made a nest in the control pendant under storage)...

If you know what to do with a tool, its never money lost IF its cash in hand... and youre not a dumb ass (you're not!)
If you have time, and you have smarts ( YOU DO!) you can get something cheaper.

I would love a fancy new integrex, but i refuse to make the payments... so its nakamura to 4th axis fadal for this guy for the foreseeable future

I believe the Victor\fortune\King rich stuff is handled by Heinmann.. at least in Ontario.

I plan on heading to the show with the ol' gal Wednesday. PM me with a way to contact you.. i dont mind confronting MTS's for solid questions... its kind of my thing :O

SND said:

Initially was looking for a fairly basic 2 axis, 8-10" chucker with good tailstock, something in the 70-85K(usd) range that I wouldn't have to finance or stress about, sign a cheque, done, that hasn't quite worked out so far.

Click to expand...

Okay, I'll run this up the flagpole again ... this one is the 16" version but one I like best is 8", no turret, gang tooled, roughly half the price you are talking about, Fanuc or Siemens control



About service, well, it's Fanuc. The only people I know of in the US using these is Eaton. Parts warranty is going to be two or three days by air but there's not that much to break, physically. Especially on a gang-tooled machine. Ways are off-the-shelf standard, electronics standard, what are you going to break ? the main casting ?

But you'd need to be a bit adventurous, that doesn't seem to be how people bend these days.

macds said:

SND, I absolutely hear you. Im in southern Onterrible, and the used machine market is absolute shit. Its guys that are closing shop selling on kijiji for a premium. The GOOD used machines go state side, just like our pickup trucks.
IF you are able to hold out, there are good deals out there, but they are rare.

I picked up a '99 4020 Fadal for 3K locally after it failed to sell at auction. A spindle swap (that I hand in hand) and thrust bearings, and I'm a happy camper.
Also picked up a Mitutoyo CMM for dirt as nobody knew how to use it....
I bought a Nakamura TMC-3 for $1200... thats a whole different ball game, but I finally got it running (rats had made a nest in the control pendant under storage)...

If you know what to do with a tool, its never money lost IF its cash in hand... and youre not a dumb ass (you're not!)
If you have time, and you have smarts ( YOU DO!) you can get something cheaper.

I would love a fancy new integrex, but i refuse to make the payments... so its nakamura to 4th axis fadal for this guy for the foreseeable future

I believe the Victor\fortune\King rich stuff is handled by Heinmann.. at least in Ontario.

I plan on heading to the show with the ol' gal Wednesday. PM me with a way to contact you.. i dont mind confronting MTS's for solid questions... its kind of my thing :O

Click to expand...

Thanks, I can't think of too many questions left now. I got prices and brochures on a few brands, will probably hear back on the Victor prices in a few days. My big thing now would be seeing the machines in person to see which looks made better. Samsungs SL-2000 is in my price range now, close to doosan price. Probably won't be many basic 2-axis machines there, they probably all just bring live tooled/sub spindle fully optioned machines to these shows.

I'm in the same boat as you, northern Alberta. Impossible to find good used iron. 5 hours from any major centre also makes service calls big money.
Add the fact I use my house garage and cannot go to large... tuff

Enjoy cmts, post lots of info on new simple lathes please!!!!
I'd kill for a haas st-15 or equivalent.
Anything to stop using this haas tl-1 mess machine!!