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Wich hybrid cnc lathe

B

Belanguer

Plastic
Joined
Dec 2, 2020
Hi,

I'm about to buy a new lathe and i would like to know your opinion on these lathe

-Haas TL-2

-Romi C510

-Standard modern F-16TR

Thanks
 
IIRC these have been discussed several times in the past, the latest conversation was just a few years
ago, and included some new machines.

Try searching the archives.
 
We manufacture small and medium parts, no mass production. Steel, aluminum, stainless and plastic parts
 
If youre going to get one at least get one with a turret toolchanger. Ive got a Bridgeport Romi M27 with an 8 station duplomatic and its a great machine for me. That said, I cant imagine using a cnc lathe without a toolchanger.
 
SND said:
They suck at both manual and cnc work...
Click to expand...

Kinda have to disagree with this.

We have a shop full of nice cnc machines, from basic 2 axis lathes up to a B axis mill turn and everything in between.

We also have a single little Harrison Alpha 400, and there is always someone using it. It's super fast to set up for a one off part vs. a turning centre, QC toolpost means no worry about work envelope and tool clearances, simple three jaw chuck means no time spent messing around with jaws. I wrote a solid post for it, so we can take a part in cam and put it on whichever lathe is most convenient, including the Alpha. If I don't want to do that, the Alpha conversational, while extremely basic, is so simple anyone can use it.

For manual type work, it is every bit as good as any similar sized manual lathe. If you need to screwcut something quickly, it will run circles around a manual lathe in cycle time, and run circles around a turning centre in setup time. Same for cutting a taper etc.

It's literally the lowest value machine on our floor, and one of the most frequently used. We paid £6k for it used - ROI was measured in days...

I can't speak for other teach/hybrid lathes, the Alphas are the only ones I've ever used. They have their place, and can be invaluable if the need is there.
 
I have a southwestern Industries Prototrak 13X60 will all the options and it works great at both CNC and manual machining. I have a Dorian 8 station turret on mine that gets in the way on manual work but makes the machine good for low volume production jobs when our lathes are super busy.

Prototraks are great machines well designed and well built.These guys have been in the game a long time and do things right.

Make Chips Boys !

Ron
 
Ran a Haas TL-2 for about 5 years. Purchased a Trak 1845RX with 8 station turret and all the options (South Western Industries) in September this year. kicks the ass of the Haas in every department. love the machine...
 
Have a Romi M17 and i love it....Great machine! Haven't run the next gen C510 to compare.....
Have mine fitted out with a MultiFix post and a Schunk QC manual chuck ..works a treat. We do prototype and repair work and it is easily as good at that work as any
comparable manual.
Excellent fit and finish on the Romi. Way better than the Haas.
Quick to setup and program (the manual guide is very fast to use)
Our machine has a D1-6 spindle so different setups and work holding is a snap.
Threads, tapers all easy and fast to run.
Would never go back to a straight manual machine.

Cheers Ross
 
Fryer is another option for hybrid. Made in USA in Paterson NY. As mentioned, machine cost is less, setup is faster,and it is way better than doing everything manually. I find our 8 position turret to be very helpful. Hardly any need to measure on loose tolerance unless a tool breaks.

-Gene
 
gregormarwick said:
Kinda have to disagree with this.

We have a shop full of nice cnc machines, from basic 2 axis lathes up to a B axis mill turn and everything in between.

We also have a single little Harrison Alpha 400, and there is always someone using it. It's super fast to set up for a one off part vs. a turning centre, QC toolpost means no worry about work envelope and tool clearances, simple three jaw chuck means no time spent messing around with jaws. I wrote a solid post for it, so we can take a part in cam and put it on whichever lathe is most convenient, including the Alpha. If I don't want to do that, the Alpha conversational, while extremely basic, is so simple anyone can use it.

For manual type work, it is every bit as good as any similar sized manual lathe. If you need to screwcut something quickly, it will run circles around a manual lathe in cycle time, and run circles around a turning centre in setup time. Same for cutting a taper etc.

It's literally the lowest value machine on our floor, and one of the most frequently used. We paid £6k for it used - ROI was measured in days...

I can't speak for other teach/hybrid lathes, the Alphas are the only ones I've ever used. They have their place, and can be invaluable if the need is there.
Click to expand...

Does it also use that Alpha drawing package "thingy"? I know a guy that rents from us has an older one with a basic Fanuc control that is a bit of a mission to get used to but is solid iron.

I know that I might get stick for this, and I think that I have mentioned this before, but this TNC-460N / 540N / 630N - Teach-In CNC Lathe | CNC-TAKANG has paid for 3 machining centres and 2 full cnc lathes and is still going strong. They have changed a bit on the machine but mine is roughly about 15 years old. Have replaced spindle bearings once and the Fagor control makes a teach style lathe a dream to operate.

I literally trained a guy up in a week that I now don't even need to worry about him. Just line material up and he has at it. The Fagor is so easy to use that a 1off or 2off or 20off is thrown in his direction so that I don't have to program for quick jobs.
The machine itself is ridiculously strong. Mine has a 82mm spindle bore and 1.5M between centres. Manual toolpost, you lose swing if you put their style turret on it. It has run MANY hours. The reason why we went for it because the Haas was a toy compared to it. I don't regret getting it. I am sure that the newer Fagor control is even better but my 8055 is absolutely fantastic. You won't be using in manually much because of all the built in cycles and the draw profile feature. Maybe to face something quickly but it is so easy to set a part up that you may as well us the functions.
 
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