advice on purchasing a vmc help!

[mr kahn]

I am looking for advice on how to choose the right vmc for my shop. We are an architectural metalworking company that is constantly working on high end projects with materials that range from stainless steel to bronze to aluminum. We manufacture a furniture line and hardware. In the past any machining was out sourced but we want to be capable in house at this point. We have recently purchased a Flow waterjet and it has changed our lives so much that I want to further our mastery of cnc manufacturing.
We develop everything in Solidworks and would like a seamless integration from that program to machine to part.
Questions: What brand (Haas?Hurco?)
Software: onecnc? Conversational programming?
Used or new?
40"x 20"x20" travel is minimum for us.
look to spend appx 60k possible?
Help! I know almost nothing!

[DareBee]

Do you need full 3 axis machining?

I am a fan of new conversational programming as it can save a lot of programming time for simple parts (I do a lot of 1-offs).
If you will do large volume production ease of programming is irrelevant but you will want fast rapids and tool changes.
Cutting aluminum and bronze you will likely want a 15k spindle (10k minimum).
There are a LOT of factors involved in your decision and you have not listed enough of them.

[mr kahn]

Darebee,
Please let me know some of the other most important factors that I should consider when making this kind of purchase. One of the most difficult things about figuring it all out is knowing what questions to ask.
We will be primarily doing short runs of stuff but it will vary greatly what type of material we will be machining. Is it safe to say that since the machine will not be asked by us to do "heavy machining" every day or for prolonged runs, that we would not have the need to purchase a robust machine? (to keep costs down)
If we are developing all our parts in Solidworks and using a program like Onecnc to write tool paths, does Conversational play any part in the equation?
I was contacted about a machine for sale that is equipped with a high speed spindle (60k) Can that be used for general machining as well? Or are you sacrificing torque and durability with that kind of set up?
Any other thoughts on the subject would be appreciated!