770 mill with ATC and 4th axis?

[dannirr]

I'm on the brink of placing my order for the 770. In looking at their packages, none contain both the ATC and 4th axis.

Can they both be installed, or is one in the way of the other?
As a hobbiest, where time is not an issue, is the ATC really useful? The 4th axis might be more useful if I cannot have both.

Opinions?

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[IMT]

Both the 4th and the ATC can be installed but long tools will hit the top of the standard 4th axis, which mounts on the same side as the ATC (left). The super spacer 4th mounts on the right side so it doesn't cause a problem. SS 4th also has a larger thru bore if you ever want to do work on long shafts and such.

[kstrauss]

As a "semi-hobbyist" (I do prototypes for myself and others and seldom make more than a dozen of anything) I decided that the ATC was not worth the money and aggravation. There have been a number of postings here noting ATC issues. I don't know how many ATC Tormach has sold so perhaps the half-dozen users who have had problems is a minuscule fraction of the total.

For my purposes I sometimes wish that I had the super-spacer but it was not available when I purchased my mill plus it is rather heavy. Another option to better accommodate the ATC on the 770 is the reversal kit from Mandala Rose Works (Mandala Rose Works - 4th Axis Stepper Relocation Kit for Tormach 6 inch rotary table) that moves the 4th axis to the other side of the table.

[smokediver576]

I have the ATC but have never used it. Maybe one day when I hit higher volumes and trust everything to work I'll start using it but for now, I can swap tools out manually much faster than the ATC. Couple of times I've thought about selling the ATC but figure... it's paid for, why sell something that you might use down the road. I'm getting ready to purchase a 770 and will not order an ATC with it.