Haas OL-1 desktop lathe for small parts ?

[Metalmog]

Small parts shop with many years as a hobbist. (Ok, actually a computer and networking radio geek by day which I would like to trade-in).

I produce small parts out of 303 stainless that need some live tooling and C-Axis. Diameters around 1/4" to 1" but mostly 1/2" in batches of about 200 to 1000 units. Max length about 3". There is also lots of knurling involved. Super accuracy is not critical in most cases but should at least hold around .0005" with a good finish. One item requires X axis slaved to C-Axis to cut a profile. Six foot barfeed also required. Engraving would add value but not essential.

Making stuff manually and it s... I really enjoy the making part, but not the repetitive stuff. Really need to get lots more product out the door and get more competitive. Need a machine that will last +5 years, fairly reliable with a small footprint that can run 8-10 hours per day, 4 days a week.

Am I looking at the right machine? Is there a better suggestion? Also been looking at the Prodigy GT27 and Lico LNA36 machines. Any experience with these?

As always one has to crawl before you walk and the budget is low (typically plagued by should it be new or used). However I would like to earn a living out of it, rather than just the machine vendor or the support shop!

Any comments and opinions along these lines by those who have already gone down this path would be most appreciated!!!

[timlkallam]

http://www.omniturn.com/

[miljnor]

Dont get me wrong I like HAAS, in fact all of my cnc are haas but I don't think buying something that is in its first year is a good bet for reliablity.

That being said I didn't know the OL-1 could have live tooling and I didn't think it would be up repetability of .0005 on stainless (but it is small so maybe they are going after the tight tolerence micro parts).

but I know nothing of this machine and have never seen one except in a picture.

So take my rambling for what its worth.

those are neat little machines timlkallam. Do you have one? and do you know what the price out at?

[Metalmog]

They price out at around US$38,000 with coolant, air collet closer, 4" 3 jaw chuck and some tool holders and risers. Does not include live tools and come from another source.

Some of the other comparible machines within the same price bracket are double the weight which makes for better damping and better finishes. They do have a local service agent for support which the others don't have. So many pro's and cons.

The extended warranty is more than 10% of the cost of the machine (14%), which tells me that they are expecting problems after the one year warranty is over?

I think the ethernet and hard disk upgrade is a little steep, so the RS232 port will have to do for now.

[miljnor]

Also a little note on Computer interface machines. Make sure they did thier homework on OPTO isolation. There is another thread going about this and you should definitely check the machine docs and ask before buying!

[Metalmog]

I have asked for full documentation today. Thanks for the advice on islolation.

[Willyb]

As far as I am concerned the OL-1 is over priced for what you get. Other than being smaller, I don't see why a person would spend $35K for it when you could have a bigger machine for less or around the same price as a OL-1.
Just my opiniion.

Regrads
Bill

[Metalmog]

Primarily focused on small parts. Sizes down to 1mm such as found in electronic equipment or the jewelry industry.

Bigger machines have more weight, need more power to move and as a result slower and consume more energy. Few of them reach over 4000rpm spindle speed and I find speed is better for small stuff. The turret type needs to retract re-position etc, gang tool much faster and can also fit more tools than turret types per job (within same class). The SL-1 does not have live tools and I need at least two. I often use 5 or 6 different tools per job. On a gangtool I can fit around 10 or more, which means I can run more products without re-setting up which is a big plus for me. Should be able to run a week without re-tooling and still make 7 or 8 different products in batches of 1000 or more.

TL series may have 0.1deg indexing option but only 4 post tool turret which I am told is slow and no live tools yet. I need to cut a smooth contour in a few of the items I produce and a full c-axis might be better for this application. Only the machines twice this price have some of these features. Looking at the other models with adding the accessories required the price jumps up real quick and ends up quite a bit more. Given that the OL-1 should have half the part cycle time, it means more productive output.

Unfortunetly the Swiss screws machines are what I ultimately should be looking at - but man they are expensive, cannot justify the expense right now.

[Steve Cotton]

Originally Posted by Willyb As far as I am concerned the OL-1 is over priced for what you get. Other than being smaller, I don't see why a person would spend $35K for it when you could have a bigger machine for less or around the same price as a OL-1. Just my opiniion. Regrads Bill

I thought it was expensive I started with a Shearline mill and Lathe, I now have 2 Haas OM2 mills with sub spindels with speed up to 200,000 rpm, 20 Tool changers, And have the OL1 with gang tooling and vertical & horizontal live tooling. I have to admit we had some start up problems but HAAS was very good at looking after me. I was looking at other Lathes but came back to Haas. They hold amazing tolerance and have great repeatability we do small part runs up to 1000 units. Check my web site http://www.precisionmicromachining.com/ Haas CNC Base price looks great at $38,000 but my final installed price was $98,000.00 set up with tooling. On the flip side the first 2 mills paid for them selves in the first year. I hope to do the same with the OL1 3 months with it now the first contract covered 1/4 of the cost. They are amazing for the micro machining.

Steve Cotton

[kojack]

nice website ...