In a horizontal machining center, I'd look for either a Makino MC-40 with a Fanuc 11M or a Mazak H-400 with a Maza-cam control. These are both 400 mm nominal work envelope machines, and either of them can be had for less than $10K with a bit of shopping for machines made in the late 80's.
For turning centers, I've had such good luck with Okuma that I wouldn't look for anything else unless it was awfully nice and awfully cheap. Avoid any turning center that doesn't include the full complement of ID and OD toolblocks. About all lathes use bolt-on ID tool blocks, and some also use OD bolt ons as well. You DONT want to have to buy these from the manufacturer after you thought you got a good buy on the lathe. There is no other source than the original manufacturer, and a full set of these items can cost thousands. My own preference on Okuma lathes is the LC series with a 5000 or 5020 control. LC's are built like a tank. One of these from the last half of the 80's can be bought for $15 to $20K in good shape, and sometimes for quite a bit less than that.
Once you're looking at auto toolchanger machines, the so called PC-based controls are largely a PC front end with proprietary motion control behind the panel. Machining centers in particular have so many auxiliary functions which must be controlled that any home-brew PC retrofit is out of the question unless you're a control wizard. The true all-in-software systems for retrofit such as OpenCNC are not cheap by any means.
In any machine purchase, make sure to get all the manuals. If they're absent, figure $1000 per machine to purchase them. Also, a lathe or mill with noisy spindle bearings or worn out ballscrews might not be a good deal even if it's free. Either of these items can be a mega-dollar repair for both parts and labor.  |