What tooling to buy for first time VMC owner.

The machine is a 2011 Haas TM2P and I would like to know what tools to buy. There is a 20 tool ATC and spindle is 6000 rpm. I am new to CNC milling and would really appreciate advise as to what tool holders to have on hand.

Also if you want to recommend your favorite brand and tooling house or sales person it would be appreciated.

Thanks Athack

athack said:

The machine is a 2011 Haas TM2P and I would like to know what tools to buy. There is a 20 tool ATC and spindle is 6000 rpm. I am new to CNC milling and would really appreciate advise as to what tool holders to have on hand.

Also if you want to recommend your favorite brand and tooling house or sales person it would be appreciated.

Thanks Athack

Click to expand...

On our TM-2:

3 Kurt D688's

Most used toolholders are ER-16 and ER-32 collet holders. I have 4 TG100 holders too.

Don't waste your time with weldon style toolholders.

Buy the shortest gauge length you can find.


Here is what is typically in our machine as far as tools:

1/16 em
1/8 em
1/4 em
3/8 em
1" ripper mill
82° Countersink
90° Countersink/Chamfer
1/4" Spot Drill

The remainder of the slots are used for different size drills/taps/corner rounding.

If you didn't get the probe you might want to look into one of the haimer 3d tasters.

Lathe Inserts .com

Tool Holders, Collets and Machine Accessories - MariTool

Tim

Weird, I'm surfing the internet tonight looking at prices for tooling to see if I have enough money to buy and set-up a TM-2p. I would talk to your local/regional tooling houses as well as the internet/national ones. Your local guy maybe able to do some dealing as well as bring in reps from the tooling manufacturers.

For a smaller VMCs and general purpose, short run work: I would look at using lots of solid carbide 1/2 and under. A stubby 1/2" rougher is my workhorse. A 1/2 with a 1" length of cut is used for finishing. (2 flute for alum., 4 for steel).

I would be interested in behindthepropellors experience with 1" indexable end mills on the TM_2. I have a great SAndvik steel and Kyocera aluminum end mills at the day job but they take some rigidity to take full advantage of them. I suppose it depends of DOC.

ER collet chucks will take care of the majority of your tool holding. Smaller taps as well. I've used them up to 1/2" taps. Eventually I want to get some Bilz style tap chucks.

Maybe one keyless chuck for edge finders if you don't have probing.

You will want some kind of face mill for skimming the top surface.

If you have to do precision holes, (ie, bearing fits, etc) I would ecommend investing in a boring head. You can mill circle stuff but it is still hard to beat boring for holding size, roundness, and location.

My hypothetical set up will be:


T1-spot
T2-chamfer
T3-engraving tool
T4-1/4 carbide endmill
T5-1/2 rougher
T6-1/2 finisher
T7-1" mini-mill
T8-face mill

I don't see these changing much and T9-19 will be for the misc. that will vary for each job. T20 will be kept empty for clearing the spindle and manually putting in a drill chuck for edge finding.

athack said:

The machine is a 2011 Haas TM2P and I would like to know what tools to buy. There is a 20 tool ATC and spindle is 6000 rpm. I am new to CNC milling and would really appreciate advise as to what tool holders to have on hand.

Also if you want to recommend your favorite brand and tooling house or sales person it would be appreciated.

Thanks Athack

Click to expand...

What sort of stuff are you going to make and how fast do you need to go? How much do you want to spend?

I've never seen anyone leave mill tools in place. You almost always have to reset Z, at least. X and Y too unless you run everything against a vise stop. So take them out and put them in in the order you run them. Easier for the operator to keep up with and you won't forget to set one now and then. Even the hi $ reminders won't prevent that.

Get stuff that is flexible as far as sizes. Flex collets are cheaper than solid in the long run. If you are going to get a tapping head, Lyndex is the only one in my book. Get a good boring head, don't skimp here, maybe two.

I'd forget about that 3D Taster, that's about 4 toolholders and you shouldn't let anyone who can't use an edge finder and touch off on a shim near the machine.

I really like TG-75 as a system for medium sized work. It doesn't hurt that I bought a dozen of them in excellent shape used. Like has been mentioned, solid holders are just not as nice to work with as a good collet system. You'll end up with a program that somehow takes four 3/8" holders and you only have two.

Wish I had more keyless drill chucks, but that's because most of my milling is electronics enclosures - lots of different drilled or drilled and tapped holes. Had good luck with the mari tool holders there, but my requirements aren't that close.

If you don't have rigid tapping, a floating tap holder is worth its weight in gold versus hand tapping. I like the extension-only ones - better for blind holes and no worse for through holes.

tdmidget said:

I'd forget about that 3D Taster, that's about 4 toolholders and you shouldn't let anyone who can't use an edge finder and touch off on a shim near the machine.

Click to expand...

Yea, and edge finding is such a valuable skill, and separates the real machinists from posers. Besides, who doesn't like sticking their head inside the enclosure to check if the little edge finder cylinder really did kick out with that last .001" jog.

And, you only bought a lowly 2011 Haas machine, so another $400 is probably like a mountain of cash for you.

The Haimer 3D sensor is a great tool as it serves multiple purposes- edge finding with a stationary spindle, vise indicating, soft Z axis sensing and tool length offset reference.

A Haimer 3D with an inexpensive surface plate and height gage is about as good as it gets short of probing for tool lengths and program zero setting.

QB

tdmidget said:

I've never seen anyone leave mill tools in place. You almost always have to reset Z, at least. X and Y too unless you run everything against a vise stop. So take them out and put them in in the order you run them. Easier for the operator to keep up with and you won't forget to set one now and then. Even the hi $ reminders won't prevent that.

Get stuff that is flexible as far as sizes. Flex collets are cheaper than solid in the long run. If you are going to get a tapping head, Lyndex is the only one in my book. Get a good boring head, don't skimp here, maybe two.

I'd forget about that 3D Taster, that's about 4 toolholders and you shouldn't let anyone who can't use an edge finder and touch off on a shim near the machine.

Click to expand...

You must be one of those guys "we have always done it this way"

Thank you to all that replied. I had forgotten about Mari Tool so thanks. I am looking at Glacern Tool also, any feedback?

The maching comes with probe so no sticking my head in the work envelope to hear edge finders.

Thanks Athack

athack said:

Thank you to all that replied. I had forgotten about Mari Tool so thanks. I am looking at Glacern Tool also, any feedback?

The maching comes with probe so no sticking my head in the work envelope to hear edge finders.

Thanks Athack

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I have some glacern tools.

Quality is not as good as the Maritool stuff.

Buy extra batteries for your probe and toolsetter.

And this is in the wrong forum, because ??

Oh! there you are...I was wondering when you'd surface. Do you want to move or am I suppose to move the thread? Also where would you like me to put it?

Athack