What CNC mill?

[10centNickle]

I want a CNC mill to manufacture keyboard kits. What are some viable CNCs that can be used to manufacture a product that measures at least a foot long and wide? Both new and used are fine.

Similar Threads:

• TAIG CNC Mill -Micro Mill 2000 Cnc - No Longer Available
• CNC mill project, Bridgeport clone, low use mill, Iowa
• CNC mill project, Bridgeport clone, low use mill, Iowa
• CNC mill project, Bridgeport clone, low use mill, Iowa
• Home-Brewed CNC Bench Mill Using Siex X2 Mini-Mill Head

[joeavaerage]

Hi,
it would help to know more about what you want your machine to do.

You have said it does not need to be big. Big machines are vastly more expensive than small machines.

Are your keyboard kits flat or nearly so? This will have implications about the Z axis travel for instance.

What materials are you using?. Plastics and wood do not require a hugely stiff machine whereas brass and aluminum require a much stiffer machine,
and if you need to cut steel....then multiply the stiffness by ten....and the cost by one hundred. So the materials you want to cut will determine how stiff,
and to a large extent, the cost of the machine.

How fast do you need to machine? If you have high volume requirements then you will probably require an Automatic Tool Changer, at considerable cost.
If the machine is required to move very fast then you will require servos rather than stepper motors....and you guessed it .....servos cost more.

All in all you need to very carefully consider what you want your machine to do. It may be for instance you want to be able to cut steel....but that will put the
price up hugely...and so you may have to forgo what you want and focus on what you need.

Craig

[10centNickle]

Sure, it would be TKL at max size, aluminum with brass weights, with a 5-7 degree typing angle.

[Jim Dawson]

A steady diet of aluminum and brass means a machine designed for metal working (milling machine), rather than a router.

Flood coolant required, so full enclosure.

High speed spindle, at least 6000 RPM rated.

Work envelope of at least 12x12

A tool changer is pretty much required for any production work.

There are a lot of machines that fit this criteria, available both used and new.

A Haas Mini, TM, or VF series would work well. Many other brands available also. I like my Haas TM-2P, it's been good to me for the last 3 years.

Here are a number of examples on the used market https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...e&_dcat=258084

Look at the Haas website for what's available. https://www.haascnc.com/index.html

I skipped Tormach machines because of the need for 12 inches in the Y axis, their max Y is 11 inches. And they are slow compared to the others.

So now it's a matter of budget, floor space, and available power.

If you are in the prototype stage on this project, then farming work out to a local shop might be an option, but can get expensive if you are making a lot of one-off prototypes. It would not take too much of that to pay for a machine.

[10centNickle]

is this good?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-HAAS-M...Cclp%3A2334524

Sorry, I'm completely new to this CNC stuff

[Jim Dawson]

That looks like a good candidate for a further look.

Let's break this down to the way I evaluate machines from ads.

HAAS MINI MILL: Good, known brand with a good track record. Service support is still available.


2001: A bit old but not a show stopper. Controls are 2 generations out of date. Would be a good candidate for a controls retrofit, and something I would do if I purchased the machine.


1950 Cutting hours: Good. If this number is correct, and I have no reason to believe it is not, then this machine ran less than 100 hrs. per year. This is virtually nothing. Mechanical condition should be very good, if the machine was not abused and was reasonably well maintained. Most likely has been sitting unused for a number of years.


10 ATC: Good, this is the standard for this machine. I don't know if the 20 tool ATC is even an option on this model.
40 Taper: Good, standard tool holders
6,000 RPM: Good. Will cut aluminum at reasonable production rates. I believe this machine can have higher spindle speeds with a software change. Just needs to be unlocked, no mechanical changes needed.
7.5 HP: Good, plenty of power for aluminum cutting.


Machine will not return to home: RED FLAG. Not sure what effect this might have on operation, but could be a major issue, especially for getting the tool changer to work. It might make the machine inoperable, depending on how the software works and what work arounds are available. Might be an easy fix by replacing a limit switch or some other minor issue. Could be as simple as some crud on a prox sensor, or could be a major controls issue. This would not stop me from buying the machine if it is in good mechanical condition. It really makes a good negotiating point when discussing price, should be good for a major discount from the asking price.

Overall, the machine would fit your needs.

Would I buy the machine: Yes, after physically looking at it, but not at the asking price given the homing issue. It's going to require some work to get it running.

[okuma1984]

is this good?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-HAAS-M...Cclp%3A2334524

Sorry, I'm completely new to this CNC stuff

DON'T buy HAAS for any money. buy a mazak or DMG for two reasons simply customer service and reliability
especially with mazak. you'll get TWO!! Mitsubitshi and Mazak.
or buy an old okuma but don't expect Okuma to back you up in case of an emergency
don't buy HAAS or Fedal garbage machines even their brand new ones last only about 5 years or doosan TAK , all those open CNCs with controls , forget about anything made in china lol or any taiwanese made !!! UTTER GARBAGE stay way

[okuma1984]

by the way.
that guy on ebay is actually a dealer. be careful with dealers. they sell OTHER people's machines. i am talking about experience here.
hire an inspector to look over ANY machine you want to buy. TRUST ME you'll be glad you did and by the way you can do A LOT MORE with $17k do your research.

[joeavaerage]

Hi,

Sorry, I'm completely new to this CNC stuff

I am intrigued, you say you are new to CNC and you post a link to a machine worth the best part of 20k?
If you are indeed new to CNC then presumably you have someone in mind to program and/or run the machine?
If that's the case then that's the person whom could best answer your questions. If you are employing someone then
providing the equipment, tooling and software to maximise that employees productivity is the critical goal.

Any experienced CNCer will tell you that any good operation ends up with tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools, toolholders,
workholding, toolsetting equipment, measuring equipment and so on.

Likewise a single seat MasterCam license could cost $20k plus annual subscription fees. I'm not suggesting that MasterCam is the only
CAM solution out there but the fact that MasterCam holds such a strong position in the market should tell you that genuinely productive CAM
software is very expensive.

In short while the initial purchase of CNC machine is expensive, it's likely to be only a fraction of the total investment, and even that total investment
will be matched or more than matched by an employees wages.

Craig

[machinehop5]

...how fast do we want to go fast....and how much money do we have?

Drag racing 101

The two happy days of boat owners....the day we bought it. and day we sold it.