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Haas CNC Reviews

A

AnthonyE_PF

Plastic
Joined
Oct 5, 2021
Hello all,

What are your general thoughts on Haas CNC machines?

I recently started working with a company that does a lot of CNC machined of aluminum parts. I've been around a few different industries before I got here, but I haven't worked with many CNCs before this job.

I'm curious because we have a few machines and it seems that one of them is usually having an issue and we're calling in technicians every other week. Most of our machines are 3 years old or older. They generally machine 30-60 parts per day from near-net castings. They use trim sol coolant - I don't know the specific type at the moment.
 
I'm aware that this can get into the realm of Ford vs. Chevy conversations, like which is better even though they both have pros and cons. I'm just curious if Haas machines are known for needing maintenance more often then other brands, like DMG Mori's.

Also, our plant is a production site and not a job shop.

Thanks!
 
I used to have no clue what the big deal was with any brand other than Haas…but it turns out I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and probably still don’t! The single-biggest difference I have noticed with other brands is reliability…my Hass machines need service a lot more than my other brands (taking into account the years I’ve been using them.) That being said, my newest Haas is an ‘08 so maybe things have gotten better (or worse?) since then. I LOVE their control and their service is usually available next day in my area.
 
I think Haas machines have gotten a lot better in recent years. I ran a 2015 VF-3SS with trunnion for six years doing mostly prototyping and short run production, and then three months of 24/7 production, lights out. It was very reliable and accurate, more so than the Kitamuras at my previous job. I'm sure it helped that the Haas got yearly maintenance from Productivity, and yearly calibration from PQI.

Now I'm on my own and just bought a CM-1 for tiny medical device prototypes. So far so good, knock on wood.
 
mhajicek said:
I think Haas machines have gotten a lot better in recent years..
Click to expand...

No horse in this race, no haas machines here and no intention to ever have any.

What I will note is that I have been a member on this site for a long time, and a frequent visitor before that, and I don't recall there ever being the quantity of "Haas Problem" threads that there have been recently...
 
gregormarwick said:
What I will note is that I have been a member on this site for a long time, and a frequent visitor before that, and I don't recall there ever being the quantity of "Haas Problem" threads that there have been recently...
Click to expand...

I think a lot of those have been with their 5-axis machines, which some find to work well for their needs, but a lot of others see issues.
 
Milland said:
I think a lot of those have been with their 5-axis machines, which some find to work well for their needs, but a lot of others see issues.
Click to expand...

For sure mainly yes.

But there have been other problems that appear to be trending - corroding way covers is one that springs to mind.
 
gregormarwick said:
For sure mainly yes.

But there have been other problems that appear to be trending - corroding way covers is one that springs to mind.
Click to expand...

That'll happen with any machine if you use hard water, unless the covers are stainless of course. One possibility for an increase in Haas problem threads would be more Haas machines out there being used. From what I hear they're selling more than ever before.

I did talk to a Haas tech yesterday abut the thermal growth issue on the UMC's, and he said it was a parameter error and had been fixed.
 
mhajicek said:
One possibility for an increase in Haas problem threads would be more Haas machines out there being used. From what I hear they're selling more than ever before.
Click to expand...
Not just more machines but more being bought by people ditching their Tormachs, would have been stuck with a cheap old used machine in the past or have nothing at all.

I don't doubt that there are Haas issues but stick a Haas in the garage of one of the above type of people and stick the same machine in a machine shop with multiple experienced machinists and programmers and the results are likely to be very different and that same group is probably more likely to post a video on social media complaining about an issue so it's a double whammy.

Seems to me that financing has been a blessing and a curse for Haas, more sales but more to people who maybe don't have the experience to get the best out of the machine and then what appears to be a lowering of quality to keep up with demand or keep prices down.
 
Generally Haas has a very good reputation. The latest machines (last 5 years) are a step up from previous machines and are very good. For the money you cannot beat them. Are there more rigid...sure.
 
If you are considering a Haas machine, new or used, find a few shops in the area and ask them about service quality and how long it takes to get the guy there. Stuff never ever breaks at a good time. The service in my area was decent when I got my first Haas machine, and gradually went downhill. Parts pricing went up more than warranted by inflation. My most reliable machine was the 1998 VF-2. Haas quit supporting the controls on the older machines, roughly 2007 and older, although a few of the 2007 machines do have the later control. The upgrade path was about $12K to $15K at first, then it went up to $20K, likely more now. I started looking around when Haas did that, and ended up selling all my Haas machines. I bought Brother and Takisawa. I've never regretted the change.
Good luck!
 
Rob L said:
Not just more machines but more being bought by people ditching their Tormachs, would have been stuck with a cheap old used machine in the past or have nothing at all.

I don't doubt that there are Haas issues but stick a Haas in the garage of one of the above type of people and stick the same machine in a machine shop with multiple experienced machinists and programmers and the results are likely to be very different and that same group is probably more likely to post a video on social media complaining about an issue so it's a double whammy.
Click to expand...

I think this is a great point. I know of one shop in my area that runs 14ish Haas mini mills and VFs, and several of them are more than 10 years old. They do run into problems, but because it's a shop full of skilled machinists and techs they know how to avoid the problems or fix them when they arise.

With Haas, there is the added benefit that getting parts within North America is easy, so downtime tends to be minimal. I worked in a toolroom with a Makino S56 mill that was a much, much nicer machine than a Haas (with a much higher price tag). It only broke down once in 5 years, but when it did it sat for 3 weeks waiting for parts. There's always a trade off.
 
We have forty plus C.N.C.s, three of those are Haas machines. An older two axis lathe and horizontal mill, and a new vertical mill. They are simple basic machines that are making fairly simple parts. Of course there is not a lot that can go wrong (comparatively) with a plain vanilla lathe, and we have had very little down time with that machine, and the horizontal has also seen very little trouble. The vertical is still new, so I will withhold judgement on it for now. These machines have made us a boatload of money. Their purchase was money well spent. We are somewhat in the middle of nowhere, and service has been remarkable fast. Some of the techs they have sent are obviously new and spend a lot of time on the phone, but the machines have always been back up in a very reasonable amount of time. For the right application, they are good machines. I would never expect them to keep up with our Mori's or Mazaks when it came to heavy machining, but that is not what I would buy one for. That little two axis lathe plugs away day after day, in spite of numerous newbies cutting their teeth on it. I would not hesitate to recommend one, as long as the application is right for the machine. I guess you can say that about any machine purchase, really.
And parts are easy and quick to get when needed. Not like our OKK. We have had to make several replacement parts for it due to unavailability.
 
I personally think it has more to do with how well you maintain the equipment to start with. We have 6 Haas Machines and 3 Okuma Machines. The Haas machines require no more repairs then the Okumas do. We do follow a solid weekly/monthly/yearly maintenance plan on all of our machines though. Machines range from 2011 to 2021 vintage.
 
Last edited:
mhajicek said:
I think Haas machines have gotten a lot better in recent years. I ran a 2015 VF-3SS with trunnion for six years doing mostly prototyping and short run production, and then three months of 24/7 production, lights out. It was very reliable and accurate, more so than the Kitamuras at my previous job. I'm sure it helped that the Haas got yearly maintenance from Productivity, and yearly calibration from PQI.

Now I'm on my own and just bought a CM-1 for tiny medical device prototypes. So far so good, knock on wood.
Click to expand...

i can assure you, they have not. if anything they got worse in the past 3-5 years. mostly the 5 axis machines, but VF series controls are having a lot of issues as well.
we have 10 VF machines in our shop from 03 to 19'.
 
mhajicek said:
That'll happen with any machine if you use hard water, unless the covers are stainless of course. One possibility for an increase in Haas problem threads would be more Haas machines out there being used. From what I hear they're selling more than ever before.

I did talk to a Haas tech yesterday abut the thermal growth issue on the UMC's, and he said it was a parameter error and had been fixed.
Click to expand...

the latter part is a load of balloney. its a hardware/geometry issue.
 
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