Newbie- TREE VMC 1050E ZFS

[cam280]

I am looking at buying a Tree VMC 1050E ZFS that has been fitted with a Seimens ACRAMATIC 2100 (CRT)
I know nothing about TREE or Seimens and are looking for the good and bad for both
Also, what do you think it should be worth and are there any items to look out for when I inspect it

[cam280]

I also have the option for a FADAL 3016 or 2040 with 88HS Control
All machines are around the 1995 vintage

[laszlozoltan]

Originally Posted by cam280 I am looking at buying a Tree VMC 1050E ZFS that has been fitted with a Seimens ACRAMATIC 2100 (CRT) I know nothing about TREE or Seimens and are looking for the good and bad for both Also, what do you think it should be worth and are there any items to look out for when I inspect it

We had a tree at my last place. had a lot of problems with the tool changer; also the drive got stuck and gears jammed when changing gears and we had to climb up and manually pry the gears apart. I left that shop because I was spending more time fixing the machine than machining with it- it had a lot of down time in addition, the cnc repair tech was paid under the table to lower the maintence cost- but you have to figure on being able to find a guy willing to risk his regular tech job doing that.

not trying to badmouth the tree cnc; just my personal experiences were pretty bad and I would not be too enthusiastic about going to a shop that had a old used tree for me.

[sld4121]

The older Tree machines of where the 1050E would fall did have an issue with shifting between high and low. Most of the time that was due to people running the machines for weeks, months or even years in one range and one day trying to shift to the other. Later models had a startup routine that would shift between the ranges in the morning and that seemed to take care of the problem.

From a cutting standpoint, one of the best 40 taoer machines I have ever used. The box way and roller pack design was very solid. The spindle was 20HP with aroubd 210 ft. lbs. of torque.

The control is extremely powerfull and user friendly. The issue with the control is the HDD in it. Cincinatti/Vickers/Siemens never did get a good handle on that aspect of it. So, if you buy the machine, get a copy of Norton Ghost and make an image of the hard drive so you can rebuild it when it takes a nose dive on you. Not if, when.

[laszlozoltan]

our machine was used for roughing and finishing, but rarely 3d finishing because the baud rate for the finishing programs was inadequate. also, the covers for the slideways came apart, were rebuilt at considerable cost and came apart shortly thereafter. the shop was quite busy running 24/7- no doubt, less constant use and more routine maint. and cleaning could have prevented some of the failings- but that's the way it was.

[sld4121]

Yes, 3D finishing was an issue that never really got resolved until the bitter end. Release 3 had a few improvements in the software, but it was not until release 4 came out that you could really make some decent profiles. If memory serves, we could do pretty well spoon feeding programs, but I think we were using zip drives back then instead of RS-232. Or feeding via the network option.

[laszlozoltan]

sure wish I could've picked your brains back then; doubtless with your knowledge I would've suffered a lot less stress trying to troubleshoot and fix issues on my own at night.

[ions82]

I'd have to suggest going with a Fadal over a Tree. As much as I love the iron and heft used in Tree machines, it's going to be WAY easier to maintain and take care of a Fadal with an 88HS. The parts for Fadal are far more plentiful and will be considerably cheaper. The Tree might be a heavier machine that can take heavier cuts, but that won't mean anything if the machine is constantly down (or costs $5K to repair).

[yours_prabhat]

Originally Posted by laszlozoltan We had a tree at my last place. had a lot of problems with the tool changer; also the drive got stuck and gears jammed when changing gears and we had to climb up and manually pry the gears apart. I left that shop because I was spending more time fixing the machine than machining with it- it had a lot of down time in addition, the cnc repair tech was paid under the table to lower the maintence cost- but you have to figure on being able to find a guy willing to risk his regular tech job doing that. not trying to badmouth the tree cnc; just my personal experiences were pretty bad and I would not be too enthusiastic about going to a shop that had a old used tree for me.

please mail me the complete details of problems you are facing including machine name year of build model no sl no of machine control details etc on prabhatmishra@mail.com
Regards
prabhat Mishra
+919430737981

[underthetire]

ZPS is the factory that made them. Great iron. LOTS of shifter problems on the early ones, as well as spindle motors. A PC2100 would be a later one however, those are not too bad. We pick those up around here for 10K or less. Sometimes even scrap metal price.