Getting ready to buy a Flashcut 4400V Servo

[mts]

I am going into business with a Partner of mine who Manufactures Duck and Goose calls. We are looking to speed up Production as we are getting more dealers around the Country. I have heard some good things about Flashcut. I have all kinds of questions, but my first would be is the 4400V Servo a good machine? I am not as good of a machinst as my partner, but I am looking to get him out from behind the Lathe so that we can grow the business more.

What can I reasonbly expect as far as an increase in production? He currently cranks out about 50-60 calls a week presently by Hand. Could we expect a 5 fold gain in production? I have not purchased the Lathe yet, but I am planning on doing so in the next three weeks.

Thanks in advance for any input.

[richardl]

The Flashcut servo system works great and is very easy to setup. I am using a 4-servo motor Flashcut system to drive a Taig mill.

If you are ok with the Sherline lathe's ability to handle your production then the Flashcut control system will work just fine. Remember that the lathe is cheap compared to the Flashcut system. But that same Flashcut system could be used on many other lathes or mills.

[mts]

Thanks for getting back to me on this. I did not know about the ability to use other lathes. I am hopeful that the lathe that comes with the flashcut system is adequate. Is it reasonable to assume that I can get about a 5 to 1 ratio of output is comparison of using the cnc as compared to doing the same tasks manually? Trying to avoid labor costs and looking to grow the business.

[richardl]

The CNC system will definitely increase productivity with repetitive production. But don't overlook the learning and work you will need to do on setting up the computer control such as devising fixtures for holding your stock and learning CAD/CAM software. I don't know much about computer controlled lathing. Lathing is essentially 2 dimensional. So it is simpler than the 4 dimensional CAM work I am doing. But don't underestimate the learning curve on the computer side. Fortunately, Flashcut really just works for its piece of the puzzle. (That's a lot of what you are buying with Flashcut. Many people have made an entire hobby creating what Flashcut sells as a turnkey system. See the CAD CAM EMD DRO mailing list for examples.)

I assume you are currently using some sort of lathe. You will want to compare the Sherline 4400 to your current model as this will effect the sorts of productivity you can expect. The Flashcut system can be used on a wide variety of lathes and mills. (You can easily move it to a different lathe or mill if you find the machine you are using isn't cutting it. Pun intended.) The Sherline lathes that Flashcut offers bundled are among the smallest such machines. Other desktop lathes to look at are the Taig, Prazzi and Minitech. Check out http://www.desktopcnc.com/lathe for a table of various models. You will probably want to consider build-quality, parts availability and your duty cycle. Some of these machines are really not intended for fulltime operation. There are large variations in build quality of some of these machines esp. when it comes to the asian imports.

I worked with Andrew Werby at ComputerSculpture.com. He is in Oakland and has lots of experience with these sorts of machines. He was very helpful in sorting out the type of machine, control system and motors I was looking at.

- Richard