Hi all,
I am a mechanical engineer just starting to launch a business in prototyping. I have a decent amount of CNC experience through my day job, but this will be my first "real" CNC. What should I buy? I can swing the money for any of these, but it will require tapping into personal savings quite a bit.
I have three options I'm looking at:
1. $26k - 2012 Haas TM-2P. 500 hours. Chip auger, WIPS, programmable coolant, 10 tool, 6k spindle. It's 5 miles from my house.
2. $16k - 2005 Haas Mini Mill. Stock options, used heavily but in good condition. Will have to ship 500+ miles.
3. $32k - 2019 Haas Super Mini Mill 2. 300 hours. Rigid tapping, 10k spindle, 15 HP, 3-phase only, 20 tool. No WIPS. Will have to ship 500+ miles.
I have a pretty full 2-car garage, so space is at a premium. I can potentially expand the garage but will have to build a large insulated shed, which costs money and time. Plus might have to deal permitting and whatnot. I have a 70A 240V breaker ready to go, but would need a phase converter for 3-phase.
Thanks for your input!
I am a mechanical engineer just starting to launch a business in prototyping. I have a decent amount of CNC experience through my day job, but this will be my first "real" CNC. What should I buy? I can swing the money for any of these, but it will require tapping into personal savings quite a bit.
I have three options I'm looking at:
1. $26k - 2012 Haas TM-2P. 500 hours. Chip auger, WIPS, programmable coolant, 10 tool, 6k spindle. It's 5 miles from my house.
2. $16k - 2005 Haas Mini Mill. Stock options, used heavily but in good condition. Will have to ship 500+ miles.
3. $32k - 2019 Haas Super Mini Mill 2. 300 hours. Rigid tapping, 10k spindle, 15 HP, 3-phase only, 20 tool. No WIPS. Will have to ship 500+ miles.
I have a pretty full 2-car garage, so space is at a premium. I can potentially expand the garage but will have to build a large insulated shed, which costs money and time. Plus might have to deal permitting and whatnot. I have a 70A 240V breaker ready to go, but would need a phase converter for 3-phase.
Thanks for your input!