HELP for a noob like me! looking for a turn center ..

[JinMTVT]

hi all!
My first post on this super nice forum
( did quite a bit of reading in 2 days though ...)

I am currently on the market for a turning center/lathe CNC .

I have just merged 2 companies, with wich we will be doing alot of racing car parts, and i can't afford to have all the turned parts sub contracted,
+ we will require a cnc lathe to make engine parts within 1-2 years .

I was looking at HAAS SL series becuase of the price and the software.
I attended a representation of their products locally last year,
and i was impressed by the ease of use of their software for basic operations,
is there any other companies that include a visual easy software?

I have read often " FANUC" system, can we usually connect a compter to remotly controlled recent CNC lathes with "fanuc" system ?

As i stated by the topic, i an a complete noob to directly using CNC machines
( have some experience with manual lathe and mill )

So please i really need some advice on to what to look for and what kind of mahcine i should be buying ..

my budget for this machine with an ok starting kit
( enough to do sleeves, bushings and small parts for now )
is around 75 000$ CAD ( roughly 65-70K$ USD )

At first i looked at the Tool room serie of HAAS machines becuase of the cost and ease of use, but i was quikc to catch their limitation in anything other than hand prototyping or very simple operations ( tools limited? )

I do not need barfeeding for now, but a machine that could accept one later on could be a +

I was also looking at Vertical turning centers ,
is there any big advantages? i think that vertical could be more precise because of gravity ??

So was looking at either new ( HAAS Sl-20 or GT-20 + options ..though the GT series seem to miss alot of good options ( tool presetter and such ) )
Or any very good quality recent used turning center

i do not need really big working space, but something that could turn 10"diamter by 12"+ would be very nice and probably future proof for me.

How much are Mori Seiki vertical turning centers worth ?

What options will i absolutly need

and do you recommend to buy a slightly used machine ?

Aslo was looking at this website : kdcapital.com
are they reliable ?
they have a really nice Sl-20 with alot of options for a goodprice
( bar feeder,tailstock,presetter ... for 62K$USD 2006 SL-20 )

newya thanks all for your time ,
i hope that i can learn as much as possible from this nice community!

[JinMTVT]

I have just contacted a local distributor of Mori-Seiki machines
talked to him for about 30mins, i even told him that i was prior looking into Haas machines, and he directly referred to the haas as the bottom quality machine ...

He recommended me a DuraTurn Mori 2550 for ~ 110K $USD
wich is quite a bit over my budget ...

what do you guys think ?
i asked him about the VL serie of Mori, but he told me it was alot more expensive than the Dura, so i dind't insist there ...

[JinMTVT]

Now looking into a like new 2001 SL-145 Mori

what do you guys think about this turn center?

Please i really need you to help me make an intelligent choice on my machine purchase!!

what can we use for easy control or Fanuc controllers?

[Runner4404spd]

sorry i can't help you with your questions but i suggest you ask all the vendors to provide at a minimum a satisfied customers list that you can call and talk to and possibly go see their machines in working order.

[msomerville]

I can't comment on the Mori lathes because I have never run one. I haven't heard anything bad about them as they are one of the top machine builders.
The price shows it.
As far as controls that are more user friendly check out Milltronics. You can even download a limited program that is just like programming on the machine.
I believe they are on the same field with Haas if not a step up.
We are looking into getting another turning center right now. Daewoo (now Doosan) has some pretty impressive equipment for the price. Daewoo uses Fanuc controls which is basically the industry standard.
A couple of other options to keep in mind would be a chip conveyor, parts catcher, and if you have any cross drilling or milling that needs to be done, live milling capabilities.

[JinMTVT]

thanks for the replies ..

i have passed 1 hour + with the local MAzak representative over the phone ..
and i have to say that i do not understand why anyone buys HAAS if you can get a Mazak for 10 000$more ...

I have been showed to a Quick Turn Nexus II 200 lathe
comes with tool preset, hydro tailstock, spindle orientation and so on
for 92 000$USD retail
even comes with 10+ tool holders ( only that is worth 3000$ at HAAS )

I have try to find some Mazatrol working demo, but i couldn't find any on the internet .. it also comes with 16mb ram wich is way better than 1mb from haas and 20g hd ( 3000$ on haas again )

if i sum up an SL-20 wiht big bore + all options to get to the same specs than the Mazak ( and even there..the mazak still has 5hp more )
the HAAS comes up to 80000$USD
and is still 2 inches short in lenghth and machining diameter ..

i have seen mazak in operation before
and i was pretty impressed ..so i will give it a try

the sales-man is supposed to set me up with a try on a brand new machine next week

the live tooling option is out of reach for my pocket..starts at 140 000$ for this machine size

[MoriMan]

I've never seen a mazak run except for tool shows. but my shop as a Mori SL-200, and a much older mori sl-2. IMO they make the best stuff. If you can swing the mori i would get it. Rigidity, longevity, our sl-2 is 24 years old and we hold tolerences with in a couple tenths all day. And you cant go wrong with Fanuc controls. You might pay a little more for it up front but in the end it will be worth it.