Newbie- Tool Room Mill Suggestions Please

[usmc2033]

I am interested in purchasing a tool room type mill. It needs to function manually as well as CNC. Will be used for prototype and very limited production. Has to be easy to use. Engineering students will be using it under supervision. So far I have looked at Lagun, Tree, Haas, Sharp and retrofitting a Bridgeport I with a Accurite control. Any and all input will be greatly appreciated.

[Rcox]

Id look for a older, but good and solid Bridgeport, and put a prototrak on it.

[DareBee]

I would do a retrofit on a new 10 x 54 kneemill.
I am partial to the FAGOR 8055i kit (extremely easy to use).

With coolant, power drawbar, 40 taper, electronic speed control - about $34k from my supplier.

[Donkey Hotey]

If it's for a school, I'd contact Haas directly. I think they have some kind of educational assistance program. It's good for their 'branding' to seed new college students with their control.

And if it's for a school, any limitations in the machine would be pointless anyway. It's about a friendly interface, low cost and small footprint.

Given the mess a TM-1 would make, I'd say to lean toward a Mini Mill. If the class is just an introduction to manufacturing, the parts will be small, the chips and coolant will be contained (safety) and the machine takes up little floor space.

[HAILINHAAS]

Go with Haas. They have a deal for schools.

[PBMW]

Originally Posted by HAILINHAAS Go with Haas. They have a deal for schools.

I would have to agree. I am on two advisory boards. One for our local Voc Tech and one for our Community College. I was instrumental in the Voc Tech getting their TM1
They did indeed get a pretty good deal.
I don't remember the specifics. But it was a pretty good deal.
We tried to get them a Mori. But the local dealer didn't want to play.

[I_flungdung]

I say go with the Mini-Mill for sure. I went to college where they use Haas Mini-Mills and Hurco. The Hurco's have been junk and the students screw up so much and not learn anything. The Mini-Mill is your best bet.

[Donkey Hotey]

Originally Posted by usmc2033 It needs to function manually as well as CNC.

I missed the part in your original post about functioning manually. In that case, I'd recommend a Haas Mini Mill and a Chinese 9x36 or 9x42 knee mill for the manual work.

The CNC toolroom mills have too many compromises with regard to safety, cleanliness and footprint. They don't really work well as a manual machine (no quill to drill holes, no compound head, hard to reach X-axis knobs). I have both a manual knee mill and a CNC machining center. I see why you'd really want both in a learning environment (both for availability and as a stepping stone to real CNC control).

It's like saying that because you have a mill, you have no need for a drill press. If everybody in the shop wanted to break down a mill setup just to drill a few holes, there would be a lot of setting up and not a lot work getting done. The same comparison could be said for a knee mill and a full CNC.