Low budge CNC Lathe options?

[Thorpydo]

Hi,

I'm interested in purchasing a CNC lathe.

My budget is under $6,000. I'm looking for something that can hold a +/- .0005 tolerance, that is rigid enough to cut steel and that can make use of multiple tools without operator intervention, so I guess probably gang tooling or a turret.

Are there any lathes on the market that will suit my needs?

Thanks,
Adam

[keebler303]

Used machinery? Lots of it available right now.

Matt

[CNCRim]

The chance find cnc with that budget is slim, but possible.

[cnczoner]

I was looking for the same thing, and could find many used machines in that price range, but they were older machines which means questionable reliability, and also very very bulky.

I ended up deciding to convert my own and got a Grizzly G0602, estimating about $2k to $2.5K total without the controller (as I will use the same controller that runs my CNC mill. But alas, I have not had the time -- last month I finally got it out of the crate and set it up -- that's 14 months after I purchased it. Now, I just have to find the time to convert it. If you have the time, it may be the way to go, and I know a couple others have done this, with info posted here on the zone.

Cheers,
-Neil.

[fastlanecafe]

Originally Posted by Thorpydo Hi, I'm interested in purchasing a CNC lathe. My budget is under $6,000. I'm looking for something that can hold a +/- .0005 tolerance, that is rigid enough to cut steel and that can make use of multiple tools without operator intervention, so I guess probably gang tooling or a turret. Are there any lathes on the market that will suit my needs? Thanks, Adam

Your budget is pretty small for what you are asking ( couldn't even afford the " T " in budget)- seriously, when you add zeros behind the decimal point under accuracy, you end up adding zeroes to your price tag.
For what you are looking for, you would have to buy a used production machine and hope its not too worn out. Converting a new lathe eans you will start out with some sort of Chinese machine and will probably not end up with the precision you want. 0.005" would be reasonable. Your multiple tool changer busts your budget for any new machine.

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

You forgot a few things. What size workpieces? Weight? Power required to efficiently process workpiece? etc.

Dick Z