i heard there were issue's withe the tailstock alignment , the older ones had 2 locking levers but the latest one seems different , with one on the side , i wonder if they have resolved that issue?
Ok, the TL series is far from perfect. The first thing we did on our TL1 was to change the handle on the Aloris quick change toolpost which we reckoned was sooner or later going to crash into the guard. We made a telescopic handle springloaded home.
We lengthened the stupid chuck key on the Bison chuck which clashes with the headstock.
The tailstock isn't too clever as it floats sideways allowing the possibility of swarf getting trapped and putting it out of line.
As for using it manually, it would be difficult trying to use the control as a DRO as it is way off to the side.
Having said all that I love using the machine, particularly using the intuitive conversational system, where you can very easily build a program in operations recording each succesive operation and saving the complete program in code format to be used in any Haas lathe.
Ok it helps to have an understanding of G codes so as to be able to edit but it's not rocket science.
As for crashing tools, the average guy being careful, especially at initial stage should'nt have a problem
i heard there were issue's withe the tailstock alignment , the older ones had 2 locking levers but the latest one seems different , with one on the side , i wonder if they have resolved that issue?
The tailstock on the TL1 is heavy and awkward and slides on the linear guide rails but not on ball trucks as used in the saddle. Instead the casting is simply machined to bridge the rails.
It has excess sideways movement as it travels and only comes into alignment when clamped.
I suppose the answer is to scrupulously clean the guiderails each and every time to avoid swarf or dirt getting in.
We have a big old Colchester CNC so only use the Haas for small short work so only use the tailstock rarely to drill over 12mm. Less than that is drilled in an ER 32 collet chuck on the toolpost.
When we were looking for a lathe earlier in the year to do one offs and small batches we reckoned the TL1 was the best value for money and we have no regrets.
akdesarkar
From where can I get free online training CNC Lathe operating?
Thanks
any tips on setting up the cross slide to rill accutately , i find carbise centre drills like to snap when slightly off centre
What kind of toolpost? What kind of tool holder?
There's no magic to it: dial indicator and a drill rod or other dowel. Indicate it parallel to the bed. Use a centering indicator to set the height and position and away you go.
Greg
So you install a ground dowel into the chuck then use a v-base magnetic block to tram in the toolpost? Good Idea I never thought about that. I just had to adjust mine last night after I dragged my new grooving tool at 150IPM back to the home postition while still .070 in a o-ring groove CNC Newbie here LOL.
Mac
TL-1 is very user friendly. We have 4 of them at the college and the students pick them up very quickly.
Hi,
I'm a new user to this site. I'm teaching a machining class, manual & CNC, and using the Haas CNC controller for the latter. Although I have a Haas manual, is there an on-line tutorial available so that multiple students can work at their own pace to learn the controller before creating their programs using the only real controller and machine in the shop?
Hi,
I'm a new user to this site and want to tap into as many resources as possible. I'm teaching a machining class, manual & CNC, and using the Haas CNC controller (and machine-lathe & mill) for the latter. Although I have Haas manuals, are there any FREE on-line tutorials available so that multiple students can work at their own pace to learn the controller before creating the programs they want to run using the only real controller and machine in the shop?
Have you viewed this stuff: http://www.haascnc.com/custserv_training.asp#custserv
There is training manual type of stuff towards the bottom of the page..
I have seen but not actually used the HAAS simulators. I am guessing these can be leased from the HFO. Its a stand-alone control simulator. The actual control without a machine connected.
Seems ideal for the theory potion of the class.
hi all, last time i was on this site was asking the same questions. (12 months ago) we ended up with a TL2 over all we are happy. we do prototyping and some short runs (8off) with no cnc experance the haas is a good machine. ips is a problem with some limits for us. the profile function is a pain in the ass (maybe we just carnt use it propperly) the recording function is ok i find it hard to edit if you miss or need to add an opperation later (in the middle of programing) we are still learning so the could well be just us. one thing we in addition to willson 10 was to move the mounts of the left chip gard around 2" so the door opens more. we were told this by the sales guy so you dont bash your hand when you use the chuck key. why they dont do this from factory i dont know made a huge difference. a good machine for the money with only one service call after the controler crashed, fix in 2days with an upgrade was impressed with the repair service even had a call from the states to see if i was happy with the service call. so back up was great.
I've been learning to operate the Haas TL-1 at El Camino College in Torrance(Los Angeles Southbay). It takes a few hours to get the hang of it, but once you put in a little time the conversational programming starts to make sense.
Here's a quick link to getting the TL-1 going.
http://southbaymachine.com/CNCToolro...CNCTRLathe.htm
looking at buying a Haas TL1 for our shop. We do lots of prototype work on SS and Alum. We currently have a small manual lathe and it takes too long to single point thread. We have to change gears when we switching over from standard to metric threads. How well does the TL1 thread and can it thread standard and metric threads with ease. How rigid is the TL1? Can I cut 304 SS and how heavy of a cut can I take?
Have they fixed the tailstock alignment problem yet?
Thanks
Danny Diaz
hello danny , yes the tl1 will cut your stainless as well as most any other lathe in its class will , i cut titanium on mine accuratley . single point threading is a doddle and the tl1 will cut metric , imperial or make up your own even and has some real useful and easy to use features like left hand thread, tapered threads and so on . as for tailstock alignment , the issue was with the lockup system but they changed that some years ago . when you do get the machine , it is really worth asking the engineer to set the headstock and tailstock to true up with the cross slide . this will ensure excellent threads and any reaming with the tailstock will be very true. rigity wise , the machine is quite rigid for the most , but i have had trouble parting off anything above 2.5 inches in dia .
as for a heavy cut , i would guess you can cut 1.5mm depth of cut or more provided you have the proper cutting tools . you will be proud to own the tl1 if , like me coming straight from a manual machine with no cnc experience , as haas have really made it easy to do the jump . hope this helps
Hi great forum I read all your posts and joined up to gain some insight. I am an experianced machinest in manual and cnc work, working for others. I am looking into buying some machinery to put in my 20 by 20 foot shop and start doing some repair one off and maybe some production work. The one thing I am most concerned about is pricing work. If you guys could give me some ball park figures of pricing work by the hour on a machine like the TL1 or 2 haas or prototrak for repair, prototyping,1off or small production runs it would be greatly appreciated
I have a 2007 Prototrak 1540 SLX with about 25 hours on it for sale... great machine just bought it before we closed our shop down due to financial reasons.
Can you please e-mail me some more info. like how much you asking on it and where is it located? Does it come with tooling? pictures if possible.
thanks
danny diaz
d.diaz@softestdesigns.com
sure thing coming your way... I have not yet listed this machine for sale with anybody so let me know if you are interested. I will probably be putting this on ebay in another week or so.