Newbie CNC Decision

[slowtwitch]

First of all, I want to say hello. I'm a long time lurker, but, first time poster. I'm in the process of searching for a cnc mill. I make parts for the after market car crowd.

The parts are all aluminum and I was making them on an old Emco drill/mill, but, it became very tiring cranking the wheels. Also, the demand for the products have increased. So, I hired the services of a machine shop to make the parts. Although the quality was good, the wait, delays and cost will not do. So, I decided to get a cnc mill.

I'm teaching myself solidworks and getting a handle on a cam program (gotta keep this old man's brain working).

Anyway, I've been reading about all the smaller mills, such as, Syil, Tormach, etc. and I see that alot of folks recommending getting a larger , older mill and retrofitting it.

My question is... I have a chance at buying an older Hurco KM3P, for a very low price (under $500). The machine was running when it was replaced, but, as with alot of older machines it may need work. Would it be worth upgrading to modern electronics??? what would an upgrade cost???

thanks
pete

ps: moderators, if i posted this in the wrong forum, my apologies

[awerby]

If the iron's in good shape, and the ballscrews likewise, it's going to be easier to retrofit an ex-CNC mill than to start with a manual one. But there's still a fair amount of work involved. If you're knowledgeable about electronic assembly and interfacing motion control software, it might be a piece of cake for you. If you're basically clueless about all that, then you're going to need help with it. Normally, if you call in a CNC tech that does this for a living, he/she will want to replace all the motors and electronics and replace them with known good parts, since they don't want to keep getting calls to service your old components. This will run you $10k and up, depending on what system you decide to go with. Most of the hobby-level systems we deal with here aren't going to run the massive motors that are needed for the Hurco, although there are exceptions.

If you've got a buddy (or can find someone) that knows about this stuff, you might be able to get help in salvaging what's good about the old system, and save some money that way. But that's inevitably going to take more time than paying to get the job done professionally, so you need to decide what's more important for you -time or money.

Take a close look at that machine before investing in a rigger to drag it off. Many older machines have spent their lives making one part over and over, so they're severely worn in certain places. Try to find out about its history, and how well it was maintained. If the slides are bad, they can be more expensive and difficult to repair than it's worth. Try cranking down a lock (lightly) at the place it seems loosest, and see if it travels all the way along the axis or binds up. Similarly, the spindle can wear out - check the quill for play. At best, you might get a great, big machine for a fraction of what it would cost new. At worst, you might throw a bunch of money and time into a piece of iron that is most useful as a boat anchor...

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

Originally Posted by slowtwitch First of all, I want to say hello. I'm a long time lurker, but, first time poster. I'm in the process of searching for a cnc mill. I make parts for the after market car crowd. The parts are all aluminum and I was making them on an old Emco drill/mill, but, it became very tiring cranking the wheels. Also, the demand for the products have increased. So, I hired the services of a machine shop to make the parts. Although the quality was good, the wait, delays and cost will not do. So, I decided to get a cnc mill. I'm teaching myself solidworks and getting a handle on a cam program (gotta keep this old man's brain working). Anyway, I've been reading about all the smaller mills, such as, Syil, Tormach, etc. and I see that alot of folks recommending getting a larger , older mill and retrofitting it. My question is... I have a chance at buying an older Hurco KM3P, for a very low price (under $500). The machine was running when it was replaced, but, as with alot of older machines it may need work. Would it be worth upgrading to modern electronics??? what would an upgrade cost??? thanks pete ps: moderators, if i posted this in the wrong forum, my apologies