I'm not a job shop - so I don't need to be setting up all new designs all the time - and speed of production is not as critical as quality and the ability to make changes to my designs efficiently. I work mostly in steel and have a number of designs I hope to be able to sell, but the Haas would have to wait till there was enough demand to justify moving to a bigger machine (bigger for me, small for most I suppose
) I think I would probably skip the USB and the FDD too - the goal is to just get data to the machine - a cable is actually
a better solution anyways.
BTomlinson : I'm confused, I thought the MIPS and the Visual Quick Code system were both probing systems, for probing work and tool offsets. What else do these do ? Doesn't the general Quick Code language ( that allows for bolt hole drilling, pockets, etc.) come standard on the mill ?
I don't do 3D stuff, so HSM isn't for me, neither is extra memory since our programs are pretty simple (just thinking out loud here) - Rigid Tapping is a yes, as is spindle orientation (anyone know how many degrees the spindle can be moved with this option ?) seems like S.O. would be VERY useful if you did ANY angle work at all (and we do). Fourth axis would be nice, but other things would take priority so I don't think that would fit under the budget. I've read about the power failure option elsewhere here and isn't worth the money for me.
It seems to me the best strategy for buying a Haas is to concentrate on adding the 'physical' options first and then the options that are turned on with a code could be added after the 200 hours are up. A basic question - I've seen conflicting reports that the 200 hours period is based on either machine powered on time or is it based on the hours that the option code is enabled ? Anyone have first hand experience in how this works ? Seems like some of the options 200 hours could last quite a long time if you don't use them very often.
I'm mostly interested in the 1P because of the enclosure and having the tool changer as standard. If we go with the stategy outlined above, seems like the coolant kit and the chip conveyor would be at the top of the list - $2000 buys a lot of shop vac time tho - I'd have to think about it ...
Which leaves: Coordinate Rotation & Scaling, Macros, and the spare M functions - any opinions on these ? Anyone using them ?
So this means 33.7K or 35.7k out the door (and pay for the other stuff later
)
Last thing - I've looked at some other machines like the Sharp 2412 and the Hurco VM-1 all in the same price range, anyone else think these are a better buy ? Seems to me the Haas has a bigger table and better service options (but not as good of a warranty). And anyone know if Haas will be coming out with enclosed versions of the TM-3 or TM-4 (that would be nice).
Thanks again for all the help and advice everyone - much appreciated.