Nak as200L sub what’s your experience with one?

[Stirling]

I’ve been lathe hunting for a while and have found a Nak as200L w/sub spindle I’m interested it.
Should be just right for my work.

Having never ran one I’m just wondering what you all that have them thing about them?
Machine would see a healthy mix of 3-4” 4140htsr and 6061 aluminum 0.5-10”

Love to hear your general thoughts on the machine, comparison with other models or builders.

I just don’t see much in-line about them besides mtd CNC on YouTube. But they are promo vids clearly. So grain of salt there

Hopefully this post can generate some user opinions amd add good references to other down the road

 

[Ox]

Not ran a Nak yet, but hopefully will have a pair of them indoors by EOD Friday.

Lathes are all that Nakamura builds.

They don't build VMC's.
They don't build HMC's.
They don't build Boring mills.

They build lathes....

They build lathes up to 4 turret, and 3 turrets are almost norm for them.
So, I would like to think that a single turret with sub should be a no brainer from them.
And besides, they run Fanuc!


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[wmpy]

I don't believe the AS machines are made in Japan like most other Nakamuras, FYI.

Do you feel that the linear guide, flying-wedge design has the rigidity for your tougher jobs?

I think that Grimsmo has Youtube videos talking about his. They may or may not be helpful to you.

 

[Ox]

Flying wedge?
Are you talking about Y?
I've never heard that term before...

Is your WT not a wedge?
I would think that more rigid than a true Y.
No?


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[wmpy]

Flying wedge refers to it not being a true slant bed. Nothing to do with the Y.
Z rails are on a horizontal plane with a wedge shaped carriage sitting on top. I'm not sure how else to call it.

 

[Ox]

Well, that's how my wedge Y's are configured.
At least on the 300 anyway.

They prolly build them all that way, rather than having two different castings for Y and non-Y?


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I am Ox and I approve this post!

 

[finix]

I have the Nakamura AS200 single turret version, we bought the machine used with low hours. I only modified the post and helped setup some macro templates for my guys. I’ve never set it up or actually run the machine and none of us have a lot of experiences with lathes so I don’t have a great comparison point.

With that said, it’s been a solid machine for us, only had to replace a few minor valves and what not when we bought it. We have it bar pulling aluminum, free cutting steels, 4140 and stainless all day. The live tool milling is pretty great, or terrible, depending on who you ask and expectations. We don’t really push anything on it especially as none of us are super familiar with lathes. It does what we ask if it bar pulling in the corner with no fuss whatsoever.

The only things that really annoy me about it would be the chips tend to get behind all the sheet metal, and cleaning those out is annoying. However this may be a common thing for most lathes, I wouldn’t know. Also this thing eats way oil at a ridiculous pace. We dialed it back by 50% from factory settings and it still used a significant amount of way oil… and it all ends up in the coolant.

 

[gregormarwick]

Also this thing eats way oil at a ridiculous pace. We dialed it back by 50% from factory settings and it still used a significant amount of way oil… and it all ends up in the coolant.

This rings alarm bells to me!

Every half decent lathe I have ever used, and I'm sure Nakamura belong in that category, drain used way oil into a waste container.

If your machine is using a lot of oil, and it's ending up in the coolant, check for a broken oil line somewhere - be very cautious to make sure that everything is actually getting oil!

There should also be a pressure gauge on the oil pump, if it never reaches much pressure when the pump runs it's another solid indication of a broken line dumping oil.

 

[chip_maker]

This rings alarm bells to me!

Every half decent lathe I have ever used, and I'm sure Nakamura belong in that category, drain used way oil into a waste container.

If your machine is using a lot of oil, and it's ending up in the coolant, check for a broken oil line somewhere - be very cautious to make sure that everything is actually getting oil!

There should also be a pressure gauge on the oil pump, if it never reaches much pressure when the pump runs it's another solid indication of a broken line dumping oil.

To expand on the above. Watch this guage as soon as the machine kicks on because when it does one of the first things it does is pump oil. I do this every time I fire up a machine just for piece of mind.

 

[Ox]

I would like to think that any "half decent machine" would monitor lube pressure, and alarm out the instant that it doesn't see that pressure when expected.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[finix]

This rings alarm bells to me!

Every half decent lathe I have ever used, and I'm sure Nakamura belong in that category, drain used way oil into a waste container.

If your machine is using a lot of oil, and it's ending up in the coolant, check for a broken oil line somewhere - be very cautious to make sure that everything is actually getting oil!

There should also be a pressure gauge on the oil pump, if it never reaches much pressure when the pump runs it's another solid indication of a broken line dumping oil.

I’m 99% sure sure we fixed that, we replaced all of the ‘oil routing valves’ and had everything checked multiple times. Sorry for the terrible description, I’m not sure what it’s called in English. It was going through the entire way oil container in 3 hours when we first bought it. The oil pressure gauge as you expertly noted had the exact issue you mentioned. After replacing most everything oil line related it is working properly now, to the best of my knowledge.

Now it’s going through the container every 4-5 days if left on factory parameters. I was told by the agent, multiple independent repair techs and other users in Taiwan to halve the way oil parameters as it just eats oil. It does have a collecting thing for the oil, not very sophisticated however, just two random tubes that we put a container to collect. However a large amount still ends up in the coolant as it’s the only machine that always seems to have tramp oil floating in the coolant. Every time I pass it I turn the oil collection machine on.

I will have it checked again, with an emphasis that I think the amount of oil it uses and dumps is suspect.

 

[Ox]

4-5 days?
You're not using too much.
You will reap the benefits of oil in long life screws and ways.

I have a Hardinge lathe that is 25 yrs old and 1.7 million parts on the counter, and it is down currently for the first time for a lead screw. Not changed any way trucks to date. And that machine prolly uses more than you are, so I would not want to adjust yours down any.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[Panza]

This rings alarm bells to me!

Every half decent lathe I have ever used, and I'm sure Nakamura belong in that category, drain used way oil into a waste container.

If your machine is using a lot of oil, and it's ending up in the coolant, check for a broken oil line somewhere - be very cautious to make sure that everything is actually getting oil!

There should also be a pressure gauge on the oil pump, if it never reaches much pressure when the pump runs it's another solid indication of a broken line dumping oil.

There is no way to collect the way oil when the ways or indeed rails are exposed, as they are for the X-axis on the AS-200L.