Reliability of commercial routers

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Hi all,
My company is preparing to purchase a new Router. The X and Y need to be able to cut 72" by 72"We need 18" of clearance & 28" of Z stroke.
I am looking at Multicam, and Flexicam. I read recently someone said multicam's are down frequently. has anyone else heard that?
How about the reliability of the Flexicam?
Does anyone know of any other manufacturers that make this size machine?
Thank you for any info.

[granto]

I haven't been looking into machines with quite as much z clearance and travel but I do require similzr y travel.

FWIW, the Mulitcam sales person cautioned me about loss of rigidity if I added a 4" riser to the 3000 series machine. This would have increased the gantry clearance from 6" to 10". I believe the 5000 series has an optional 16" gantry clearance but that is the max.

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Granto,
Thanks for the info.
Is there anyone else out there who owns one that can tell me about the reliability of their commercial Router?

Thank you in advance.

[Dan.antes]

I have yet to receive the Flexi I just ordered. I had several used equipment sales guys warn me against multicams for the "down as much as up" issue. Flexicam and Northwood have exceptional track records according to the sales staff at MLS machines and The CNC Router Store. Both of the companys were brokering several Multicams and stated they wished the had some used Flexicams but since a Flexi is "bulletproof" they almost never show up on the used market. Flexis if used are sold before they are ever decomissioned. I would talk to used guys for yourself. Also talk to software resellers. They deal with a lot of different machine owners and are frequently the first people called when the machine is having trouble. The opinions from guys that are disinterested in what machine I bought were the ones that steered me to my decision. I also talked to quit a few long term Flexicam owners to hear about the reliabilty etc. Although the contacts were provided by Flexicam, the people I spoke with (also looked at thir websites) were genuine CNC professionals and offered me continued support if I needed it in the future. Only 1 out of the 5 Flexicam owners I spoke with had ever had a machine go down and that was attributed to user error. I do know that the stability of voltage and clean dry compressed air are huge issues that can affect reliability. The bearings in spindles are cooled from your compressed air system. Providing the machine hermetically clean dry air will vastly increase the life of your spindle. I have spent several hundred hours researching, but bare in mind I have yet to have my machine delivered. Good luck!

[granto]

I'm still considering the Techno but after hearing more about the Flexicam I'm probably going to give them a call tomorrow.

[nickjones111]

Originally Posted by cut more Granto, Thanks for the info. Is there anyone else out there who owns one that can tell me about the reliability of their commercial Router? Thank you in advance.

In 17 years of running 12 CNC routers the most reliable we have by far are the Japanese Heians. They are also have the heaviest construction, quietest spindles and best vacuum pumps. (Roots blowers). It's not unusual to go 10 years without a single fault on these. The down side is the initial cost !
Buy one 5 - 10 years old and you will not be disappointed.

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Thanks nick,
What were the 12 routers, Were they all Heian's or were they different makes?
What type of control do/did they have?
Thank you,
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[nickjones111]

Besides Heian (all with excellent Fanuc controls) we have British Wadkins with Bosch controls. British Rye with Spanish Fagor control. and Italian Biesse. Our Biesse is now quite old so it's probably unfair to comment on it's reliablity. Wadkin still exist but no longer make CNC routers. Wadkin reliablity is not too bad except for the "F" type router heads which are very poor and the regular attention needed to those round slide bars on every each axis which must be dismantled every year to prevent bearing siezure. Sadly Rye no longer exist, but the router heads are Perske and quite good. Fagor are a very helpful company and will provide you with a CD with the machine builder manuals for their controls. This is very useful in times of trouble ! Heidenhein will also give you this information but Bosch will not. I know people with new and very fast Morbidelli routers which have experienced a number of leadscrew failures. I don't think the leadscrew can withstand the forces imposed on it at these very high accelerations. We haven't had an Andi (Anderson) but they were originally a copy of the Heian. They are of much lighter construction than Heian, but I believe a reasonable machine and the Fanuc control will be excellent. We did some trials on an Andi and on very heavy work the finish was poor compared to our existing Heians so we bought a 3rd Heian. Heian's are expensive new but I've yet to see a better built router. Good Luck, Nick

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Nick,
Thank you for taking your time to help, I really appreciate it.
Cutmore

[denise]

Hi

We too are looking at a flexicam but have been offered a recon Pacer. Has your machine arrived yet and how's it doing.

[Dan.antes]

We are still waiting for our Flexicam. We have had several jobs on the road and haven't been home to make final delivery arrangements. I am really anticipating it's arrival. I am still getting extremely quick responses from Flexicam with any issues or questions now they have my money. We have had to make major upgrades to our AC electric in our shop as well as improvements for compressed air. Flexicam has work with my suppliers of rotophases and air dryers to make sure I have what I need. The whole thing, which is fairly complex, has been made a great deal easier by their responsiveness. I had concerns with the customer service I received from other CNC manufacturers and sellers when I was looking. I figure if you get a poor response before the sale it will get worse after. We will take delivery the first week of Dec. I'll follow up after we get training. I've already started working with the software and get stuck often. It has been nice to get help from Flexicam usually within 10-15 minutes. Best wishes. Dan

[denise]

Thanks Dan

For taking the time .. I think you're probably right.

Denise