bridgeport with anilam retrofit - opinions wanted...

[1234567890]

Hello,

I have been reading what people think about bedmills vs vmc vs retrofitted "bridgeport" style mills.... There's a lot of different opinions out there. One can't argue that a toolchanger is handy, but for a homeshop, it may not matter. As the price goes down, one can live with less features I guess.

I'm looking at this mill on ebay.

CNC BRIDGEPORT ANILAM 3 AXIS CONTROL GREAT CONDITION - eBay (item 350404327008 end time Oct-22-10 05:53:25 PDT)

Looks decent. Recent anilam 3300mx control (year about 1999 I guess?). Has the Z axis on the quill, which is not the best set up, but I can't see any reason why it would be bad if the price is right. I would guess this machine would be worth about 2500 to 3500 US dollars???? What do you think.

Does anyone have a similar machine? Opinions? Regrets?

I'm mostly interested in comments about the control system -- is anilam okay or what (as compared with prototrak, centroid, ..., mach3).

Does the 3300xm have DNC ability?

Yup, I would like to buy a new $85,000 VMC, but my financial situation moving fwd will permit that kind of capitalization, if you what I'm saying.

Thanks

[jthornton]

I have a BP series 1 slightly older than the one in the pic with an Anilam 1100M control on it. The servos are basically the same setup as the one in the pic. I've used it to make parts for several years now. Good machine and good tech support. The limitations are if your machine has an R8 collet tool changes during a program run are out of the question. Mine has a Quic Switch 200 spindle so at least I can do tool changes. From the picture is looks like yours is the same. As for the price, I just bought a BP VMC with an 8 tool changer for 6k that needed nothing but power and air... But I'm sure the price of the one your looking at is affected by the newness of the Anilam control. The biggest limitation on the BP with the Anilam is the Z or lack of Z... realistically I have about 3.5" of usable Z with a small buffer not to hit the limit switches. With no vise or tooling you will easily spend 2k just getting started. I just purchased a Glacern vise for my VMC that I'm real happy with and was very cost effective.

While you could get more machine for the money the new Anilam control will mean no headaches in that area.

John

[1234567890]

Thanks for you ideas John,

I agree that $6000 ought to get a decent used VMC, which would be the ideal way to go. Tool changer, more Z travel, and probably a 40 taper spindle are ideal. (Certainly?) much more spindle RPM too.

I suppose what this Bridgeport has to offer is a compact size (so the frieght won't be too bad) and a closed loop, somewhat newer, 3D cnc control. 3.5" of Z travel could be a limiting factor, and I wonder how hard it is to get the quick switch tooling compared to cat 40? I agree that R8 would be a bad choice (I'm sure the worst choice).

That said, I am wondering what it will sell for..... My guess is that it is worth around $3500. I think more than that and one would be better off with a vmc. Equal or lower, and it's a good deal.

Curious to know what others think regarding the price?

Any other Anilam users out there have any comments???

[jthornton]

I didn't have any problem finding QS tooling on flea bay.

John

[Larry Patterson]

I am looking for a Anilam 3300 Mk control system for parts. Any help would be appreciated. Please call Larry at 801 216 4576. Thank you