Newbie- Best CNC Lathe and Mill

[dontshoot80]

Alright, I have been browsing these forums for sometime now and here goes post #1!!!

Alright I am just getting into machining and have a product that i need to machine that is aluminum and around 1/2" in diameter and about 1" long. We will need to probably be making around 100 per month. The majority of the work will be able to be done on a lathe with just a little milling. We will also be making some parts of the same size with polycarbonate.

So with that said we need to invest in some machinery that would not be overkill for us but that we could turn out that quantity without a problem. So i have been looking at tons of CNC lathes and mills but am having a real hard time knowing what I need for the job and what is overkill

Needs: Ability to cut many thread sizes, get a good consistent finish on our parts, high precision etc....

I am wondering if a cnc conversion with a harbor freight, grizzly or micromark would be enough for us...

Or should we be going to something like a 3n1 Patriot VFD (as that is a good deal)?

Or do we need to be going up to some used Haas to get our parts of that size made in a timely manner?

Thanks guys,

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[stk2008]

Hi there if there is little milling to do could you get away with an all on one eg lathe and mill?.

As you have not shown us the part to be made its hard for me to say where etc you have to do the milling process there for I cant make good judgment of how the part has to be held for the milling process.

But if its on the OD of the part you could use an all in one and eliminate the need to remove the part from the lathe freeing up time etc and space as you wont need a milling machine.

edit

This looks very nice

http://www.amadeal.co.uk/acatalog/AM...g_Machine.html

and I have heard good things about this man to.

edit 2

Just spotted you was after a CNC lathe/mill sorry the one I said about is manual.

[rowbare]

You might want to consider a Tormach PCNC 1100 with the Duality lathe add-on. The Tormach is a good mill for prototyping and small quantity production.

http://www.tormach.com/Product_PCNC_main.html

http://www.tormach.com/Product_PCNC_lathe.html

There is also a smaller version of the mill the PCNC 770, but it doesn't support the Duality lathe and there isn't a power drawbar option for it yet. However it has a 10,000 rpm spindle.

Depending on how complex your part is, you might be able to do it all on the mill: YouTube- MILL2LATHE converts your CNC mill to a CNC lathe!
bob

[instructor37]

Originally Posted by dontshoot80 Alright, I have been browsing these forums for sometime now and here goes post #1!!! Alright I am just getting into machining and have a product that i need to machine that is aluminum and around 1/2" in diameter and about 1" long. We will need to probably be making around 100 per month. The majority of the work will be able to be done on a lathe with just a little milling. We will also be making some parts of the same size with polycarbonate. So with that said we need to invest in some machinery that would not be overkill for us but that we could turn out that quantity without a problem. So i have been looking at tons of CNC lathes and mills but am having a real hard time knowing what I need for the job and what is overkill Needs: Ability to cut many thread sizes, get a good consistent finish on our parts, high precision etc.... I am wondering if a cnc conversion with a harbor freight, grizzly or micromark would be enough for us... Or should we be going to something like a 3n1 Patriot VFD (as that is a good deal)? Or do we need to be going up to some used Haas to get our parts of that size made in a timely manner? Thanks guys, Any help is greatly appreciated!

We have some of the older Patriot machines. As far as a combination machine goes, they are probably your best choice. Stay away from anything that will require a retrofit or modification to CNC, as you will end up spending all your time re-designing a machine. The size you quote could be done on the smaller Sherlines etc.. but once invested in those units, your ability to expand to larger pieces is lost. The Tormach sized machines will give you greater rigidity and speed, but the duality lathe will be a limiting factor, as it is really only an add-on, and you really are looking for a CNC lathe with occassional milling . As far as precision goes, you don't cite any parameters. We have had no problem holding 0.001-0.002" tolerances on our units, and in some cases have done better. A lot of this depends on the time you can take for your setup etc. Making 100 units per month is only 5 units per workday, so speed is not a concern. If your volume was 100 units per day, then you would need to step up to some pretty expensive equipment.

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

The drawbacks of those all-in-one machines is they are compromises. The jack of all trades, master of none thing.

Also, while the machine is being used as a lathe, it can not be used for milling.

For low volume production and home/hobby work, they should suffice.

Dick Z

[instructor37]

Originally Posted by RICHARD ZASTROW Also, while the machine is being used as a lathe, it can not be used for milling. For low volume production and home/hobby work, they should suffice. Dick Z

Agreed- If the guy is only running 100 pieces per month, then he will not have 2 machinists working full time, so he would not be able to use a seperate lathe and mill in any case. With some careful forethought, a guy can do all his turning work, then swap over and do the milling.

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

That will work if that's all the machine is used for. If he makes all 100 pcs. without breaking down his set-ups it will work fine.

Murphy says he'll be interrupted. LOL

I don't know how complicated or time consuming his parts are so, whatever works.

Dick Z