Hi Folks, I have the opportunity to acquire a 1995 4020.
Model 906-1
Control CNC88HS
Includes 10 Tool Holders
My only experience is on a 1996 Milltronics unit. Unit powers on and seems clean. Obviously I'm still taking a chance on it. The price of the unit is $4000.
They are not too bad.
Fadals as a breed have their issues just like anybody else. They were built to be competitive on price, and that is just how it is.
The good outweighs the bad in my opinion.
That is a really good price on a good handy size work envelope machine.
It would be nice if you could run the spindle before you give up your money, since that is really the only expensive part on that machine (spindle drive).
I replaced the spindle drive twice in the same 94 vintage 3016. About 5 years apart. It wasnt cheap.
Be double sure you secure the counter weight in the column before moving it, as it will bang like a giant hammer on the back of the drive all the way down the road.
GD, I wanted to thank you taking the time to answer this post. I had no clue about securing the counterweight, highly appreciated!! I have video of the spindle running but as you know there could still be a 1000 lurking problems. I was actually calculating in 2k worth of repairs automatically. Thank you.
I've got 2 4020's, most things are actually inexpensive to repair, haven't had a spindle or drive crap out yet , and there are lots of manuals and walk through's online that you can find to help make the job easier. I actually prefer the control, you'll have to learn the quick keys and sub menus but after you have those down its a quick easy setup. Definitely check out the thrust bearings and motor couplings first thing, they are cheap and can cause a lot of slop.
As far as securing the counterweight the column has 2 holes in the side for the Steel Bars. Sometimes the gut that installs puts the cover over the holes but they are there. Jog the Z axis to get one in and then jog a bit to swing on that bar to get the other one in. The machines are shipped originally with the Head bracket that attaches to the underside of the head and then to the Table. But these things get lost over the years. So you may have to use 4 x 4's of wood.
i there, I am looking for a postprocessor for solid works cam, catia, aspirecam or mastercam for fadal 4020 and 3016, could you help me, I would appreciate it a lot since I had been working for a long time for cnc familiar with haas and fanuc but and decided to create my machine shop in the garage and decided to start with something simple and low cost