price of router ATCs

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  1. #1
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    Default price of router ATCs

    Popping my lurking head up again. Been looking at a few needs, and found a big question, that's rather confusing me. Even cheap CNC routers have rather expensive tool changers, even for how simple they are. Shopbot for example wants over 15K for a tool changer option. This by itself seems absurd, even as I learn more about how much machining parts costs.

    Tormach has the full mill tool changer for 6K, including the power drawbar. The drawbar itself is rather telling, since it's only 1200 or so, and it's 99% of the physical side of the rack style changers most routers use. So, are they really spending 10K+ per machine on software to make a tool change?

    the pictures of the BT30 style drawbar system doesn't seem like it should be that difficult to make. It looks like the TTS just uses a collet, is that right? It still seems there's a radical disconnect between how much this stuff is costing and how much it could/should cost.

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  2. #2
    Community Moderator Jim Dawson's Avatar
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    Default Re: price of router ATCs

    Shopbot stuff is a bit pricey in general, but a decent ATC router spindle is going to be in the range $4 to 5K for a 2.2KW. They are different than a mill spindle in that the motor is integrated into the spindle assembly. Then you have to add a tool turret, or use a stationary tool holder. There is some cost for the software to run it all, but that is pretty much a one time cost for the manufacturer, and thus becomes a nice profit center for them.

    Yes, Tormach uses a collet with their TTS tool holder system which works with their power drawbar and requires no modification to the system to use with a tool changer. The BT30 system uses a pull stud system on router spindles and all of the puller hardware is integrated into the spindle assembly.

    You are trying to compare apples and oranges here.

    Jim Dawson
    Sandy, Oregon, USA


  3. #3
    Member ger21's Avatar
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    Default Re: price of router ATCs

    Shopbot for example wants over 15K for a tool changer option.
    You're paying a few thousand dollars here to cover their R &D, and lifetime support. But if you have a Shopbot, you have no other options to integrate an ATC spindle, unless they sell the interface card by itself.

    If you did everything yourself, the cheapest Chinese ATC spindle, with VFD, toolholders, forks, and misc will probably still be close to $4000

    Gerry

    UCCNC 2017 Screenset
    [URL]http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2017.html[/URL]

    Mach3 2010 Screenset
    [URL]http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/2010.html[/URL]

    JointCAM - CNC Dovetails & Box Joints
    [URL]http://www.g-forcecnc.com/jointcam.html[/URL]

    (Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)


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