Oldwrench
Titanium
- Joined
- May 21, 2009
- Location
- Wyoming, USA
Recently we gave away three older turning centers to make room on the floor for this. We have a 1997 Haas VF0 with a 4-head 5C 4th axis that has been faithfully making the same parts all day for about 17 years. There's nothing wrong with the parts--they repeat closer than our ability to measure, BUT logic says there will have to come a time when the mill breaks down. For example, the spring fingers that hold the tools in the changer actually wore out and we had to switch the tools to the unused positions. You might think, hey, now we're good for another 17 years, but nobody's that cheap, not even me. So, enter Haas number eight, a new VF2SS, to take over that job. The old one will now spot, drill and tap two holes in the same part, a much less demanding assignment than plowing a cermet endmill in steel at 5000 RPM. Kind of like going out to pasture.
I know it's somewhat fashionable to disparage Haas mills, but it should be pointed out that while they were originally conceived as not much more than an affordable way for shops to get into CNC, they haven't exactly been sitting still technically. The evolution in every area is easy to see, comparing the old and new side by side. To me the really astonishing part is they're still affordable.
That guy on the forklift is an artist...
I know it's somewhat fashionable to disparage Haas mills, but it should be pointed out that while they were originally conceived as not much more than an affordable way for shops to get into CNC, they haven't exactly been sitting still technically. The evolution in every area is easy to see, comparing the old and new side by side. To me the really astonishing part is they're still affordable.
That guy on the forklift is an artist...