Milltronics Partner 4 With Centurion 5 Control

[mhansen]

Good Morning Everyone.

I have an opportunity to purchase a 1985 Milltronic Partner 4 with a Centurion 5 controller that was updated added in 97'. My question is, I have no experience with these machines and I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on the control or the machine, or anything I should be concerned about? I am told its in working order and uses a floppy disk with a USB converter to transfer code. This is my first cnc machine and I'm more familiar with haas controls, I'm just looking for a machine to learn and play on, and potentially pick up some small simple jobs. I have experience with HSM and fusion 360 and I'm also curious if I can dump code to the machine or how easy coding is on the machine control itself? See pictures below. Thanks!

 

[Brian]

I have a newer version of that machine, mine is '92. That one has manual speed changes by dial, mine is run with a VFD and speed codes in the control. Decent machine, mine has been rode hard and put up wet and it still does pretty accurate work. I've been using it for production of my own parts for about 10 years now and it has paid for itself many times over. I will say, can't see how that one tool changes, mine has an air cylinder to change out 40 taper tooling, but manual tool changes suck. That's my biggest drawback and makes me want to jump ship to an enclosed machine with a tool changer and flood coolant.

The Centurion control is easy and powerful, I never really used the conversational part as I know g-code and program offline.

I wouldn't pay much for that old of a machine...

 

[mhansen]

Brian,

This machine is a manual tool change, NMTB 30 taper. Think I could throw a pneumatic drawbar on it?

 

[DouglasJRizzo]

I ran one of those and the control is pretty decent.
Milltronics upgrades them too.
Mechanical parts aren't an issue.

 

[Brian]

Yes you could add a pneumatic drawbar, but those can get pretty expensive. Not sure how much money you want to invest in it.