Bridgeport Series II CNC with Z axis on the knee

[autotechsteve]

I have been looking for a CNC mill for a while now and I have come across 2 of the mills in the search. I did not know they were out there but they are a series II head on a CNC base. The Z axis is in the knee, not the quill and the head functions like a tradition head. I assume they were built as CNC machines from Bridgeport and not conversions. Are they any good or should I stay away from them?
Steve

[machintek]

Wrong. NOT CNC. This is a NC2. The NC2A had the capability of upgrading it to CNC with the C6 option. But I do not see the control cabinet. It was a stand alone unit to one side of the machine. The quill moved with the help of a air over oil device called a spindle wizard. Who ever designed that should be shot. Many years ago I spent countless hours resurrecting these machines.
The motors were large steppers with heat sinks on them. I do not see that either.
Was this machine converted? Was it possibly a tracer?

George

[autotechsteve]

I talked to the owner a few days ago and it is supposed to be an original CNC machine. He had it on Ebay. He got it from an old coworker who had started the conversion. That's why the cabinets are gone. He also replaced the steppers with servos. I have only seen one other machine like this, and it is on Ebay right now but it looks much older, just like you described actually. There is also a video showing the quill wizard in action, a very strange setup I might add. here is a link just for fun.
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I am glad you posted about this machine. I was interested in it being that it was on a series II platform but I will look else where. Thanks again for the info.
On another note, from what I have seen and read you are the authority on maintenance and repair on more than one forum. Would Bridgeport CNC mill would you recommend for a first time CNC and in a small shop. I also have an 80" doorway to get through as well. I have come across every flavor of machine but I don't know what direction to go in. Many guys are getting older Boss 5 machines and retrofitting them. Some others are still running factory controls. I had another gentlemen recommend Hurco mills because of the conversational. Being new to CNC I want to decide on a machine that will not make go crazy trying to get it up and running, learning the control and keeping it maintained. Thanks again for the help.
Steve

[machintek]

What type of work? How many pieces? How big?

George

[autotechsteve]

What type of work? How many pieces? How big?

George

Most of what I build right now is brackets and fixtures for a robotic welding company. For now I do not build any complex parts or anything that requires full 3d capability. The orders are at most 400 completed units at one time, each consists of 3 to 5 separate parts so any where from 1200 to 2000 parts at the most but usually around 300 to 500 parts at a time. Height is the biggest problem I have in my current shop. The door to get in is the height of a standard home garage door, about 80" but once inside I have about 9.5' of overhead space. I need to stick to a knee mill style machine because it cannot have the large footprint of a VMC. As for weight I can move around up to about to 6000lbs. I also don't have a lot to spend on this project right now either. Most of my customers have slowed down so hence so have I. I am trying to get something up and running for 4K or less, less is always better. Once I can get the capability I can always attract more business and get a better machine and hopefully a bigger shop. That is why I am hunting down older Bridgeport mills and trying to retrofit them. Trying to get ahead and save money where I can. Thank you George for the help.
Steve

[machintek]

Too many parts for a EZTRAK (Bridgeport conversational knee mill). I would be considering a small mill with a tool changer that I could put fixtures on. Look at the milltronics line. Also conversational, good support. And it will fit with your height limitations. I remember installing such a mill and it was cheaper than my Bridgeport knee mill R2E4.

George