Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Desktop CNC Machines?

canadabrianb11 wrote:

>Firstly, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Brian Buchan,
>and I live in Kamloops BC Canada. I own a small manufacturing
>business. I have an electronics background focusing on industrial
>robotics, so CNC is not totally new to me. I look forward to being a
>member of this group.
>
>We are starting to do more and more custom work, and my bills at the
>local CNC shop are killing me.
>
>Most of my CNC requirements are for small pieces machined of Delrin
>or 6061 aluminum, and maybe the occasional piece of 12L14 steel. Lot
>size is typically 10 to 50 pieces. The biggest piece we would do
>would be about 7 x 1 x 1 inches, mostly quite a bit smaller.
>
>I'm thinking about buying (or building?) a small desktop CNC machine
>and starting to do this work in house. I've spent a bit of time
>looking at some of the available machines, but it's gotten a little
>overwhelming. At the absolute high end of my budget, the CNC Jr.
>seems a little big (read "expensive") for my requirements, but I'm
>not really sure if the smaller machines (ie MaxNC, etc.) are up to my
>needs. I don't think I need to wring every last second of machine
>time out of whatever I buy to make this a cost effective thing to do.
>
>

Hey Brian

Welcome to the group. Owning a machine shop myself the last thing I should be doing is helping you move your manufacturing in house. Anyways, My advice would be to just clean out a corner and find yourselves a good used Bridgeport manual or CNC with an antiquated control and retrofit. If you go with a desktop machine you wouldn't be saving any money or time. The tooling deflection on a small machine is a nightmare working with steel. There are so many used Bridgeports available and the economy the way it is, they are pretty cheap. Look for them at auctions and sales or just call some local machine shops and ask them if they have any they would like to get rid of. It requires virtually the same electronics to power a benchtop as it does a Bridgeport. And requires the same amount of effort to retrofit. Ballscrews, servo mounts, etc. are much more readily available. Look in any tooling catalog and you'll see that everything is aimed at the Bridgeport. They are undoubtedly one of
the most reliable products the USA has to offer. They run for years with minimal maintainence and care. 12L14 is "leaded" stock and machines like butter and well within the scope and capabilities of a Bridgeport. A good configuration: PC with Mach2 software, Bob Campbells Mach2 Breakout board, Gecko 320 Servo drives and DC brush servos. Email me at rogersmach@... and I will send you a pic of my retrofitted Bridgeport for ideas.

Ron




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