Brother vs Robodrill vs DMG Mori DMP

[Alhoehn8691]

My father and I run a small machine shop and we're in the market for a new machine. I've used Robodrills before and they're great machine. I haven't heard anything bad about brother and I've used a DMG mori with the siemens control and thought it was a great control (wasn't a drill/tap tho). Any advice would be appreciated thanks.

 

[Johnhudson]

I'm a Mori guy,
But a shop I worked at had alot of problems with DMG 700 Mill Tap
(First year Machine)
I did not care for the Siemens control but fanuc for 30 yrs.
Robo drills are great,
No exp with brother but they are getting alot of exposure here. (Good) Service is always on the top of my list.

 

[Alhoehn8691]

Thanks John. So that's what I've heard about the DMG Mill Tap. Had a lot problems early but I haven't heard anything about the newer models. Also I should've mentioned before rigidity matters since there will be some parts that will be stainless. Mostly Brass and aluminum but some stainless.

 

[BROTHERFRANK]

Congratulations on being in a position to need a new machine! You are in the proximity of one of Yamazen/Brother's top Technical Centers in Hartford, Conn.. They would be happy to discuss your needs with you and show you the machines. It will be an easy decision. If you need help getting in touch with the local rep for your area, feel free to contact me and I can help.

 

[ultraguy]

My father and I run a small machine shop and we're in the market for a new machine. I've used Robodrills before and they're great machine. I haven't heard anything bad about brother and I've used a DMG mori with the siemens control and thought it was a great control (wasn't a drill/tap tho). Any advice would be appreciated thanks.

I can’t speak for brother speedios but I own a used Robodrill from 1998 that I tore down and repaired and repainted. I have to say everything on the machine is surprisingly simple and easy to fix, I was able to buy the right parts from Mcmaster carr for some lube lines, and Fanuc still got back to me with brand new replacement parts which was nice, Fanuc also shipped me some new manuals from 1998.

After looking into it some more it appears a spindle rebuild starts at around $3500 for robodrills to get it professionally done if I ever need it, plus every single repair shop probably has worked on Fanuc and there are a million resources out there for support, not to mention replacement parts are very inexpensive for robodrills.

The machine itself is in great shape but again it’s a well used machine so I can’t speak for new machines, I bet if I did buy a brand new robodrill it would carry me into the future for a good 20 years at least with all the support I ever needed.

Oh and it’s full 5 axis which is a bonus if I ever decide to buy a nice rotary table.

 

[barbter]

Robo is excellent and will still be working and working and working 20 years from now.
But a Brother will be more rigid than a Robo.
Personally, I wouldn't touch a DMG with a 10ft pole.

 

[Mtndew]

Making small,fast machines is all Brother does. Lots of people love their Robodrill but I've never ran one so I can't compare.

And if rigidity matters, get the dual contact spindle. But remember it's still a 30 taper, don't expect to be hogging like a 40 taper because it won't happen.

 

[DouglasJRizzo]

If it's a drill/tap machine, there are a few, and the Robodrill is pretty good as is the Brother. I used to work for Doosan and they make one too, but it's a little rare, I've only seen two. Very fast and robust machine tho. Might be work looking into. The last one I saw in the showroom had a rotary pallet changer, and 30 tool ATC.

 

[Rick Finsta]

Personally, I just chose a Brother with their 4th axis and I am very happy. This isn't the first of their machines I've bought, though. I ran Robodrills during my brief stint doing contract programming and training before opening my shop.

Having run both I'd give the edge to Brother. Support for both is great (even for very old machines), but the applications support from Yamazen tips the scales for me there. The controls are fine but the Brother is better to me, UNLESS you need full 5-axis, which they don't currently do (but may be in the near future?). I also have not been able to get into the dynamic work offset stuff in the Brother, but the Fanuc is very mature in this area (so I have to program off center of rotation and my fixtures must match, OR I need separate WCS for each orientation on the Brother). The Brother is certainly faster and more rigid (assuming a dual contact spindle), but both are very accurate and well-built machines. Parts availability and lead time are probably a wash. Dealing with Yamazen is a dream. Not sure on your local Robodrill reseller.

I honestly don't think you can go wrong with either. If you have issues finding competent programmers in your area, then going with Fanuc might be better for you if it opens up the employee prospects, but the C00 control is similar enough in workflow that anyone can be trained on its use quickly.

 

[Mtndew]

I used to work for Doosan

I am genuinely curious as to why you have to mention this damn near every time you reply to something on here.

 

[TeachMePlease]

I am genuinely curious as to why you have to mention this damn near every time you reply to something on here.

I'd assume from habit, as when he DID work for Doosan, he'd preface any post mentioning Doosan with a disclaimer. I think it's just for clarity that his opinion may or may not be biased due to his past work.

 

[Mtndew]

I'd assume from habit, as when he DID work for Doosan, he'd preface any post mentioning Doosan with a disclaimer. I think it's just for clarity that his opinion may or may not be biased due to his past work.

You could be right. I couldn't care less, it just struck me as odd is all.

 

[TeachMePlease]

You could be right. I couldn't care less, it just struck me as odd is all.

You gotta remember... There's those of us who remember who each poster is... And those of us who check PM once every 2 years when we need help with a specific question.

Not sure how I feel about being one of the former... Maybe kinda nerdy...

 

[70olds]

We have all 3 of those machines here in 3/4 axis setups.
We have had DMGs Milltap machines since they came out and have the "new" German built ones as well as the original Japanese build. They are all junk, though the German ones are definitely better. Stay away from them. Look at used Market Values for an idea of how much no one wants them.

Both the Brother and Robodrill are great machines and have been basically trouble free other than operator-induced issues. We run them in 3 and 4 axis setups with and without probing. I will say I am an Okuma guy moreso, so I don't like using either control on these machines by comparison, but the Brother sucks less for me. The layout is definitely easier to navigate than that of a FANUC control. If you are used to FANUC controls and give the Brother control an honest chance I am pretty confident you will like it better. If only they would get rid of "Cancel w/saving changes" to mean "save" and "cancel w/out saving changes" meaning quit. I am so used to just using "select and quit" on an Okuma it has spoiled me.

 

[Finegrain]

If only they would get rid of "Cancel w/saving changes" to mean "save" and "cancel w/out saving changes" meaning quit. I am so used to just using "select and quit" on an Okuma it has spoiled me.

I agree! IMO, "Cancel with saving changes" is self-contradictory.

Regards.

Mike

 

[barbter]

We have all 3 of those machines here in 3/4 axis setups.
We have had DMGs Milltap machines since they came out and have the "new" German built ones as well as the original Japanese build. They are all junk, though the German ones are definitely better. Stay away from them. Look at used Market Values for an idea of how much no one wants them.

Both the Brother and Robodrill are great machines and have been basically trouble free other than operator-induced issues. We run them in 3 and 4 axis setups with and without probing. I will say I am an Okuma guy moreso, so I don't like using either control on these machines by comparison, but the Brother sucks less for me. The layout is definitely easier to navigate than that of a FANUC control. If you are used to FANUC controls and give the Brother control an honest chance I am pretty confident you will like it better. If only they would get rid of "Cancel w/saving changes" to mean "save" and "cancel w/out saving changes" meaning quit. I am so used to just using "select and quit" on an Okuma it has spoiled me.

I'm sure the DMGs were China built?
I never realised the Mk2 were a changed factory.
It's a shame because in looking at the machine iron, it looks very good.
I remember hearing big PLC issues when it was first introduced - very poor integration between the machine and the Siemens

 

[plastikdreams]

Out of the 3 I'd go brother...if it was me I'd go haas, but I'm a fan boy

 

[DouglasJRizzo]

I'd assume from habit, as when he DID work for Doosan, he'd preface any post mentioning Doosan with a disclaimer. I think it's just for clarity that his opinion may or may not be biased due to his past work.

You're correct.

 

[DouglasJRizzo]

You could be right. I couldn't care less, it just struck me as odd is all.

Not odd, but proper etiquette as I'm highly familiar with their equipment, even tho I don't own any, nor do I plan on buying any.
Because of the price range of many machines, my former employer has a rather large swath of market. However it would be, perhaps, suspect, for me to recommend them and then "someone" finds out I used to work for them. I get no benefit, and I want to make sure others know this. There's nothing in it, for me.

 

[DouglasJRizzo]

I am genuinely curious as to why you have to mention this damn near every time you reply to something on here.

Perhaps define "damn near?"
It's usually only in posts where someone is thinking of purchasing a machine.
BTW, there are others here who work for them currently, and some folk who work for other MTB's here, they usually do the same on this topic.

Maybe it's the way I comb my hair, you don't like?