Hi all,
My first post here. I'm looking into the purchase of a CNC lathe to bring the machining of some components in-house. There are only a few parts, all aluminum, diameter is max 4" and length max 3", and volume is very low at about a few hundred pieces per month.
What I'm looking for is a relatively small lathe, rather than the 6,000-lb to 13,000-lb machines I see on Ebay. Also, a smaller footprint of up to 3' x 4' would be much nicer. Finally, I'd like to keep costs in the $15k range, though I could stretch a bit more if I have to. Obviously, I'd go with a used machine, but prefer a dealer so that I have some warranty, etc.
I do not know a lot about machining, so I would hire the appropriate skills to run the machine. I am willing to sacrifice on the controller and have no problem learning any primitive programming language, especially since there are just a few parts, so I will not be re-programming it regularly.
That said, I found a few machines so far that might be in my range. The best fits are the CMS GT27, Accutrace GT27, Protolab machines, some smaller Mazaks such as the QT6. Some of these are in my footprint range and weigh only 2200 lbs.
Few questions:
- For what I need to do, are my specs appropriate?
- Any other machines (brands/models) I should be looking at in this range?
- Is it reasonable to expect what I want for under $15k?
- I've tried calling CMS, but there is no answer for 2 days -- just a recording that I've reached a general delivery mailbox that is full. Even if I am buying a used machine, I'm worried about contacting them for service. Anyone know what's happening with CMS?
Thanks,
-Neil.
My first post here. I'm looking into the purchase of a CNC lathe to bring the machining of some components in-house. There are only a few parts, all aluminum, diameter is max 4" and length max 3", and volume is very low at about a few hundred pieces per month.
What I'm looking for is a relatively small lathe, rather than the 6,000-lb to 13,000-lb machines I see on Ebay. Also, a smaller footprint of up to 3' x 4' would be much nicer. Finally, I'd like to keep costs in the $15k range, though I could stretch a bit more if I have to. Obviously, I'd go with a used machine, but prefer a dealer so that I have some warranty, etc.
I do not know a lot about machining, so I would hire the appropriate skills to run the machine. I am willing to sacrifice on the controller and have no problem learning any primitive programming language, especially since there are just a few parts, so I will not be re-programming it regularly.
That said, I found a few machines so far that might be in my range. The best fits are the CMS GT27, Accutrace GT27, Protolab machines, some smaller Mazaks such as the QT6. Some of these are in my footprint range and weigh only 2200 lbs.
Few questions:
- For what I need to do, are my specs appropriate?
- Any other machines (brands/models) I should be looking at in this range?
- Is it reasonable to expect what I want for under $15k?
- I've tried calling CMS, but there is no answer for 2 days -- just a recording that I've reached a general delivery mailbox that is full. Even if I am buying a used machine, I'm worried about contacting them for service. Anyone know what's happening with CMS?
Thanks,
-Neil.