Milltronics Nube Questions (do I or don't I?)

[designerpatrick]

Gents, I am involved in an potential equipment trade that would leave me with an Milltronics MB20 Toolroom mill and and an Ml1440 Lathe.

I am new to CNC, (I own an elderly bridgeport knee-mill which I enjoy) I am a product designer and I use Solidworks. I intend to generate masters with complex contours for sand casting with this equipment. And I will generally work in aluminum or Renshape. My end use would be finishing out near net castings for some of my design work "for fun and profit" *grin*

My Questions:
WIll the MB20 (centurion 7)be adequate for 3d contouring (as long as I design for 3 axis)?

I am investigating whether it is optioned with a fourth axis, does this work well on the Milltronics?

Is this a good starter machine for non-production (initially) use.

I am told the equipment is three years old (don't really know yet), I suspect the equipment hasn't been used much (offshoring), what kind of resale value would I get when I trade up?


The Ml1440 lathe (Centurion 7)- I am a lathe dufus, - I haven't used one much. Will this be a good starter machine?

Any thoughts or comments would help a nube take the right step.

Thanks!

[Karl_T]

Milltronics has a terrible reputation in the commercial shops. But, I think their recent stuff is not all that bad. They just went through a reoganization right ahead of the bankruptcy court. Didn't hear if they are up and running again.

Anyway, resale would be a problem. But, i think these machines would meet your needs. Be aware of possible parts issues.

Karl

[AMCjeepCJ]

Short answer, yes to everything. If it is in good shape it would be a nice setup. Cent 7 software is the latest version that I know of and mine cuts 3D contours with no problems at all... My newest is a 2 year old VM-22

PS
compared to many machines, the lathe would be VERY easy to learn. I would think you'd be up and running in no time~


Is that true about the bankruptsy thing?? Where did you hear that?? Is that why they sold??

[brashleger]

We normally choose to remain silent and leave the public forums as they are - an open public forum without manufacturers getting involved, however, after reading the recent post in regards to Milltronics being in bankruptcy court, I thought it was necessary to post a reply.

There is no credibility to the rumor that Milltronics was bankrupt. In fact we had just finished our largest sales volume year in history, up 30% from the previous year. We were growing at a rate that was unsustainable as a small family owned company. With growth came added inventory, larger receivables, and more needed capital investment - a difficult task with the limited capital Milltronics had as a family owned business. This is why we elected to sell the business to a large manufacturer that has the capability to invest in the needed capital to sustain our growth plan - and in fact accelerate it.

I would welcome a phone call to discuss this, as well as recommend that people be sure about their facts prior to posting them in a public forum.

Sincerely,

Benji Rashleger
Director of Operations
Milltronics
952-442-1410

[Karl_T]

Originally Posted by Karl_T They just went through a reoganization right ahead of the bankruptcy court. Didn't hear if they are up and running again. Karl

I just got a note from someone in the know. Milltronics was sold from a family owned to corporate owned operation apparently because they needed more operating capital to expand.

My comments were based on rumor in local machine shops and not on fact. I'm sorry to have offended anyone.

Karl

[AMCjeepCJ]

Thanks for the info and the PM Benji, can't wait to see what Milltronics has in store for the future!

[Leehound]

Milltronics has a terrible reputation in the commercial shops.

What an ignorant statement!

I own and work in a "commercial" shop and have been very happy with our machines from Milltronics. There is no machine out there with better value. The key word is "value", for the money you get a great machine with a solid control and great service when needed. These machines have made me plenty of money over the years and look forward to buying a new one next year.

Scott Leland
SJC Tool & Engineering

[designerpatrick]

Gents, I found out today they are Centurion 5 controls installed on the mill made in late 2002, and the lathe in early 2003.

Does this change the whether I can do large file surfacing work?

BTW, I spoke with John (head of sales) at Milltronics today, he responded quickly and with helpful information.

I also have asked several folks toda yabout the bankrupcy thing and all say it is simply untrue.

I appreciate any helpful feedback.

[single phase]

Benji,

I have a VM15 and have talked to you many times over the years on the phone. Thanks for all the great support over the years.

Thanks for speaking up here too.

In the last few weeks, I have spent a lot of time with my friend Keith and his new TT24. It is just chewing through his jobs. He got the 15K spindle and it is lots of fun to watch. Congratulations on such a fantastic new design! Milltronics is going to set a new standard with that one.

Keith does need assistance with one aspect of the new machine, would you please get the engineer that is responsible for the chip conveyor and wash down to call him. We have both got some feedback for him. Please PM me if you want, or just call Keith.


designerpatrick,

How could they be Centurion 5 controls on 2002 machines? Are you sure?


Cheers
Dave

[speedofsound]

We use an MB18 (Centurion 6) in our shop for prototyping and light production work. We machine 3D molds for vacuum forming, models are from Solidworks.

Very happy with our Milltronics machine. Reliable, intuitive for beginners (we are) and doesn't ask for much. It's our first, but not last Milltronics product.

[designerpatrick]

It could be Centurion 6, but not a four, I will know more in a bit.

What are the benefits for 6?

Patrick

[Leehound]

Originally Posted by designerpatrick Gents, I found out today they are Centurion 5 controls installed on the mill made in late 2002, and the lathe in early 2003. Does this change the whether I can do large file surfacing work?

The Centurion V can handle surfacing work. The real question about your control is it's file transfer ability. Is your control network capable or does it have only RS232? If your control does not have enough memory to hold a large Surface File, then you would have to drip feed via RS232. Not really the best way, but it is a viable way of running large surface files. I used to run our machines that way for years but my newer machines are networked, so I can transfer a 10 meg file in seconds.

Scott