WTB - CNC turning center and VMC - Central Washington

I'm relocating to central Washington and need to buy both a turning center and a VMC. Budget is $50-60K, delivered, and with at least some toolholders. In the short term I'll be working out of a 600 sq foot garage, so vertical clearance is an issue. Machines need to be able to run on a rotary phase converter.

My current plan is to finance a Haas ST-10 and purchase outright a Tormach PCNC-1100 ($24,000 delivered). This works within my budget, but given the choice I'd rather buy used industrial machinery.

Turning Requirements:
95% of my turning is 1/2"-5/8" diameter, 3"-4" length, brass and stainless. (part is tapped in one end and gets some pretty basic profile turning)
5% is 1.5" dia. aluminum and brass (I can outsource this if a lathe can't do both).
tolerances are +/- 0.001" (not making space ship parts here)

parts do get a full profile so I've omitted any gang tooled lathes as I've always needed to use a tailstock to support the work. I would certainly consider an old swiss lathe since my precision requirements are pretty low.

needs to support rigid tapping, have a tailstock with at least programmable quill, 10 station turret (min.), hydraulic/pneumatic chuck or closer. The only lathe that I've ever used is an ancient Mori-Seiki SL-35. I don't require conversational programming and have no controller preference.

Mill Requirements:
I'm looking at Robodrills, mini-mills, and Speedios, again, garage shop stuff. 4th axis comparability is ideal but not a deal breaker. machining brass and stainless, small parts, 1x1x2". I'd also consider a Fadal if I can fit it in the shop as I have some work experience on them.

Any feedback/advice would be appreciated. I'd like to have something in place and making parts by the end of September.

pm sent

jh

PM sent
Jim

I would be very careful about using a rotary phase converter when running CNC machines. We have had customers do this before and they have all had trouble.

twelveL said:

In the short term I'll be working out of a 600 sq foot garage, so vertical clearance is an issue.

I'm looking at Robodrills, mini-mills, and Speedios, again, garage shop stuff.

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I have a Speedio S700X1 in my (garage) shop. It's great, makes me a lot of money, but is not in your stated budget.

I will say though that IME once word gets out that you have a high-speed VMC like a Robodrill or Speedio, you may very well see way more work than you thought you would, and the machine while expensive at first turns out to be a smart purchase .

Regards.

Mike

ToolingEmporium said:

I would be very careful about using a rotary phase converter when running CNC machines. We have had customers do this before and they have all had trouble.

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FUD statements never go well around here. Too many educated and experienced individuals to tolerate it.

Zahnrad Kopf said:

FUD statements never go well around here. Too many educated and experienced individuals to tolerate it.

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Not FUD when we have first hand experience. Only trying to advise that it is not optimal conditions with CNC machines.

ToolingEmporium said:

I would be very careful about using a rotary phase converter when running CNC machines. We have had customers do this before and they have all had trouble.

Click to expand...

Zahnrad Kopf said:

FUD statements never go well around here. Too many educated and experienced individuals to tolerate it.

Click to expand...

ToolingEmporium said:

Not FUD when we have first hand experience. Only trying to advise that it is not optimal conditions with CNC machines.

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It most certainly _is_ FUD.

Let's see...
Does it ominously warn of unspecified troubles? Check.
Does it purposely lack specificity in its threat so that the person has no actual information to react to? Check.
Do the unspecified troubles end with unspecified consequences that cannot be quantified or substantiated? Check.

Winner! Winner! Chicken dinner! Congratulations! You, Sir, are the unsuccessful agent of FUD!

So, let's go ahead and just put this to rest. You don't actually give any useful information in your response, yet ironically hundreds ( if not thousands ) of people ( many, right here on this forum ) have been successfully using RPCs for DECADES and doing so trouble free, I might add. ( heck, there is even a sub-forum dedicated to the practice!! ) ( LOL! )

Oh... dang it... darn... I just realized... I must change this immediately! I, too, have been using RPCs for DECADES! Oh, good lord... I better stop that and change it immediately... I mean... who knows what might happen, if I do not...?



Oh! Wait! That's right... NOTHING. Okay, well, that's not actually true. Something did happen. The machines all ran fine and made enough money to support a family**. So, yes, I guess you could say one never knows what might happen...



** - including the most notoriously finicky of them all - a Wire EDM

I can only but thank the gods that I and many others see right through that specific brand of horse puckey and never listen to people spreading it.

One could back peddle that enough to say that it is not optimum, but then if the person is at the point of asking the question then it is a safe bet that they do not have the opportunity for actual Three Phase service. So, "optimum" is whatever the next best thing is.

Good Day.