finding info on bridgeport ez vision mill

[carsonc]

Hello all, this is my first post on your site.
I would like to find out if the B P ez vision mill is worth having. I have searched here and on Google but have not found much about them other than from the BP website.
I did find one post where someone had 2 of them and could not get them to work.
The mill would not be used for production , mostly for making equipment for the shop.
The one thing that the cnc would help with is making forms for a ram bender, and of course a dozen other neat things that we have not thought of.
So if any one has an opinion about this mill or experience using one I would appreciate it.
Thanks Carson

[carsonc]

Well it must be realllly bad or so new no one has an opinion on it.
Maybe there is a different forum where I could get some feed back ????
Carson

[machintek]

The EZVISION came out after Hardinge yanked the line away from its usual dealers. Thus after installing and fixing EZTRAKs for years, I have no data to share with you about the newer EZVISION. Maybe that is why no one else does either. I have no idea what is inside of one.

George

[carsonc]

Thanks George
maybe the new B P mills are not as well made as the older ones, There sure is not a lot of talk about the new ones, good or bad.
Is there another brand that would do the same work as the B P , one that has more history and a larger user base ?
Carson

[machintek]

The EZTRAK machines made by Bridgeport were great machines. Not the ones with the Southwestern control.
They came in 2 or 3 axis (only the ones with the Z axis ballscrew in front of the quill are good). They were manual machines and conversational CNC machines.
Start another trend asking about EZTRAK satisfaction.

George

[mactec54]

Hi carsonc
If the control you are asking about is the one Hardinge is using now for the new Bridgeports it is night & day better than the older EZTRACK control ( which there was nothing wrong with ) But it was time for change, The control they are using is made by SOFTSERVO they have a web site you can check there site The Hardinge version has been customized to look and feel like a EZTRACK so not much different to use

[carsonc]

Thanks for posting
So it is starting to look like the cnc conversion stuff is the unknown and possible problem, more than the actual milling mach.
I will look at the "softservo" site and see what I can find out.
For now I will assume that there is not a big problem with the mill itself.
Thanks again
Carson

[mactec54]

Hi carsonc
If you are buying the mill with the EZVision you won't go wrong the control
is the best money can buy I have been running the softservo version for 5
years 3&4 axes and it is just the best control out there

[carsonc]

From what Mactec54 says and what I have been able to find the softservo controller is all we would ever need.

Now the new problem, the boss was looking thru some catalog or a flyer that came in the mail, I think it might have been from MSC and there was a Bridgeport copy with a 3 axis controller for less money. So he says look around and see if there is any thing close to the bridgeport and let me know.

I am sure that there are people on this forum with a lot more experience with cnc mills than I have, and if anyone would like to suggest another brand it would be appreciated.
I think we are going to "west tech" or some such and it would be nice to have a bit more information about what is out there and how they compare.
Carson

[NC Cams]

YOu get what you pay for.

Go shoppoing for a chinese copy and see what they're worth. Go shoppoing for a used BPT and see what it holds in/for value. BIG difference.

THe problme with "price" machines is that you may NOT be able to get parts or service reliably for them. After sales service and support is CRUCIAL to a CNC. Ask anyone who's had one go down - and especially a no-name brand who's service/support team has vanished.

Small businesses are always under the gun when it comes to buying expensive equipment. It is hard to justify and harder to pay for. So, guys look for deals and shop for the best/bettre price. This is understandable. HOWEVER, if your livelihood depends on it, you really shouldn't crimp or use shoddy ill fitted stuff. It pays to buy the best you can hardly afford.

Very few people are ever disappointed by buying top shelf stuff but many folks are disappointed when their bargain basement ''find" doesn't pan out like the sales guy promised - and the promises for some strange reasons never seem to be kept.

[carsonc]

Thanks NC
Without going to the no name clones are there other machines that are comparable to Bridge port.
Carson

[NC Cams]

Bridgeprot is the gold STANDARD when it comes to the traditional milling machine. PERIOD.

There are/were competitors (IE: Excello, chinese copy, etc) but all in all, most machiists refer to a "mill" as a "Bridgeport".

Having said that, the realitities of business have to be considered. If you need a "mill", it is not hard to go price shopping and you can find a generic mill that will suffice. However, lets say you are going to do production or high accuracy work. NOw is when the details start to matter.

MOve the gibbs, check the backlash, check the repeatability. Does the table MOVE to where you send it or do you have to hunt/peck??? There is NOTHING worse than to have a relatively new machine and to then have to learn how to 'cheat' it to make the damn thing cut properly or accruately.

This is not to say the chinese stuff is junk. Not so. I own several Grizzly tools and they suffice - however they are suuport devices - right next to the Bridgeport Eztrak and Excello's where the PRECISION stuff is done.

I've seen some real nice mills from prme imports. The brands are well known and you can literally "see' the qualiy. However, not having run the machines, I can't SPEAK for the quality. This much can be said, however, about the Bridgeports:

There are parts and thera are PLENTY of them. They are well known and proven PERFORMERS. Moreaoever and more improtantly, thre are literally BPT's the have survived GENERATIONS of use. Besides a proven track record of performance, whet more would one need/want in order to justify WHY to buy the industry STANDARD??? Especially when even even used ones are avaialble and ccarry their value.

Lastly, resale value. Try selling a chinese copy to recoup your investment if the shop goes under. Big market?? DOn't think so. Go BPT shopping on e-bay. Do the math...Any further questions???