Is this a good deal for a '96 VF-2

[dingo0722]

Its a 1996 Vf-2 with 4th axis ready, and the on hours is 11382, cutting time 2374 hours and 3111 hours of cycle time
30x16x20 travel
15hp 7500rpm spindle

Price $22.5K

[Geof]

Does the machine look like it has been looked after? Nice and clean, no dints in the way covers? Don't worry too much about paint flaking off because that happens due to coolant. No gouges in the table?

To buy the quivalent new would be three times that price, but you would get faster rapids, a faster spindle and an LCD display.

That price does seem okay. Of course you can get unlucky but my experience with Haas machines has been pretty good. I have 25 of them and the oldest is a 1995 HL1 which needed repairs to the X axis drive in 1999 and to the Z axis in 2008 with nothing in between.

Naturally you will offer ten percent (maybe even fifteen percent) below the asking price and have nice shiny dollar bills to wave under their nose to encourage them to take the offer.

[dingo0722]

The machine looks really clean. Usually the paint is worn off at the door and on the back areas but thats not the case here. The machine looks new inside and out.

What do you think about the spindle and travel hours?

[Geof]

They are high enough that I believe them, they haven't been rolled back to zero, but not high enough to worry. I have a 2000 VF0 with more hours on than that and it is still running fine with a slightly noisy X axis ballscrew. The ball screw has been noisy now for about five years but has no backlash and the noise hasn't changed so we keep on using it.

If you can do a power on inspection just listen for funny noises from the spindle as you take through different speeds and check for noise from the bsll screws when you rapid them full travel. Write a short MDI program to take them back and forth several times.

[Racerex1]

The only question I would have is what are transportation costs and rigging costs on both ends. I'm in Seattle so shipping from east cost is nearly 2k, plus rigging on both ends. Then there are costs to go check it over.

If its not local I would try to negotiate an FOB price to your location or riggers location.

Yours appears to be a good deal sinces it sounds like it is local.

About 9 months ago I bought a 1998 VF-2 with new motor(20HP) and new 2 speed transmission, 4th axis ready, and 3800 hours spindle time for 23.5k FOB Seattle.

Sounds like a decent deal to me any idea what it was used for? Does the 96' have brushless servos? I would open the panel in the back and look at the check list from the factory to see how it was equipped.

[dingo0722]

Well we agreed on a price of 21K for the machine plus freight. I am heading over there to do a more throughout inspection.
I am not sure how to write an MDA program so any help there would be great. I also have no experience running Hass machines so I will try to learn how to navigate it when I get there. I was going to create a program and load it via the RS232 port to put it though some paces.

[Geof]

Bring up the MDI screen by pushing the MDI key.

Now type the following pushing WRITE after each line

G53 G00 Z0.
G53 G00 X-20.
G53 Y-16.
G53 X0.
G53 Y0.
M99

Push the 5% Rapid override key.
Push Cycle Start.
The first line moves the Z axis home so it is out of the way.
The other lines go to the X limit, then the Y limit and then back home and the M99 loops the program back the start and just keeps repeating until you press RESET.

If there are no horrible noises step the Rapid override up until you reach 100%.

I am going offline now to get on a plane tyo Germany so you can't get any questions answered for a while.

[dingo0722]

Geof,
Thanks for the info. This looks like it should be no problem to to. I suppose I could add a few lines to this to make the Z to a G00 from some safe range.

G53 G00 Z0.
G53 G00 X-20.
G53 Y-16.
G53 X0.
G53 Y0.
G53 Z-14
M99





Dan

[Geof]

I suggest not adding any Z- moves. The way I wrote it the code will take Z home and keep it out of the way so it does not matter if there is anything on the table. It is only safe to put in Z minus move if there are no tools or vises in the machine.

[dingo0722]

table is clear. I was also thinking of running a S7500 for 20 min to get a good feel for the spindle temp measured with a laser. Also, what is an acceptable backlash on the xyz ball screws. I figure they should be around0.0005" or less

[Geof]

Backlash should be .0002 or better with the hours that machine has on it; I have one with more hours and cannot easily measure any backlash.