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How ridgid is the haas tm3 mill

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Plastic
Joined
Feb 17, 2016
Are these haas tm3 mills ridgid and good enough for working with tough stainless steel? How would you compare them to an old ridgid bridgport mill cutting tough materials?
 
Are these haas tm3 mills ridgid and good enough for working with tough stainless steel? How would you compare them to an old ridgid bridgport mill cutting tough materials?

bridgeport series 1 mill with 1.5hp motor i find when using much more than 1 hp it vibrates or chatters a lot. in general i look at motor hp. they dont usually put too much bigger of a motor than the machine can handle
.
obviously at slower rpm the cutting forces are higher. literally cutting the same cubic inches per minute if you go 100 times slower sfpm that the cutting force is 100x higher.
 
How much more rigid than a B-port??

A bunch! I don't think I can quantify it; though, someone here will probably chime in with the answer.

When I made the switch from manual to CNC (in this case a Milltronics, Partner 6) I was SHOCKED that I could hog away at Dia/Depth, Full slot, in steel.

On your Haas (I have a VF-4, among other cnc's) it will cut SST great, with Ø5/8" -3/4" mills. It's not a Cat50, so no Ø2" indexable roughers... LOL

It will spade drill a Ø1.0" at or close to the MFG's suggested feed, and tap a Ø1.0 x 8 without breaking a sweat.

Where the machine will shine in SST, is in high speed milling. Light radial, heavy axial cuts work out well on the linear slide machines.

Doug.

OOPS! I misread the OP. I was thinking a VMC, not a TM3
 
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I ran a TM-1 for about 2 years and it was ok. I would definitely take it over an old bridgeport, but you will still have to be gentle. They don't have a lot of torque down low, so I would say smaller cutters are your friend.

Are you making a couple prototypes or a bunch of different stainless parts in batches?
 
304 SS usually 1 hp will remove 0.2 to 0.4 cubic inches per minute
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just saying dont plan on removing 10 cubic inches per minute with a low hp machine as it will require up to 25 to 50 hp
 
Thanks

How much more rigid than a B-port??

A bunch! I don't think I can quantify it; though, someone here will probably chime in with the answer.

When I made the switch from manual to CNC (in this case a Milltronics, Partner 6) I was SHOCKED that I could hog away at Dia/Depth, Full slot, in steel.

On your Haas (I have a VF-4, among other cnc's) it will cut SST great, with Ø5/8" -3/4" mills. It's not a Cat50, so no Ø2" indexable roughers... LOL

It will spade drill a Ø1.0" at or close to the MFG's suggested feed, and tap a Ø1.0 x 8 without breaking a sweat.

Where the machine will shine in SST, is in high speed milling. Light radial, heavy axial cuts work out well on the linear slide machines.

Doug.

OOPS! I misread the OP. I was thinking a VMC, not a TM3
Thanks Doug you did answer the same question I would have had for the VF3 how ridged it is for nice finishes on stainless. Do you run standard HSS cutters with the stainless?
 
Was the spindle casting and all ridged for nice finishes no chatter look or deflecting on stainless steels?
 
I don't have any TM3s, but I have had a couple TM2 and TM2p machines.

The original TM machines are not particularly rigid. I think as much as anything, the rinky dink sheetmetal made such a racket, you would have thought it was about ready to implode. The new TM2P machine is a bit better.

I never found the Bridgeports to be very rigid. The Haas is definitely more rigid than those. Obviously, it is less rigid than any of the other Haas machines (especially the VF3 chassis machines).

Anything Haas will be less rigid than the substantially heavier Japanese machines.

I would rather lick my dog's butt than use HSS for cutting stainless. It simply cannot withstand the heat and will break down very rapidly.
 
G00 Proto wrote:
"I would rather lick my dog's butt than use HSS for cutting stainless."

I would have to say there is ZERO ambiguity in that statement.
I believe I know exactly where you stand on the issue of HSS cutters for milling stainless.
:D

Now I have to get the mental image back out of my mind...I'm having some difficulties!
:willy_nilly:

Cheers

Marcus
Implant Mechanix • Design & Innovation > HOME
Vancouver Wire EDM -- Wire EDM Machining


 
G00 Proto wrote:
"I would rather lick my dog's butt than use HSS for cutting stainless."

I would have to say there is ZERO ambiguity in that statement.
I believe I know exactly where you stand on the issue of HSS cutters for milling stainless.
:D

Now I have to get the mental image back out of my mind...I'm having some difficulties!
:willy_nilly:

Cheers

Marcus
Implant Mechanix • Design & Innovation > HOME
Vancouver Wire EDM -- Wire EDM Machining



Future thread: how to get better uncoated hss tool life in 17-4ss

Future thread #2: how to get tin coated hss endmill to cut Cobalt chrome
 
Ridged and manual Bridgeport???? HSS endmills in Stainless?????

Thought this was a professional forum?

Yes, the Toolroom Haas mill is about 5 times more ridgid. HSS is a waste of money.
 
The problem with comparing a POS toolroom Mill to a POS clapped out Bridgeport, is that compensating for all the slop in a CNC, takes a lot more thought and consideration than doing it on a BP.

But to the original question; a Haas Toolroom Mill is about as rigid as a live worm about to get set on a hook.

R
 
Bridgeport and ridged should not be uttered in the same sentence EVER!!!! Yeah, they have their place no doubt but if you are talking SS and HSS I would rather have at it with my angle grinder! The fault, and also bonus, of a Bridgeport is that the table is so damn long in the X so you can fit parts on it that are awkward... but then look at the width of the slides compared to the table and you will know where I am coming from. It is versatile but it is also a POS if you actually want to remove serious material. I have had various Bridgeports and their chinese knock off's but now currently have a mitco (used to be locally made) that does not have that weak R8 spindle but rather a ISO 40 but it too is more for pitching holes, quick facing, tapping etc etc.

Only Haas toolroom mill I have seen was, well to put it lightly, of no use to me in any way. But then again the same mill was making parts and money for the owner so no harm in that. I guess you need to weigh up what you want to do with it. If push came to shove I would rather buy an ancient Jap, non fully enclosed, machine than a Haas TM of any flavor. Just my opinion though.
 
Great Info, Thanks Much!

I don't have any TM3s, but I have had a couple TM2 and TM2p machines.

The original TM machines are not particularly rigid. I think as much as anything, the rinky dink sheetmetal made such a racket, you would have thought it was about ready to implode. The new TM2P machine is a bit better.

I never found the Bridgeports to be very rigid. The Haas is definitely more rigid than those. Obviously, it is less rigid than any of the other Haas machines (especially the VF3 chassis machines).

Anything Haas will be less rigid than the substantially heavier Japanese machines.

I would rather lick my dog's butt than use HSS for cutting stainless. It simply cannot withstand the heat and will break down very rapidly.

Thanks, Great Info!
 
The problem with comparing a POS toolroom Mill to a POS clapped out Bridgeport, is that compensating for all the slop in a CNC, takes a lot more thought and consideration than doing it on a BP.

But to the original question; a Haas Toolroom Mill is about as rigid as a live worm about to get set on a hook.

R
That is the way they seem they would perform, Do you have a manufacture that you think makes a nice tool room mill and has it all going on? Love to hear it?
Thanks
 
Bridgeport and ridged should not be uttered in the same sentence EVER!!!! Yeah, they have their place no doubt but if you are talking SS and HSS I would rather have at it with my angle grinder! The fault, and also bonus, of a Bridgeport is that the table is so damn long in the X so you can fit parts on it that are awkward... but then look at the width of the slides compared to the table and you will know where I am coming from. It is versatile but it is also a POS if you actually want to remove serious material. I have had various Bridgeports and their chinese knock off's but now currently have a mitco (used to be locally made) that does not have that weak R8 spindle but rather a ISO 40 but it too is more for pitching holes, quick facing, tapping etc etc.

Only Haas toolroom mill I have seen was, well to put it lightly, of no use to me in any way. But then again the same mill was making parts and money for the owner so no harm in that. I guess you need to weigh up what you want to do with it. If push came to shove I would rather buy an ancient Jap, non fully enclosed, machine than a Haas TM of any flavor. Just my opinion though.
What manufacture do you think has a nice tool room mill with everything going on?
 
What manufacture do you think has a nice tool room mill with everything going on?

Do you mean some kind of no toolchanger, mostly open table, impractical, CNC? If so, then the best I've run is a Makino RMC55. No longer made. Its successor, is the KE55. Not sure if you can get that in the US though, I think it is Asia market only.
 








 
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