Small Step Up ???

[Bob La Londe]

I've been playing with a Taig 2019CR for almost two years. After much tweaking and adjusting and a recent controller and motors upgrade I've finally got it performing about like I think it should. Now I'm looking for a small step up in work envelope and perhaps other capabilities. (I've done a bit of work with it as I adjusted and tweaked.)

Several have suggested the SX4, but the Y-axis is the same as the Taig (not mine I extended it). It looks like a nice robust machine for steel, and I may eventually consider something like it if I get into making steel punches and dies. The small work envelope like the Taig and the slow spindle speed turn me off machines like that for now. I am mostly working in aluminum and fast spindle speed makes a huge difference in production rate.

On my Taig I made a dual clamp bracket to use precision handpieces off flex shaft drives turning 15,000 rpm so I could cut two pieces at a time. I also removed the main spindle motor to reduce weight and binding on the Z-Axis so I could kick up the G00 plunge and retract speed. This allows me to work at a safer Z clearance and makes a pretty big difference in total elapsed time in big projects. (I'm running rapids at 60IPM on all axis right now. In exact stop mode its very accurate too. In CV mode it turns squares into circles at much over 20. At 40 a 1 inch square is almost round. LOL. Of course that is all software, not the machine.)

I'm still pretty precise with my Taig as well as accurate if I adjust and lube everything every 20 hours or so. Its probably a lot better now than how it came out of the box.

I'm looking for something just a small step up in production envelope and maybe quality that I can still run high speed spindles with. The conventional quill mills don't look like they lend themselves well to installing your own spindle mounting brackets.

I don't mind doing a CNC retrofit now that I have an idea how things work, but I think I need to have a high speed spindle or be able to mount a secondary spindle mounting bracket easily.

I may even just buy another Taig, but without a spindle and motor at all, but I would not mind getting just a bit more work envelope than I can easily modify a Taig for. Y & Z are the areas I'ls like to expand. Spacers get me a little over 6 inches in Y and making my own spindle mount gives me me over 6 on Z. I can get almost 7 clearance with no mill chucked up and more if I move the spindle to the top screws on the Z-axis, but then I can't reach the table.

Price is a considering factor, but the Taig isn't cheap either. Its retailing for about 1700-1900 with setup similar to what I am running now.

I have considered a gantry style router, but most designs have too small of a Z envelope or price themselves out of my budget, and of course I worry about rigidity and repeatablity for pushing aluminum chips.

[Bob La Londe]

Nobody has a suggestion for a machine to be a small step up?