A 90's Haas VF3 was what I was pretty firm on until I read a whole bunch of recommendation threads here on the forum. I realized used Fadals have quite a few advantages over used Haas' if you are a one man operation and working with a tight budget.
I am mostly going to be milling flowing geometry very "sculptured" knife blades out of tool steel ( and sometimes a long aluminum part which is why I need the 40" X travel ). So to make accurate 3d shapes and also get a good surface finish is what I am looking for. I am not doing any high production so speed isn't really a factor. I will also use CAD/CAM almost exclusively.
I'm hoping for recommendations for what specific years are best to buy, what controller version is best, what spindle types to look for, and any other options or features that would be desirable.
I am mostly going to be milling flowing geometry very "sculptured" knife blades out of tool steel ( and sometimes a long aluminum part which is why I need the 40" X travel ). So to make accurate 3d shapes and also get a good surface finish is what I am looking for. I am not doing any high production so speed isn't really a factor. I will also use CAD/CAM almost exclusively.
I'm hoping for recommendations for what specific years are best to buy, what controller version is best, what spindle types to look for, and any other options or features that would be desirable.