IH Mill or another

[M4RK_23]

I'm looking to get into a mill like the IH cnc mill or possibly a different one if better for the same cost of $7000. I plan to do alot of acrylic work so it would be nice to have more rpm than even there 2hp motor but I don't know what I could do about that besides another machine. I would also like to have an indexing table sometime in the future so I'll just need a 4axis controller for now. Looking foreward to what you guys have to say so I can get started soon. Thanks -Mark

[phil burman]

Have you considered the Tormach PCNC1100. Its more substantial, has a VFD to 4,500 rpm and ground ball screws. Its purpose build as a CNC machine.

Phil

[M4RK_23]

I have looked at it. It looks very nice it has a bit smaller working area and uses stepper motors instead of servos. I'm not really sure if the steppers have lower resolution than the servos but thats what I assume. Oh and the IH mill has a tilting head besides that the only thing the tormach has over IH is the faster spindle by 1300 rpm. The IH mill seemes like a better machine but I could be mistaken

[pstockley]

In my mind, the extra resolution of the IH mill isn't worth much because of the cheap rolled ballscrews that are fitted. The Tormach has expensive ground ballscrews. Also it is slighly more robust (about 100 lbs heavier) and out of the box a better built machine. If you want variable speed that is controlled from Mach you will need to add a VFD and 3phase motor to the IH mill. Plus you will have to build and wire up the drives, limits etc. In the end both are reasonable machines.

When Mach IV with the GRex comes out I will probably replace the steppers on the tormach with direct drive servos and 2000 count encoders. This should give ample resolution and performance.

[dammachines]

Yes, the IH mill is definitely larger than the Tormach, but I believe the weight difference is more like 250 lbs. I've never seen the IH mill in person, but I'm glad I went with the Tormach instead. For one thing, I was able to just plug it in and go, vs. the IH where you need to tear the thing apart and install the CNC kit. Probably not a big deal if you have the time, but I don't right now... Also, I really don't think servos will give you any better resolution than steppers. You will get faster rapids, but you can always upgrade the Tormach if you fell like it...

Also, if you're looking for a high speed option, Tormach has a kit that hasn't been released yet to mount a high speed Proxxon grinder off to the side of the main spindle. I believe they run between 5-20k rpm with max .001 run out.

If I'm not mistaken, Mike Aber has both machines and has posted his impression of both in another thread here.

Dave

[M4RK_23]

I guess I will go with the tormach then the only thing it dosen't have is a tilting head which I don't see myself using much anyway if ever. Now when I get this machine I will need to transport it from my garage to the shed behind our house which is my shop. So how will I get it across the lawn which is very soft right now and uneven. Can I take apart the machine without much difficulty or special tools? I don't see a pallet jack going across a lawn myabe a forklift. Also does anybody know if they started making their stand for the machine and what it costs? Thanks -Mark

[pstockley]

I've seen people move pretty heavy stuff across lawns by laying 1/2" plywood down for the palette jack to move on. Failing this, it would be reasonably easy to break into smaller pieces and move with on a cart with decent sized wheels.

Trust me you won't miss a tilting head. I've had mills with them and hardly ever use the feature. The big problem is that by the time you tilt them to a reasonable angle, the work ends up being right at one end of the table which isn't good for accuracy. Better to get something like: http://www.sparro.com/parasine.htm

[phantomcow2]

I think if your willing to spend the price for an IH mill, you might as well just buy a used knee mill. Get a Series I with electronics in need of replacement and....
You wont pay a huge amount
You get a rock solid machine

Chances are, the machine will come with servos, ballscrews, and everything already. So then you just replace the electronics with Geckos or something like that