My reason for being interested in this question, not that it should require justification, is that I have been considering the various Doosan machines for my next purchase. I can't access the catalogs because I don't consent to Doosan's privacy policy, so who knows what information those contain. The DEM 4000 product page says little about its capabilities.
I want to know if the DEM 4000 will do what I need. As a result of my inquiry it would seem that the answer is no, it won't, and I should consider the DNM or SVM machines.
Oh lord, do people not realize what we mean when we say "education market"?
Why would Doosan expect a person to infer what "education market" means? It could mean anything. Does it say in the product catalog what that means? Judging by post #3, even the OP who purchased the machine isn't sure what that means:
I think educational is the wrong term for it. Im not sure why they call it that as this thing is about twice the weight, almost the same speed and has more creature comforts as my super mini. It will support a 4th axis, but I don’t think it will go up to a 5th. It doesn’t have as many options as the full DNM lineup like the dual augers, tsc, or upgraded Fanuc Control interface and I think that’s why they consider it educational but it is definitely a beast of a machine!
This was designed for absolute newbies who want to easily learn about machining. Not machine controls. Machining! 2D contouring, drilling and all of the other basic stuff that comes with teaching a new young guy or gal about machining.
Surfacing? Sure. I did a LOT of surfacing back in the 90's on machines that only had 20 block look ahead. It works. But it is slow. SLOW. My fear is that people are going to try surfacing on this machine with the expectations that we all have about conventional machines. We all know what good surfacing machines can do. 15K RPM, 100-200 IPM. That ain't gonna happen here. If you set your expectations to the machine itself, fine. If you expect something else? Well, buyer beware. I will help anyone with these machines. Anyone that buys one will deserve the same help as any other machine.
Ok thanks, this makes sense and is helpful. I've never 3D surfaced on a machine with 20 block look ahead so I don't know what to expect, which is why I've asked about it. The OP's super mini, presumably without HSM, is a perfect basis of comparison for me. I've got a Haas mini in my garage at the moment, and I want to upgrade. The DEM 4000 is among my options.
But we can't pull rabbits out of hats.
I don't know about rabbits and hats, but the website describes the machine as a "general" machining center, not an educational machine: "ISO #40 General Vertical Machining Center" and goes on to say that it is a high performance machine: "The high-performance and ultra-reliable vertical machining center has powerful cutting and high-speed and high-precision machining capabilities" with "Outstanding machining performance from a highly rigid structure." With such a description, you can hardly blame a person for not inferring that it's an educational machine designed for absolute newbies who want to easily learn about machining, and in any case, it is not unreasonable to inquire about how it performs.
I do sincerely appreciate you taking the time to elucidate!
To the OP,
@Miller846:
I'm curious, did Doosan sales or the product catalog describe how the machine is aimed at the education market, and did they elaborate on what that means in terms of its capabilities or lack thereof, compared to other machines such as the DNM series? And based on that did you decide it was well suited to your purposes, vs one of the other machines? To me it seems pretty capable with the exception of the 20 block look ahead and the implications of that regarding 3D surfacing capability. Was this limitation mentioned explicitly?
