Machine after Taig

[dlaery]

I have outgrown my Taig.
I need a bigger milling area.
I think I want servo motors?
A tool changer sounds good?
I am mainly cutting aluminum.
Can you direct me to some links of some machines to look at?
Thanks,

[rowbare]

A Tormach PCNC might fit the bill. Check out the Tormach forum here.

Tormach Personal CNC (PCNC) | Small CNC Machines

bob

[dlaery]

Thanks!, I'll check them out.

[awetmore]

What is your workshop like? Is it a typical garage or basement, or do you have access to a larger space and maybe 3 phase power?

If you keep an eye out you might be able to find something much more capable than the Taig or Tormach for not much more money. A friend recently bought a Bridgeport Boss on our local Craigslist for about what I have into my Taig. His Boss weighs ~5000lbs, has 30x15" X/Y travels, quick change tool holders, and came with a 10" rotary table. The control software was antiquated, but we updated it to run with EMC2 (Mach3 would have also been possible). It took us about 10-15 hours of work to get the conversion working well.

There are plenty of these older industrial machines out there which are being sold. They don't compete with an industrial VMC, so serious shops don't really want them. At the same time they are too big for most garages so home machinists don't want them. So they are being sold for prices that aren't that much higher than the scrap value.

[dlaery]

I am planning on a new building. It won't be ready until next year. I wasn't planning on 3 phase, but that is available. Used sounds good, but I am not familiar with machines to know what I am getting. I talked with Tormach and it is not big enough. I need to do at least 15" x 30". I think I want a tool changer.