The CNC cutting machine is an immensely useful tool that is used in several industries which involve usage of heavy machines as well as require precision. Metal-works, shipping, electrical and test equipment industries are the ones which fall under this category.
Uses of a the machine: A good basic CNC cutting device does both plasma and oxy-fuel cutting. Refinements on a basic cutting machine might provide it with the ability to perform other functions like spotting holes in order to facilitate drilling, side or end cutting and routing wooden shapes. Further refinements, could enable it to do water jet-cutting too.
Skilled Operators are a Must: The operators of the present-day device should be as adept as traditional craftsmen. Since the machine is specialized and computerized, only skilled personnel can operate it. The operators of the CNC cutting devices include the men and women who design and make cabinets, woodwork, signs, and a whole range of metal, solid surface and plastic objects. The manufacturers who employ these operators know how important it is to have a good quality CNC cutting machine, since a skilled operator and a high-quality machine together would ensure excellent results.
Requirements of a Good CNC Machine: A good quality machine has a cutting table that covers the area bound by a length of four feet and a width of eight feet, which can handle satisfactorily a standard 4 x 8 plate of metal, wood, plastic, glass or stone.
A table which is not of the sufficient dimensions will hinder the work of the operator since he has to repeatedly reposition the plate. In their jargon, this repositioning is called indexing. Since the operator would spend a considerable amount of time indexing the plate, he would lose out on the time allotted for the actual cutting. This would have a direct impact on the output, which in turn, would translate into fewer products on the shelf.
Thus, a manufacturer has to be a smart buyer in order to avoid the vicious reaction between a bad purchase and poor sales volume. A wise manufacturer would recognize the fact that a good sales volume reflects the well-planned purchase of a CNC cutting machine. The manufacturer also has to look out for proper after-sales service facilities to ensure proper maintenance. Retrofitting the lost/damaged parts of the machine is hazardous for your machine as it reduces the performance of your machine. Not only is it time-consuming to operate the machine, but it also has direct detrimental impact on the quality of work. If your operator is constantly indexing then he has less time to produce goods, thereby decreasing your output. So ensuring the proper maintenance of your machine is instrumental to a great performance.
CNC Cutting Machine Financing: Due to their specialized features, these machines are high-priced. This becomes a major impediment to small-time buyers. However, this problem has a solution in the form of CNC cutting machine financing facilities.
These days, numerous financing companies provide debtor-friendly finance schemes for you to go ahead and buy the equipment you need for your business. These finance schemes ensure hassle-free procurement of such equipment, thereby ensuring the use of good quality products and higher sales volume. Since these machines are digitized now, they guarantee accurate and high-quality work. If you need a machine, you know you can get one right away, thanks to CNC cutting machine financing. So your dream CNC cutting machine is just a scheme away!
Chris Fletcher's page features more about new and used CNC Cutting Machine Financing and other finance topics. Visit him at: http://www.crestcapital.com/Catalog - free instant quote & web calculator!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Mark_Fletcher
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
CNC cutting machines help in accomplishing various tasks
CNC cutting machines help in accomplishing various tasks carried out by traditional craftsmen. People who use cutting machines usually possess the skills required in designing and manufacturing of various kinds of finished products such as furniture, signposts, frames, and a whole range of metal, plastic and other solid surface objects. Depending on the kind of work to be undertaken, the manufacturers who employ these machines will need a specific size and type of CNC cutting machine.
How to Choose the Right Cutting Machine for your Business?
A quality CNC cutting machine comes with a four feet by eight feet cutting table, enabling it to satisfactorily handle a standard 4 x 8 plate of metal, wood, plastic, glass, or stone. As may be imagined, a machine whose table is lacking in sufficient length or width will make it necessary for the operator to repeatedly reposition his or her material, reducing efficiency considerably. This repositioning is referred to as indexing by the operators of CNC cutting machines.
Choosing the right CNC cutting machine entails a definite understanding of the nature of the cutting to be performed. While some kinds of manufacture will need merely straight cutting, some others require beveling with the attendant requirements of shaving, trimming, paring and reduction. Thus, selection will entail an exact knowledge of the procedure of manufacture.
Other Factors to Keep in Mind when Selecting a CNC Cutting Machine
It is important to remember that any type of cutting will subject the CNC cutting machine to a certain amount of wear and tear. As a manufacturer, you must ensure that your machine comes with adequate customer support and maintenance.
Good customer support can be determined by checking for availability of spare parts for your machine, as absence of spare parts could require that the electronics of the CNC cutting machine undergo a retrofitting. This would deprive the operator of important production time, diminishing the quantity of goods that could be sold to the consumer. Thus, good customer support and maintenance should be one of the two chief concerns of the manufacturer, the other one being the size of the cutting table.
While this doesn't seem as important as availability of spare parts, it is just as significant as a large percent of time spent indexing implies less time for actual cutting. This too results in a diminishing in the quantity of finished goods, eventually affecting the company's bottom line adversely.
Financing your CNC Cutting Machine
It would be a good business strategy to consider a lease for a good quality cutting machine. You could also get your entire expenses financed which would cover your secondary investments, sales tax, freight, installation and other costs. Lease financing will allow you to buy the tools at current prices but your installments are priced at future costs which are definitely going to be higher.
Also you get added upgrades that come with time. Future investments need not be made. You are entitled to tax deductions, if you show your machine costs as operation expenditure. Current values are slashed thus along with tax liabilities. Leasing gives you the chance to remain flexible with your balance sheet.
Chris Fletcher's page features more about new and used CNC Cutting Machine Financing and other finance topics. Visit him at: http://www.crestcapital.com/Catalog - - free instant quote & web calculator!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Mark_Fletcher
How to Choose the Right Cutting Machine for your Business?
A quality CNC cutting machine comes with a four feet by eight feet cutting table, enabling it to satisfactorily handle a standard 4 x 8 plate of metal, wood, plastic, glass, or stone. As may be imagined, a machine whose table is lacking in sufficient length or width will make it necessary for the operator to repeatedly reposition his or her material, reducing efficiency considerably. This repositioning is referred to as indexing by the operators of CNC cutting machines.
Choosing the right CNC cutting machine entails a definite understanding of the nature of the cutting to be performed. While some kinds of manufacture will need merely straight cutting, some others require beveling with the attendant requirements of shaving, trimming, paring and reduction. Thus, selection will entail an exact knowledge of the procedure of manufacture.
Other Factors to Keep in Mind when Selecting a CNC Cutting Machine
It is important to remember that any type of cutting will subject the CNC cutting machine to a certain amount of wear and tear. As a manufacturer, you must ensure that your machine comes with adequate customer support and maintenance.
Good customer support can be determined by checking for availability of spare parts for your machine, as absence of spare parts could require that the electronics of the CNC cutting machine undergo a retrofitting. This would deprive the operator of important production time, diminishing the quantity of goods that could be sold to the consumer. Thus, good customer support and maintenance should be one of the two chief concerns of the manufacturer, the other one being the size of the cutting table.
While this doesn't seem as important as availability of spare parts, it is just as significant as a large percent of time spent indexing implies less time for actual cutting. This too results in a diminishing in the quantity of finished goods, eventually affecting the company's bottom line adversely.
Financing your CNC Cutting Machine
It would be a good business strategy to consider a lease for a good quality cutting machine. You could also get your entire expenses financed which would cover your secondary investments, sales tax, freight, installation and other costs. Lease financing will allow you to buy the tools at current prices but your installments are priced at future costs which are definitely going to be higher.
Also you get added upgrades that come with time. Future investments need not be made. You are entitled to tax deductions, if you show your machine costs as operation expenditure. Current values are slashed thus along with tax liabilities. Leasing gives you the chance to remain flexible with your balance sheet.
Chris Fletcher's page features more about new and used CNC Cutting Machine Financing and other finance topics. Visit him at: http://www.crestcapital.com/Catalog - - free instant quote & web calculator!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Mark_Fletcher
CNC Cutting Machine Financing
Several industries, heavy and light, use the CNC cutting machine for various purposes. The most common version of the CNC cutting machine has a table to cut on of and area of four into eight feet. It can be used to cut wood, metal, plastic or even glass.
There are two ways of cutting - the plasma method and the oxyfuel method. A standard machine should normally be able to use both methods. Some machines have additional features which allow you to use even more functions. Read on to find out more about CNC Cutting Machine Financing as well as its functions and uses.
The different functions of this machine include:
o making holes to allow drilling
o drilling metals like aluminum
o cutting wood sideways or endways
o cutting out shapes in wood
o laser or water-jet methods of cutting
Both the plasma and the oxyfuel techniques can allow these variable functions to be added to the machine. There are some things you may have to keep in mind before buying your machine, though.
o A high-quality machine, as already mentioned, should have a four into eight square feet working table. Therefore, you can quite easily accommodate 4 x 8 slabs of metal, boards of wood, plastic, stone, or glass. Unless this length and width is allowed to the worker, he or she will have to continually keep changing the position of the working material which can get very tiresome. This movement and changing is sometimes referred to as "indexing" and workers of this machine are called its "operators".
o You must select your CNC cutting machine based on what and how you'll be doing your cutting. It's best to consult the machine operator here about the nature of the work that the machine will be used in. Whether it is straight or bevel cutting, for example, could use different kinds of CNC cutting machines. It is best to know the details of your work before buying.
o This machine, however useful, is actually quite expensive. This is where the CNC cutting machine financing comes in. If you cannot afford to buy it but really need its uses in the working place then you can hunt for financing. There are different companies that give out financing to allow small businesses to purchase this.
o Don't worry! You won't have to go driving for miles to look for financing. Nowadays, most people do their searching right in their homes, online. You can apply instantly and get immediate estimates and quotations from the companies too. This gives you a lot more time to concentrate on your business and on your own life!
o Another thing to remember is that since CNC machines are heavy-duty, they suffer a lot of deterioration. Make sure the outlet where you buy your machine from offers good after-sale services.
o Without proper after-sales service, your machine could keep losing parts and you'd have to have them retrofitted. Retrofitting is terrible for your machine as it reduces your machine's performance. Not only will it become ore time-consuming to operate the machine, but the quality of the work will reduce too. If your operator is constantly indexing then he has less time to produce goods, thereby decreasing your output. So you see how important it is to ensure proper maintenance?
These machines are the best of the market today, more so because they are digitized now. Accurate and high-quality work is guaranteed. If you need a machine, you know you can get one, thanks to CNC cutting machine financing right away. Get one for your business and watch your profits soar!
Chris Fletcher's page features more about new and used CNC Cutting Machine Financing and other finance topics. Visit him at: http://www.crestcapital.com/Catalog - - free instant quote & web calculator!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Mark_Fletcher
There are two ways of cutting - the plasma method and the oxyfuel method. A standard machine should normally be able to use both methods. Some machines have additional features which allow you to use even more functions. Read on to find out more about CNC Cutting Machine Financing as well as its functions and uses.
The different functions of this machine include:
o making holes to allow drilling
o drilling metals like aluminum
o cutting wood sideways or endways
o cutting out shapes in wood
o laser or water-jet methods of cutting
Both the plasma and the oxyfuel techniques can allow these variable functions to be added to the machine. There are some things you may have to keep in mind before buying your machine, though.
o A high-quality machine, as already mentioned, should have a four into eight square feet working table. Therefore, you can quite easily accommodate 4 x 8 slabs of metal, boards of wood, plastic, stone, or glass. Unless this length and width is allowed to the worker, he or she will have to continually keep changing the position of the working material which can get very tiresome. This movement and changing is sometimes referred to as "indexing" and workers of this machine are called its "operators".
o You must select your CNC cutting machine based on what and how you'll be doing your cutting. It's best to consult the machine operator here about the nature of the work that the machine will be used in. Whether it is straight or bevel cutting, for example, could use different kinds of CNC cutting machines. It is best to know the details of your work before buying.
o This machine, however useful, is actually quite expensive. This is where the CNC cutting machine financing comes in. If you cannot afford to buy it but really need its uses in the working place then you can hunt for financing. There are different companies that give out financing to allow small businesses to purchase this.
o Don't worry! You won't have to go driving for miles to look for financing. Nowadays, most people do their searching right in their homes, online. You can apply instantly and get immediate estimates and quotations from the companies too. This gives you a lot more time to concentrate on your business and on your own life!
o Another thing to remember is that since CNC machines are heavy-duty, they suffer a lot of deterioration. Make sure the outlet where you buy your machine from offers good after-sale services.
o Without proper after-sales service, your machine could keep losing parts and you'd have to have them retrofitted. Retrofitting is terrible for your machine as it reduces your machine's performance. Not only will it become ore time-consuming to operate the machine, but the quality of the work will reduce too. If your operator is constantly indexing then he has less time to produce goods, thereby decreasing your output. So you see how important it is to ensure proper maintenance?
These machines are the best of the market today, more so because they are digitized now. Accurate and high-quality work is guaranteed. If you need a machine, you know you can get one, thanks to CNC cutting machine financing right away. Get one for your business and watch your profits soar!
Chris Fletcher's page features more about new and used CNC Cutting Machine Financing and other finance topics. Visit him at: http://www.crestcapital.com/Catalog - - free instant quote & web calculator!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Mark_Fletcher
CNC plasma cutting equipment on the market today
In today's economy, many buyers are faced with the choice of buying a new or used piece of equipment to keep up with the steadily increasing demands for their plasma cutting requirements. The attraction of getting "more machine for the money" with a used piece of equipment often overshadows the hidden costs of older machines. Price alone should never be the determining factor when making an investment in long-term capital equipment. Here are some important points to take into consideration if you are looking at a used CNC plasma cutting system:
Check The CNC Control
With a glut of used CNC plasma cutting equipment on the market today, buyers need to educate themselves about the technology on these machines. The first thing a buyer needs to look at is the age of the machine and the CNC control unit on the system. These two factors are important to look at individually because many older machines on the market may have been retrofitted with updated controls. If the system and/or the CNC control is more than 5 years old, there may be problems getting parts and/or service for the control if it fails. The technology in the CNC controls of plasma cutting systems has advanced tremendously in the last three years. If you buy an older system and have to update or replace the control, it is also likely that you will have to upgrade the motors and drives as well. A control upgrade for most intermediate size machines typically will cost between $30,000-$35,000.
If an older machine has been retrofitted with a newer CNC control system, it is important to check the quality of the work. Most manufacturers will be happy to provide you with information such as which control was originally on the machine and whether or not the machine was upgraded by factory authorized technicians. Take the time to make a phone call and avoid a costly situation.
Check The Plasma
You can't save money by buying an old plasma power source! Advances in plasma power sources over the last three years have been significant. An old plasma might be cheaper to buy, but it will cost you significantly more to operate than a new system.
The two most expensive factors in operating a plasma cutting system are the cost of consumables and the cost of the electricity the system uses. Advances in plasma power sources and torch design allows today's plasma systems to cut material faster, with less amperage and current than comparably rated units from the previous generation of plasmas. That translates into significant monthly savings on your electric bill.
The current generation of plasma systems has also eclipsed their predecessors in consumables life. Manufacturers rate their current plasma systems consumable life 5x-10x higher than their previous generation plasmas. Some models are rated at more than 2,000 production pierces, compared to several hundred a few years ago. Manufacturers claim that between the electrical efficiency and extended consumables life, their newest generation of plasmas cost 50% less to operate than older models.
Check The Mechanical Components
It is important to make sure that any used machine has been properly maintained. The most important things to check are the condition of typical wear items such as the rail system, gear rack, drive pinions, and bearings. These are the main components of the drive system that assure the machine moves freely in a linear manner and that the machine can maintain cut quality and accuracy. When neglected, these items can also cause premature motor/drive failure. Plasma cutting systems live in a very harsh environment and proper preventive maintenance is essential. Ask the seller if service logs are available for the machine. Replacing essential drive components can cost upto $10,000 or more.
You will also want to check the condition of the cables, hoses, cable management system, torch lifters, drive motors, and any other moving parts on the machine. These are all items that require periodic maintenance and/or replacement and the costs can add up quickly.
Invest in a Proper Installation
If you check all of these items and determine that the used machine is still a good value, it is highly recommended that you contact the original manufacturer to install the system. The original manufacturer will be most familiar with the system, have access to parts should anything need to be repaired or replaced, and perform an installation that assures your machine will perform to the best of its abilities. The original manufacturer should also be able to provide training for your operators so that they can become proficient with the system and get the most out of it as quickly as possible.
Before You Make Your Final Decision
Don't end up investing more in a used piece of equipment when you can purchase a new machine with the latest technology and a warranty. Manufacturers such as C&G Systems in Libertyville, IL (http://www.cgsystems.com) offer a full line of CNC plasma cutting machines with the latest Hypertherm and Burny CNC controls, and Hypertherm, Kaliburn, and Thermadyne plasma power sources. Their staff of highly experienced engineers, sales, and service technicians will be happy to consult with you regarding your requirements and provide you with a no-cost, no-obligation quotation for a new machine comparable to any used equipment you may be looking at. They can also advise you on the age and availability of parts for older CNC controls and plasma power sources. Avoid a potentially expensive pitfall by calling C&G Systems today at (847) 816-9700 to discuss your particular situation with a helpful member of their staff.
Full product line manufacturers of CNC plasma shape cutting systems, such as C&G Systems in Libertyville, IL (www.cgsystems.com), offer a full line of machines from entry level units all the way up to precision and large format machines. Their full in-house staff of sales/application, electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing engineers, will take the time to understand and custom build a solution around your requirements and with products from the leaders in the industry. A large installation base of machines and a nationwide staff and network of service technicians assure that customers receive the training, support, and service they need to get the most out of their plasma cutting investment. Call C&G Systems today at (847) 816-9700, to consult with one of their highly qualified sales representatives.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Oliver_Osterhues
A good quality CNC cutting machine
A good quality CNC cutting machine has a cutting table that covers the area bounded by a length of four feet and a width of eight feet. A quality table can handle satisfactorily a standard 4 x 8 plate of metal, wood, plastic, glass, or stone. A table that lacks a sufficient length or width will make it necessary for the operator to repeatedly reposition the plate. Operators of the CNC cutting machine refer to such repositioning as indexing.
A good basic CNC cutting machine does both plasma and oxyfuel cutting. Refinements on a basic cutting machine might provide it with the ability to perform other functions, functions such as:
-spotting holes for drilling
-drilling aluminum
-cutting a shape in the sides or end of tubing
-routing wooden shapes
Other modifications on a CNC cutting machine might be directed at installation of the equipment for laser or water jet cutting.
The selection of a CNC cutting machine will be primarily determined by the nature of cutting that will be performed by the machine operator. For some operations, it will be necessary to do only straight cutting. For other operations, the cutting machine must perform bevel cutting. Bevel cutting allows the operator to trim, reduce, shave, and pare the material in the plate.
Both types of cutting will subject the CNC cutting machine to a fair amount of wear and tear. The manufacturer therefore needs to purchase a machine with adequate customer support. Such support should include the availability of spare parts. An absence of spare parts could require that the electronics of the CNC cutting machine undergo a retrofitting.
A need for retrofitting would deprive the operator of important production time. The need for retrofitting would diminish the quantity of goods that could be sold to the consumer. The need for retrofitting leads to a decrease in the amount of time that the operator will be spending at the CNC cutting machine. That is why the availability of spare parts for a malfunctioning CNC cutting machine remains one of the two chief concerns of the manufacturer. A second prime concern is the size of the cutting table.
The operator of a CNC cutting machine that needs to spend a large percent of time indexing will not have much time to spend on the actual cutting. Hence, the manufacturer will have much less product. Fewer products from the manufacturing facility translate into fewer products on the shelf. Consequently, the need for operators to spend time indexing can prove a detriment to the company's bottom line. A good sales volume reflects the well-planned purchase of a CNC cutting machine.
Peter Vermeeren is the owner and webmaster of: Machines and Tools and Airsoft GOT | Tactical Gear | Military Supplies
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Vermeeren
A good basic CNC cutting machine does both plasma and oxyfuel cutting. Refinements on a basic cutting machine might provide it with the ability to perform other functions, functions such as:
-spotting holes for drilling
-drilling aluminum
-cutting a shape in the sides or end of tubing
-routing wooden shapes
Other modifications on a CNC cutting machine might be directed at installation of the equipment for laser or water jet cutting.
The selection of a CNC cutting machine will be primarily determined by the nature of cutting that will be performed by the machine operator. For some operations, it will be necessary to do only straight cutting. For other operations, the cutting machine must perform bevel cutting. Bevel cutting allows the operator to trim, reduce, shave, and pare the material in the plate.
Both types of cutting will subject the CNC cutting machine to a fair amount of wear and tear. The manufacturer therefore needs to purchase a machine with adequate customer support. Such support should include the availability of spare parts. An absence of spare parts could require that the electronics of the CNC cutting machine undergo a retrofitting.
A need for retrofitting would deprive the operator of important production time. The need for retrofitting would diminish the quantity of goods that could be sold to the consumer. The need for retrofitting leads to a decrease in the amount of time that the operator will be spending at the CNC cutting machine. That is why the availability of spare parts for a malfunctioning CNC cutting machine remains one of the two chief concerns of the manufacturer. A second prime concern is the size of the cutting table.
The operator of a CNC cutting machine that needs to spend a large percent of time indexing will not have much time to spend on the actual cutting. Hence, the manufacturer will have much less product. Fewer products from the manufacturing facility translate into fewer products on the shelf. Consequently, the need for operators to spend time indexing can prove a detriment to the company's bottom line. A good sales volume reflects the well-planned purchase of a CNC cutting machine.
Peter Vermeeren is the owner and webmaster of: Machines and Tools and Airsoft GOT | Tactical Gear | Military Supplies
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Vermeeren
Monday, September 14, 2009
Invest in a Centroid CNC Retrofit
 | The benefit of retrofitting depends on the size and type of the machine being retrofitted. On average, retrofitting a good machine is less than 50% of the cost of a new machine of the same size and type. One important thing to consider when looking at retrofitting costs is that Centroid & CNC Services offer a complete retrofit solution from installation to training. One source, one price for a retrofitted running machine. A big difference when compared to some of our competitors. Usually as the size and complexity of a machine increase so do the costs. But typically the percentage of the retrofit cost compared to a new machine cost is low. For instance to retrofit a 30 hp Horizontal Boring mill may cost $75K and buying one new would run $200K to $250K! One of our customers purchased a used Pratt and Whitney Viking Horizontal Boring mill (shown) for $25K and then put another $80K into the retrofit and saved himself $100,000 dollars. | ||||||
 | Not all retrofits are created equal. There are several companies offering low priced CNC systems. These types of retrofits are usually plagued with various problems. For one, most of the components in a particular system are manufactured from several different companies or they will try to reuse old electronics from the original system. When something goes wrong you'll have a hard time getting repairs or spare parts. Since so many companies are involved, often the company who built the amplifier will blame the problem on the the CPU manufacturer and vice-versa. Another common problem is that most of these other systems are not optically isolated. They may work just fine on the computer bench but really don't like a machine shop environment especially if a EDM machine or a Tig welder is being used anywhere near by. Centroid CNC controls are optically isolated and have superior RF (radio frequency) noise resistance. | ||||||
 | When calculating the cost of a retrofit, don't forget to factor in the money that you will make since the machine will be able to make more parts per hour. In one case we have reduced the time it takes to make a particular part from 24 hours to 5! Another benefit is gained by the machine producing better quality parts therefore reducing scrap out-of-tolerence parts - more savings. Operator labor costs are also reduced because of the significant reduction of setup and programming time with the new control. These items really add up in the long run, so don't underestimate the dollars that you will gain with a Centroid CNC retrofit. | ||||||
 | Another savings to consider is that most retrofits can take place on-site therefore saving you any machine moving ,rigging and shipping costs which can become considerable especially with the larger machines. Even having a lot of tooling for a particular machine can influence the decision to retrofit. Some customers retrofit machines just because they have machining experience with a particular machine and know what it is capable of. They are familiar with the weight it can carry and the type of cuts it can take. | ||||||
 | All of our CNC controls are fully tested at the factory and are shipped ready to install, saving you time and money. One price for install, training and warranty. CENTROID gives you one source responsibility. Centroid designs and manufactures its own CNC operating system, programming software, CPUs, Amplifiers, PLCs and keyboards, so everything works together. We supply a complete CNC retrofit solution. | ||||||
Friday, August 28, 2009
Ward Hi-Tech wins CNC turning-centre orders
In spite of the current difficult market conditions, Ward Hi-Tech reported an increase in orders towards the end of June.
Mike Burke, UK sales manager for Ward Hi-Tech, said: 'In the past two weeks our sales team brought in more than GBP1m worth of business.
'We were helped by the sale of a large HNK vertical lathe, with driven tooling, to a major oil and gas sub-contractor, but we also clinched a number of orders for mid-to-large capacity Hwacheon CNC turning centres and a Kiheung Universal Milling Centre with a 3m X-axis travel.' At the end of March, Ward Hi-Tech introduced its 'Confidence Package', a purchasing scheme available on all Hwacheon and Dah Lih machine-tool products that allows the buyer to quickly install a machine but gives the option to send the machine back after a minimum of 12 months if business circumstances change.
Several new customers have already taken advantage of the scheme, which allows the customer to remain in control of its finances even if business turns down in future.
Once a machine has been returned, the monthly finance payments are cancelled and the customer has no further financial commitment.
Dah Lih Vertical Machining Centres are available with X-axis travels from 510-2600mm, including high speed and heavy-duty variations with a variety of options.
Hwacheon CNC Turning Centres range from 6in chuck to 32in chuck, single or twin-spindle, single or twin-turret and include multi-axis variations.
Citizen to exhibit Miyano turning centres
Joining Citizen Machinery's latest Citizen CNC sliding-head lathe presentations at EMO 2009 in Milan will be five turning centres from Miyano.
The company said that visitors to its stand will be able to appreciate one-hit mill-turn technology from both brands of fixed and sliding-head machines that range from micro-machining processing at 4mm up to normal turn-mill cycles on material up to 64mm bar size.
Machine variants will also be shown that can be used for chucking applications including automated handling.
The common theme from both Citizen and Miyano will be the achievement of productivity gains by combining operations.
This follows the acquisition of 65 per cent of Miyano Machinery shares by Citizen Machinery Company, a division of Citizen Holdings.
Citizen will be exhibiting Streamline control technology in the Citizen K16 and L20 machines; the 80-tool Citizen M32-V will be showing three tool simultaneous cutting; and two versions of the A-Series in 20mm and 32mm capacities will also be demonstrated.
Citizen will showcase its Adaptive Guide Bush arrangement for 20mm and 32mm capacity machines that will automatically compensate for size variation in barstock and allow cheaper bright bar to be used in place of the normal ground material.
Hwacheon to display T2-YSMC at EMO 2009
Hwacheon, of South Korea, will showcase new machine tools at this year's EMO exhibition.
The company will exhibit its eight-axis T2-YSMC turning centre, complete with full-length magazine bar loader and lights-out automatic running package.
The T2-YSMC features twin 8in-diameter hydraulic chucks, upper and lower twin-turret arrangements with Y-axis and driven-tool facility.
The machine is equipped with automatic tool setting/breakage detect probing, automatic parts catcher and full parts un-loader conveyor.
The machine has 20kW direct-drive main-drive motors to both spindles and super-fast indexing and servo turrets with 7.5kW driven-tool drive motor.
This particular model forms part of the multi-axis six-model T2 series range, which will soon be joined by a large-capacity T3 and T4 series portfolio.
A further new model, the Hi-Tech 70/26 heavy-duty oil-country slant bed lathe will also be on show for the first time in Europe during the EMO exhibition.
This machine is based on the Hi-Tech 700 heavy-duty slant bed lathe but features a large through-bore headstock and chucking arrangement suitable for oil-country work.
It has a 300mm spindle bore, 24in three-jaw hydraulic chuck, 2m between-centre bed arrangement with heavy-duty tailstock and is equipped with powerful 12-station high clamping force turret.
The Hi-Tech 70/26 features a Fanuc 18iTB CNC system complete with on-board manual-guide CAP system with colour graphics.
At EMO, the Hi-Tech 70/26 will produce a typical large-diameter aerospace component.
The VT1150MC Vertical Lathe is equipped with C-axis-to-main-spindle and powerful driven-tool turret arrangement.
The machine is equipped with a 40in hydraulic three-jaw chuck with a compensating jaw feature and a turning length of 950mm and main drive of 60HP.
One of Hwacheon's most popular sub spindle/driven tool turning centres, the Cutex 240BSMC will be exhibited at EMO complete with short magazine bar loader, automatic parts conveyor and 'lights out' turning package.
The Cutex 240BSMC is equipped with an 8in diameter three-jaw chuck, has a turning length of 565mm and features a fast indexing servo turret with BMT-style heavy-duty driven-tool holders.
The CNC system is the Fanuc 18iTB and features Hwacheon's novel machine diagnostic software.
Also on display at EMO on the Hwacheon booth will be an example of the Sirius UL double-column high-power vertical machining centres, which will be demonstrated machining an automotive die component.
The Sirius UL has an axis travel of X=1050mm, Y=600mm and Z=550mm.
It features a 25kW direct-driven high-power spindle with 20,000 rev/min maximum spindle-speeds and is controlled by a Fanuc 18iMB CNC system.
Dah Lih Machinery, a vertical machining centre manufacturer from Taiwan, will exhibit three models from its 'C' frame machining centre product portfolio.
Shown for the first time in Europe will be the model MCV-860 vertical machining centre, which was launched last year on the home market and is now available in Europe.
The MCV-860 model is a rigid high-performance 'C' frame vertical machining centre with axes travels of X=860mm, Y=550mm and Z=550mm.
The machine is equipped as standard with high-power through-spindle coolant, a tool-setting probe/tool breakage detect system, bed wash and chip auger conveyor system.
It is controlled by the latest Fanuc 0iMD system complete with manual guide and colour graphics.
Also on display will be the heavy-duty MCV-1450 BT50 spindle vertical machining centre, which has axes travels of X=1450mm, Y=750mm and Z=750mm and features a heavy-duty box guideways structure, ideal for powerful machining performance.
The machine is equipped with the same standard equipment as the MCV-860 and complete with 30HP main-drive motor (twin range gearbox), 6,000 rev/min maximum spindle speeds and 32-tool ATC.
Completing the line-up of machines available from Dah Lih will be the MCV-1200 high performance, high-speed spindle vertical machining centre.
This model has axes travels of X=1200mm, Y=600mm and Z=500mm; 15000 rev/min maximum spindle-speed arrangement; 32 tool ATC and high rapid traverse of 30m/min.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Retrofit CNC can double turret miller output
A popular and proven CNC controller, enabling users to at least double their machining output, is now available as a retrofit package for most turret millers.
XYZ Machine Tools has announced that the popular and proven ProtoTRAK Edge CNC controller is now available as a retrofit package.
Whilst DROs are undoubtedly old technology - they have been around for more than thirty years - they are still proving popular because they can easily and inexpensively be retrofitted to existing conventional machines and productivity be significantly enhanced.
The ProtoTRAK Edge controller is as easily retrofitted to most turret mills and conventional knee mill but provides far greater productivity - typically output can be doubled and in some applications trebled, and can parts can be produced which cannot be attempted economically on a manual mill.
It provides 2 axis CNC control and up to 4 axis DRO display.
The ProtoTRAK Edge uses plain English conversational programming, so the operator does not need any CNC experience to use it.
Only part geometry has to be defined; the controller defines the tool path automatically.
Using the teach option, the operator can turn manual moves into programmed events automatically.
The Edge controller accepts CAM data from all the top brands of software.
Set up is easy and simple.
Canned cycles include profiles, arcs, pockets, holes and frames.
19 maths help routines enable the operator to quickly and easily calculate intersections, tangencies, centres etc, and are far easier to use than either a calculator or trig.
A parts library can be built up easily using the floppy drive; programs can be shared with other ProtoTRAK controllers.
The retrofit ProtoTRAK can be installed either by XYZ installation engineers or by a customer themselves.
The kit includes the controller, motors, ballscrews, cables, brackets and table guards.
A half day training - all that is needed - at any one of XYZ's premises is included.
Parts warranty is for twelve months; if XYZ engineers install the retrofit a twelve months labour warranty is also included.
Delivery is three weeks from order.
The retrofit ProtoTRAK Edge is available from GBP 6,950.00.
US firm awards CNC retrofit contract to HNC
UK Pratt and Whitney has awarded a GBP 980,000 rebuild and CNC retrofit contract to HNC in the UK, for refurbishing six large machine tools to be used in China.
Halifax Numerical Controls (HNC) has won, against fierce international competition from companies in the USA, Sweden and Holland, a GBP 980,000 contract from aero engine builder Pratt and Whitney, USA, to rebuild six large machine tools and retrofit them with new CNC systems.
Directors at HNC (Halifax Numerical Controls), Mike Diskin and Tim Price, said it was the largest ever order won by the company so far.
Pratt and Whitney (P and W) was looking for machines for a new venture in China.
It initially looked at buying new but considered good quality rebuilt ones as better value.
P and W bought the assets of the now defunct Volvo aero engine maintenance factory in Stockholm, Sweden.
The deal included a number of quality machine tools, as follows.
* Two Dorries and one Schiess vertical turning lathes.
* A VAES vertical grinder.
* A Union 5-axis horizontal borer.
* A Deckel FP6 machining centre.
P and W then searched through Europe and the US for a company capable of refurbishing them.
HNC got the job and said that all machines will have new electrics fitted throughout and retrofitted with the latest GE-Fanuc Oi controllers, servos and drives.
HNC managing director, Mike Diskin, said: "it has been something of a tense time for us over the past couple of months, we knew it was going to be tough, but we won through in the end".
He added: "We believe we won the order because of our reputation for service and the quality we build into all re-manufactured machines, combined with our vast in-house CNC knowledge and competitive pricing".
HNC has already begun the work, which has to be completed within a tight schedule and delivered by November 2008.
HNC will fully test, export pack and dispatch the machines to Pratt and Whitney's Chinese joint venture company - Pratt and Whitney Shanghai Aircraft Engine Maintenance Co HNC personnel will install and commission the machine tools.
* About HNC - HNC specialises in the rebuild and refurbishment of quality machine tools with many major customers for example, they include Cummins, Gardener Aerospace, De Smet Group and the Weir Group.
In addition to being main distributors and retrofitters for major control system manufacturers GE-Fanuc, Heidenhain, Siemens and NUM, HNC also has full machine tool design and bespoke software writing capabilities.
CNC retrofit speeds up cylinder head machining
Automotive cylinder head manufacturer's CNC system could hardly cope with the growing size of programs so a new, faster CNC with more capacity was retrofitted to one of the machines.
CNC Heads, located in Stockport, UK, manufactures high performance gas flowed cylinder heads.
The secret of the performance boosts gained by CNC Heads lies in the accuracy to which a head is manufactured.
The process begins with the scanning of an original cylinder head using the latest digital scanning technology.
Complex digital information is then analysed by in-house tuning specialists and converted into computer code that can be used to modify valve throats, chambers and ports via computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine tools.
The result is that CNC Heads guarantees that each and every feature on the cylinder head is machined to the same dimensions and tolerances, achieving major gains in power output in the process.
At the extreme is a Mitsubishi EVO 400 engine that powers a drag racing car.
The original engine developed 300/320HP: with a new cylinder head and other engine tuning this figure is now in excess of 1200HP.
* Improving performance - CNC Heads typically achieves a 130HP gain from a full engine tune, with 40-50HP being directly attributable to cylinder head modifications.
However, the company's success led to a marked increase in demand for cylinder heads that, in turn, was causing an increase in delivery time, which was becoming unacceptable.
The first option, dismissed due to cost, lack of space and availability of skilled operators, was to increase capacity by investing in additional machine tools.
The second option was to improve the performance of the three existing Bridgeport Interact machining centres that are currently in use.
Alastair Heywood at CNC Heads explained that the machines themselves are perfectly good for the job they are doing, but the real problem lay in the capacity of a machine's CNC system.
The existing CNC was struggling to cope with the size of the programs that CNC Heads is writing.
Also the processing speed (30 milliseconds/block of information) was slowing down the machining process considerably.
So, CNC Head initially decided to retrofit a new control system to one of the machines.
* CNC selection - like any other business CNC Heads investigated the market and had a number of options when it came to the retrofit and choice of control system.
The decision to opt for the Heidenhain TNC 320 control system and to work with Halifax Numerical Controls (HNC), an approved Heidenhain TNC retrofitter, was based on the following.
* The Heidenhain system was a very attractive proposition in terms of cost.
* Heidenhain and HNC are able to maintain basic machine functions - something that other control manufacturers could not do, said CNC Heads.
* Machine performance improved - since retrofitting the first machine CNC Heads has noted a considerable improvement in machine performance and ease of use.
"The new control has many benefits over the old system," said Heywood.
"For instance, the hard drive is large enough to hold complete programs, so we are not having to 'drip feed' them any more.
Program data transfer is much simpler as we can now use a USB memory stick".
Heywood continued: "We also have had, and continue to have, tremendous support from Halifax Numerical Controls.
This has taken their involvement beyond that of just a 'simple' retrofit' job.
They have developed software to improve the automatic toolchange system as well as software that speeds up the referencing of the machine should it 'crash', which saves time and avoids the risk of damage to a cylinder head that may have had a lot of time spent on it at that point.
In fact, with any problems that we do encounter, we are reassured by HNC always having an answer".
* Retrofitting - the retrofit was completed within a week, with disruption kept to a minimum as HNC did the work during a holiday period.
This was crucial to CNC Heads as its machines were running 24h/day at the time just to keep up with current orders.
The first day back after the holiday, HNC went through the operation of the TNC 320 with Heywood and the retrofitted machine was producing parts that very same day.
Within three days any questions/issues had been resolved and the machine is now running to its full potential.
* Outstanding improvement - the improvement in performance has been astounding, said Heidenhain to manufacturingtalk.com.
The processing speed has increased from the original 30 milliseconds to around 6 milliseconds.
Also cycle times when machining cylinder heads have been reduced dramatically.
CNC Heads claims that a batch of 20 cylinder heads can now be produced in the same time as it previously took to machine six.
Accuracy and repeatability are also improved, which enables CNC Heads to further boost the performance of the cylinder heads it manufactures.
Heywood concluded: "Comparing our old control system with the new Heidenhain TNC 320 is like comparing chalk and cheese.
The difference is huge, both in the improvement in productivity that we are seeing and in the ease of use that is making programming the machine [at the control] so much faster.
Having witnessed what the TNC 320 and Halifax Numerical Controls can deliver, we will be looking to upgrade the other two machines as soon as possible.".
CNC retrofit upgrades robust bed miller
The retrofit of a three-axis control system to a bed mill has solved a number of problems for a specialist manufacturer of aluminium gravity diecasting machines.
The retrofit of an Anilam MK 3300 three-axis control system to a Butler Elgamill bed mill has solved a number of problems for Auto Gravity Machines, the specialist manufacturer of aluminium gravity diecasting machines.
Not only has the new CNC rejuvenated the ageing machine tool, but the system has also eliminated the need to sub-contract certain large workpieces and, as a result, generated all-round improvements in productivity levels.
Proprietor, Jim Sills, explains: "We bought the Elgamill about a year ago.
Although it is quite old, it is a very well-built, rigid machine.
It wasn't initially purchased with the retrofit in mind, but the fact that it had DC stepper motors and recirculating ballscrews - which, of course, are the basic requirements for a successful retrofit - meant I immediately recognised the potential for a future upgrade.
"This, I reckoned, would in effect covert on old workhorse into a modern CNC machine at relatively low cost." He continues: "Until we installed the machine, we were restricted in terms of machining capacity.
However, with X, Y and Z axes travels of 1800mm by 900mm by 1000mm, the Elgamill now enables us to machine large workpieces, such as C frames, in a single set-up.
"This capability has eliminated the need to re-position workpieces often two or three times on the table of our existing (smaller capacity) milling machine - or, if we could find a suitable sub-contractor, outsource the work.
"Because we operate two other CNC milling/machining centres, we recognised the advantages of upgrading the Elgamill in terms of both improved control functionality and speed of machining.
"Since the machine was being used with an Anilam DRO (hard-wired into the original control), and we found that very easy to use, we naturally leaned towards an Anilam CNC.
Also, we had received good reports of the system from a number of users (customers and peers) and, compared with alternative control suppliers, the Anilam option was very cost-effective.
These were all major factors in our choice of control." The retrofit was carried out by CSD Controls (UK), an Anilam-approved CNC retrofitter, and simply involved removing the DRO, building a new console and hard-wiring the MK 3300 into the existing panel.
Most of this work was completed by CSD off-site, to minimise machine downtime.
The PC-based Anilam MK 3300 control combines user-friendly conversational programming (Machinist Language) with digital signal processing for high-speed data processing and motion control.
The control features a range of canned cycles, including: * Irregular pockets - a simple routine of prompts produces clearances of shapes; * Geometry - the geometry calculator, for determining points, lines and circles, automatically forms the program foundation; * Bolt hole pattern and drill cycles are created by simple question and answer routines; and * Graphics - program verification with user-friendly graphics and program text and CNC status displayed together.
"The whole project went very well," comments Jim Sills.
"And we immediately found the MK 3300 a user-friendly, easy-to-program system - albeit we have only used the machine on straightforward two-axis milling, drilling and boring tasks." Since its establishment in 1967, Auto Gravity Machines has supplied machines for a variety of applications, but predominantly the automotive industry.
Although each machine is designed and manufactured for a particular task - proprietary parts are bought-in but everything else is machined/fabricated at the site in Aylesbury, Bucks - they can be successfully applied to subsequent workpieces.
Whatever the component, the company deals mainly with the foundry, working its designs around the size and requirements of the die, often utilising clever hydraulics/pneumatics for progressive die orientation.
"Achieving a successful diecast component is akin to pouring a glass of Guinness," adds Jim Sills.
"If the aluminium is 'tipped' in from too high, then a lot of dross and oxides are produced on the surface.
But if the metal is poured gradually, there's less inclusions/porosity/air entrapment and, generally, less metal is used.
The result is a higher quality component.
"The Elgamill is now a key machine in our production process," he concludes.
"Thanks to the Anilam CNC our new-found medium and heavy-duty milling capabilities have improved our overall machining efficiency and our lead times.
In turn, this has also cut our costs - and that's a good thing for both us and our customers.".
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Manufacturing losses give rise to auctions
From a peak of more than 19 million in the 1970s, manufacturing jobs in the United States have dwindled to only about 12 million today, and the continuing recession is likely to depress the number still more.That means that firms like Hilco Industrial, an auctioneering firm based in Farmington Hills, has all the work it can handle these days selling off the leftover pieces of America's manufacturing base.
Each auction is necessary from each distressed company's view. But the sale of so much industrial equipment strikes many observers as an American tragedy.
Sitting among the bidders at a Hilco-run auction earlier this year at a closed Delphi plant in Dayton, Ohio, Mark Boeckl, president of a small company called TDM International in Flint, said that auctions like this spell disaster for America's once-mighty manufacturers.
"The scary part is all the infrastructure, all the manufacturing, is leaving," Boeckl said. "And literally what they don't sell they're scrapping. So, if the work does come back, now people are going to have to invest huge amounts of money."
Economists say many U.S. manufacturing jobs have disappeared through innovation, as a drive toward ever-greater productivity made factories do more with fewer workers.
But the rise of China and India as manufacturing powers in recent years has drained away many more jobs from U.S. factories. The collapse of auto sales in late 2008 took out still more companies and jobs.
Buyers at Hilco's industrial auctions range from local farmers hoping to pick up a band saw to Asian or South American industrialists seeking specialized equipment.
Boeckl said he was attending the Dayton auction earlier this year because he hoped to pick up a few specific pieces of machinery. Boeckl's firm makes auto parts for product lines hard to obtain any more in the United States. Delphi made a particular part in Dayton for Chrysler, and Boeckl hoped to buy the equipment, haul it to his plant in Flint, and win the business for TDM.
But even as he benefitted from Delphi's distress, Boeckl shook his head as the auction progressed.Tuesday, February 17, 2009
CNC Retrofitting through Improve Equipment
Rather than spend thousands of dollars on new machinery, consider CNC retrofitting, which can provide accuracy similar to new machinery at a fraction of the cost.
If you are experiencing excessive machine down time with a machine that is mechanically sound, perhaps it's the control system that is obsolete.
Rather than tossing your old machine and getting a new one — which can be a costly endeavor — consider retrofitting the computer numerical control (CNC). This process entails the replacement of the CNC, servo motors and drives, spindle system and associated wiring.
Retrofit costs are typically between one-third and two-thirds the cost of a new machine, according to an American Machinist Webcast. It also avoids the "hidden costs" of new equipment such as transportation, tooling, training and start-up times.
Steve Colasanti, systems integrator at Dual Electric & Refrigeration Services, agrees, saying in a recent case study at Modern Machine Shop:
The cost of upgrading a machine tool to almost new is typically a fraction of the cost of buying new. If you have a solid machine base to work with, retrofitting machines with digital CNC and servo technology can yield large decreases in cycle time while providing accuracy similar to that of new machinery.
According to the Webcast, along with being less costly than new machinery, other benefits of a CNC retrofit include:
* Typically a 20 percent increase in performance due to the faster CNCs, higher-speed motors and machining technologies;
* Machine electricity usage reduction by as much as 50 percent;
* Increased plant capacity because of smaller CNCs;
* Improved mean-time to repair and mean-time between failures; and
* Better data accessibility and support through upgraded Ethernet communications.
To determine the full value of a retrofit, the Webcast instructs shop owners to perform a standard return on investment (ROI) analysis of the anticipated revenue improvements and the savings from cost reductions in conjunction with all quoted and hidden costs of the project.
While the benefits are appealing, there remain a few key considerations to keep in mind before committing to a retrofitting project. One of these is that benefits will be delivered only by upgrading the servo and spindle system to a high-speed digital interface as well. "It does not matter how fast the CNC can process blocks of part program data if the servo and spindle systems cannot keep up," according to American Machinist earlier this year.
When you've decided to commit to the project, the first step is to investigate the mechanics of the machine and determine the feasibility of a digital upgrade, Modern Machine Shop suggests. "Proper inertial matching calculations for each axis drive system is essential to peak high speed operation," Colasanti adds. Next, the retrofitting project manager must get an understanding of the electrical system so the retrofitted CNC can be integrated properly.
Once the viability of a retrofit has been established, it's time to select a retrofitter or retrofit kit provider. A retrofitter selects the CNC and determines the correct-sized drive systems, writes the programmable machine controller (PMC) ladder, mounts and wires electrical components and motors, sets the machine parameters and does basic servo tuning, Bruce Vernyi at American Machinist writes.
Due to their numerous responsibilities directly tied to the success of the retrofit, it is important to be extremely selective when selecting a retrofit partner. The American Machinist Webcast suggests machine shop owners:
* Establish their potential partner's competency in machine type;
* Ask for documentation of quality;
* Ask for references;
* Get multiple quotes; and
* Make apple-to-apple comparisons.
Some red flags to watch out for when appraising the quotations are a disproportionately low price, smaller servos or spindle systems and a poorly detailed quote.
Once you've chosen your partner, make sure to specify the exact CNC model you need and want, plus all the optional contents and additional enhancements you require, the Webcast presenter adds.
http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/archives/
If you are experiencing excessive machine down time with a machine that is mechanically sound, perhaps it's the control system that is obsolete.
Rather than tossing your old machine and getting a new one — which can be a costly endeavor — consider retrofitting the computer numerical control (CNC). This process entails the replacement of the CNC, servo motors and drives, spindle system and associated wiring.
Retrofit costs are typically between one-third and two-thirds the cost of a new machine, according to an American Machinist Webcast. It also avoids the "hidden costs" of new equipment such as transportation, tooling, training and start-up times.
Steve Colasanti, systems integrator at Dual Electric & Refrigeration Services, agrees, saying in a recent case study at Modern Machine Shop:
The cost of upgrading a machine tool to almost new is typically a fraction of the cost of buying new. If you have a solid machine base to work with, retrofitting machines with digital CNC and servo technology can yield large decreases in cycle time while providing accuracy similar to that of new machinery.
According to the Webcast, along with being less costly than new machinery, other benefits of a CNC retrofit include:
* Typically a 20 percent increase in performance due to the faster CNCs, higher-speed motors and machining technologies;
* Machine electricity usage reduction by as much as 50 percent;
* Increased plant capacity because of smaller CNCs;
* Improved mean-time to repair and mean-time between failures; and
* Better data accessibility and support through upgraded Ethernet communications.
To determine the full value of a retrofit, the Webcast instructs shop owners to perform a standard return on investment (ROI) analysis of the anticipated revenue improvements and the savings from cost reductions in conjunction with all quoted and hidden costs of the project.
While the benefits are appealing, there remain a few key considerations to keep in mind before committing to a retrofitting project. One of these is that benefits will be delivered only by upgrading the servo and spindle system to a high-speed digital interface as well. "It does not matter how fast the CNC can process blocks of part program data if the servo and spindle systems cannot keep up," according to American Machinist earlier this year.
When you've decided to commit to the project, the first step is to investigate the mechanics of the machine and determine the feasibility of a digital upgrade, Modern Machine Shop suggests. "Proper inertial matching calculations for each axis drive system is essential to peak high speed operation," Colasanti adds. Next, the retrofitting project manager must get an understanding of the electrical system so the retrofitted CNC can be integrated properly.
Once the viability of a retrofit has been established, it's time to select a retrofitter or retrofit kit provider. A retrofitter selects the CNC and determines the correct-sized drive systems, writes the programmable machine controller (PMC) ladder, mounts and wires electrical components and motors, sets the machine parameters and does basic servo tuning, Bruce Vernyi at American Machinist writes.
Due to their numerous responsibilities directly tied to the success of the retrofit, it is important to be extremely selective when selecting a retrofit partner. The American Machinist Webcast suggests machine shop owners:
* Establish their potential partner's competency in machine type;
* Ask for documentation of quality;
* Ask for references;
* Get multiple quotes; and
* Make apple-to-apple comparisons.
Some red flags to watch out for when appraising the quotations are a disproportionately low price, smaller servos or spindle systems and a poorly detailed quote.
Once you've chosen your partner, make sure to specify the exact CNC model you need and want, plus all the optional contents and additional enhancements you require, the Webcast presenter adds.
http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/archives/
Retrofit the 3kW laser cutter with VMC
World Lasers has announced the first retrofit of a HAAS Automation VF-4 vertical machining centre (VMC) with a 3000W laser.
The retrofit offers the following.
* The durability and the capability of a quality CNC with laser technology.
* The speed, accuracy and versatility to give them the 'competitive edge'.
* A simple machine interface known and used by operators world-wide.
World Lasers sales manager, Greg Rawley, said: "Existing CNC owners can transform their machines into laser cutting machines for a relatively low cost.
We've listened to their needs and are delivering at prices that even the competitors can't believe".
The laser retrofit kits are available for all sizes VF VMCs sold by Haas Automation.
World Lasers is an independent OEM and not affiliated with Haas Automation.
Contact World Lasers for more information.
http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/woj/woj100.html
The retrofit offers the following.
* The durability and the capability of a quality CNC with laser technology.
* The speed, accuracy and versatility to give them the 'competitive edge'.
* A simple machine interface known and used by operators world-wide.
World Lasers sales manager, Greg Rawley, said: "Existing CNC owners can transform their machines into laser cutting machines for a relatively low cost.
We've listened to their needs and are delivering at prices that even the competitors can't believe".
The laser retrofit kits are available for all sizes VF VMCs sold by Haas Automation.
World Lasers is an independent OEM and not affiliated with Haas Automation.
Contact World Lasers for more information.
http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/woj/woj100.html
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Choosing A Retrofit CNC
Intel co-founder Gordon Moore predicted the growth rate which now bears his name. Moore's Law suggests that the state of the art in computer processing power will double every 18 months.
This exponential pace of development affects computers everywhere. But on the floor of a machine shop, the impact is particularly striking. Here, rapidly evolving computer numerical controls (CNCs) meet machine tools whose basic structures have changed little since before these controls were introduced. The lopsided rate of change often means that the machine tool remains mechanically sound and serviceable long after its control has been eclipsed by newer models. There is no Moore's Law for the iron. As a result, some shops find themselves saddled with inoperative machines, idled only because the control is obsolete and replacement components can no longer be found. Still more shops use CNC machines whose mechanical structures could be employed much more effectively if only the controls had access to the power and features of more recently developed models. In each of these cases, one option is to scrap the old machine in favor of an entirely new one, with its own new control. However, another option is to retain the mechanical structure, and retrofit a replacement CNC.
Conserving the iron in this way is not always the more economical choice. CNCs are not simply plug-in devices. Any combination of CNC and machine tool is in fact a carefully engineered system, and the work of integrating this system is typically more expensive than the CNC itself. A new, mass-produced machine tool carries almost none of this engineering cost. The OEM spreads the one-time expense for system integration across the entire run of that machine. That option is not available for most retrofit jobs, where the "production run" typically amounts to just one unit.
Because of this integration expense and its effect on overall cost, many shops don't even consider CNC retrofitting. And perhaps rightly so; retrofitting instead of buying new is still cost-effective only for a minority of machine tools. However, retrofitting today may be worth a second look. The economics have changed significantly, even in just the last five years. There is an expanded range of choices among retrofit CNCs, and this has produced an expanded range of machine tools for which retrofitting now makes sense.
Today, two things can be said of the CNC retrofit market:
1. Machines that were once too old to justify a CNC retrofit now make excellent candidates.
2. Machines that were once too new to justify a CNC retrofit also make excellent candidates.
In the case of the older machines, today's controls are more forgiving of ballscrew error, backlash, way friction and other symptoms of mechanical wear. By compensating electronically for these errors, the right CNC alone may be enough to return a worn machine to like-new precision. Thus, the retrofit may not have to include costs for replacement bearings, ballscrews, or gearing, or for scraping the ways or other mechanical service.
In the case of the newer machines, recent improvements in control technology can make a more recent or more specialized CNC far more productive for the machine than its standard control unit, even when that older control is still functioning well. The retrofit CNC may offer important capabilities the standard one does not, including:
* High-feed rate, high-accuracy machining, particularly during contour milling. This can be the result of features including look-ahead, faster servo updates, and curve interpolation. It can also be the result of expanded program storage capacity or faster data transmission across a network.
* The ability to run third-party PC software directly on the control, for functions like shopfloor programming, or updating machining offsets based on trends in SPC data.
* Data exchange with networked PCs. Fast, two-way data transfer not only enables the CNC to obtain a part program quickly from a remote source, but can also let a remote PC monitor and react to the machine's status.
Most of these benefits are products of increased computing power (a la Moore's Law), which has expanded the choices available to control buyers by allowing CNCs to deliver more sophisticated and specialized functions. However, there is another factor spurring CNC development. Some features, like memory and networking improvements, have grown from the low-cost platform now available thanks to the spread of non-proprietary, commodity PC hardware. And this PC hardware has also produced more choices, as different CNC vendors apply the hardware in different ways.
If you are shopping for a replacement control, should you choose one that is in some way PC-based or PC-interfaced? Today there is a good chance the answer is yes.
But does this mean you should favor the control that includes the most off-the-shelf PC hardware? Not necessarily.
No, the best way to choose a replacement CNC in today's market is to take advantage of the range of choice now available to find the right control for the application. This will mean selecting the one that best delivers the features—including price—which that application demands. However, it will also mean finding the most appropriate mix of proprietary and non-proprietary hardware.
Not "Either/Or"
There are varying degrees to which a control can employ widely available hardware. Thus "proprietary" and "non-proprietary" are not either/or conditions. They can better be imagined as opposite directions along a common axis.
At the extreme "proprietary" end of this axis would be the CNC which was essentially the only type available ten years ago. This control has hardware built or specified entirely by the manufacturer, and at best offers only a slow serial interface for (one-way) data exchange.
Today, at or near the opposite end of this axis would be a control like the one offered by Manufacturing Data Systems, Inc. (MDSI; Ann Arbor, Michigan). Designed to permit a low-cost retrofit, or low-cost entry into CNC networking, MDSI's control consists of PC software running entirely on non-proprietary hardware. Its hardware requirements include a touch-screen monitor, and interface cards for encoders, servos, and I/O, all of which can be purchased from any of a variety of vendors. It has no motion control card. Instead, it closes the servo loop via algorithms in the software. For this reason, it requires just a digital-to-analog converter to interface with the servomotors.
Between these two extremes would be a CNC like the one offered by Creative Technology Corporation (Arlington Heights, Illinois). This is a control optimized to serve the needs of shops interested in milling intricate contoured forms at high feed rates. These include makers of molds, dies, and prototype parts. Accordingly, this PC-based control employs one particular vendor's motion control card, chosen for its fast servo cycle time, among other features. While this single-source card technically qualifies as proprietary hardware, the overall control is not as proprietary as the "extreme" proprietary control cited above. The customer does not have to return to the control vendor for replacement parts or upgrades. The maker of the motion control card has licensed the right to produce and market its hardware to a variety of competing manufacturers, and the rest of the control consists of generic PC hardware that is widely available.
This leads to another frequently used CNC term necessary to carry this discussion further. That term is open. (As in, "open architecture.") It is used together with "PC-based" so often that the two may appear identical in meaning. However, while the definitions may overlap, these two terms describe very different ideas.
In fact, different CNC vendors embrace any of at least two definitions for an open control. Some define this as a control using off-the-shelf hardware, which therefore (in theory) can be maintained and upgraded inexpensively, without the vendor's involvement.
Other vendors view an open control as one that can easily share information across a network. This information includes both input, like an NC program, and output, like machine status data.
These two definitions of open don't necessarily go together. A CNC can be open to hardware without being open to a network, and a CNC favoring proprietary hardware can be constructed to interface with a network freely. In the retrofit world, one example of this second case comes from Memex Electronics (Burlington, Ontario, Canada), which offers retrofit boards allowing older, "closed" Fanuc CNCs to connect directly to a PC network.
However, a more general example of a system delivering network openness to a proprietary CNC comes from yet another approach to a control employing PC hardware. This is an approach offered by GE Fanuc (Charlottesville, Virginia) and Siemens (Elk Grove Village, Illinois), among others. These companies place a PC front end on a control system in which all hardware comes from a single source—from pushbuttons through servomotors. This is the PC-enabled control system that most resembles the traditional, proprietary CNC. And for this reason, it may be the right approach for many applications.
Costs And Benefits
The determining factor, according to both GE Fanuc and Siemens, is the productive value of the machine tool.
For example, the purpose of a CNC retrofit may be to give new life to a machine that is non-critical and/or relatively inexpensive. The machine may be one that sits idle because needed hardware for its dated control can no longer be found, or because the control itself limits the machine's capabilities or makes it difficult to use. The machine may also be a low-cost vertical machining center that a different control might make faster or more accurate. In any of these cases, the shop will likely see the productivity gain from a retrofit as "gravy"—extra machining capacity acquired for significantly less than the cost of buying a new machine. If so, then the shop has to minimize the cost of the retrofit to make the upgrade cost-effective. This means finding the most inexpensive control that is feasible, and this may well mean choosing one that maximizes its use of widely available electronics.
But as the value of the machine tool increases, the outlook may change. There is no precise dollar value at which a machine can no longer be said to be "low cost." However, somewhere on an ascending scale of the machine's replacement cost—whether this is $200,000, $300,000, $500,000—there comes a point where the machine is valuable enough, and machine downtime is costly enough, that a compelling case can be made for proprietary hardware. With a single-source control system, the shop has the support of just one vendor behind all of the electronics that keep this costly machine productive.
Siemens marketing manager Peter Herweck adds another consideration when evaluating a largely non-proprietary control versus a largely proprietary one. A common selling point of the former option is its promise to let the buyer upgrade the control without the vendor's involvement, just as one would upgrade an office PC. The more proprietary controls do not promise this same freedom. However, Mr. Herweck cautions potential CNC buyers to weigh how valuable this promise really is. Questions he would have them ask include: "How often will I really want to upgrade this control? Can I truly perform this upgrade more economically in-house? And if so, am I willing to trade the support advantages of a single-source control to realize these savings?"
As for the other selling points of a non-proprietary control, he notes that a more proprietary control can also deliver these. He lists them: "Expanded part program storage; freedom to run third-party software; and data I/O, whether this is networking, zip or floppy drive, or a PCMCIA slot. A single-source control with a PC front end can provide all of these advantages," he says. And while the single-source system adds the support benefits to this, he notes that it also delivers these benefits not through general-purpose hardware, but via hardware that has been engineered around one function—reliably and repeatably controlling a machine tool.
The argument, in other words, is that you get what you pay for. However, today's market offers a corollary to this: If you don't want to pay for the advantages of a proprietary system, you no longer have to. Both of the less-proprietary systems mentioned in this article illustrate this, albeit in different ways. Using MDSI's control, shops have not only "resurrected" machines that were once too low-cost to justify retrofitting, but in some cases have realized performance benefits—including accuracy at higher feed rates—which the original control never permitted. And the specialized focus of the Creative Technology control has allowed die-mold shops to devote the price of a CNC retrofit to maximizing the control features most beneficial to the die-mold milling application. In fact, the control's benefits have proven profitable enough in this application that some die-mold shops have not waited for obsolescence, but instead have retrofitted the control to practically new vertical machining centers.
Upgrades like these illustrate how CNC technology has evolved rapidly in recent years. As to where this evolution might lead, the answer may lie no farther (from me) than my own fingertips.
This exponential pace of development affects computers everywhere. But on the floor of a machine shop, the impact is particularly striking. Here, rapidly evolving computer numerical controls (CNCs) meet machine tools whose basic structures have changed little since before these controls were introduced. The lopsided rate of change often means that the machine tool remains mechanically sound and serviceable long after its control has been eclipsed by newer models. There is no Moore's Law for the iron. As a result, some shops find themselves saddled with inoperative machines, idled only because the control is obsolete and replacement components can no longer be found. Still more shops use CNC machines whose mechanical structures could be employed much more effectively if only the controls had access to the power and features of more recently developed models. In each of these cases, one option is to scrap the old machine in favor of an entirely new one, with its own new control. However, another option is to retain the mechanical structure, and retrofit a replacement CNC.
Conserving the iron in this way is not always the more economical choice. CNCs are not simply plug-in devices. Any combination of CNC and machine tool is in fact a carefully engineered system, and the work of integrating this system is typically more expensive than the CNC itself. A new, mass-produced machine tool carries almost none of this engineering cost. The OEM spreads the one-time expense for system integration across the entire run of that machine. That option is not available for most retrofit jobs, where the "production run" typically amounts to just one unit.
Because of this integration expense and its effect on overall cost, many shops don't even consider CNC retrofitting. And perhaps rightly so; retrofitting instead of buying new is still cost-effective only for a minority of machine tools. However, retrofitting today may be worth a second look. The economics have changed significantly, even in just the last five years. There is an expanded range of choices among retrofit CNCs, and this has produced an expanded range of machine tools for which retrofitting now makes sense.
Today, two things can be said of the CNC retrofit market:
1. Machines that were once too old to justify a CNC retrofit now make excellent candidates.
2. Machines that were once too new to justify a CNC retrofit also make excellent candidates.
In the case of the older machines, today's controls are more forgiving of ballscrew error, backlash, way friction and other symptoms of mechanical wear. By compensating electronically for these errors, the right CNC alone may be enough to return a worn machine to like-new precision. Thus, the retrofit may not have to include costs for replacement bearings, ballscrews, or gearing, or for scraping the ways or other mechanical service.
In the case of the newer machines, recent improvements in control technology can make a more recent or more specialized CNC far more productive for the machine than its standard control unit, even when that older control is still functioning well. The retrofit CNC may offer important capabilities the standard one does not, including:
* High-feed rate, high-accuracy machining, particularly during contour milling. This can be the result of features including look-ahead, faster servo updates, and curve interpolation. It can also be the result of expanded program storage capacity or faster data transmission across a network.
* The ability to run third-party PC software directly on the control, for functions like shopfloor programming, or updating machining offsets based on trends in SPC data.
* Data exchange with networked PCs. Fast, two-way data transfer not only enables the CNC to obtain a part program quickly from a remote source, but can also let a remote PC monitor and react to the machine's status.
Most of these benefits are products of increased computing power (a la Moore's Law), which has expanded the choices available to control buyers by allowing CNCs to deliver more sophisticated and specialized functions. However, there is another factor spurring CNC development. Some features, like memory and networking improvements, have grown from the low-cost platform now available thanks to the spread of non-proprietary, commodity PC hardware. And this PC hardware has also produced more choices, as different CNC vendors apply the hardware in different ways.
If you are shopping for a replacement control, should you choose one that is in some way PC-based or PC-interfaced? Today there is a good chance the answer is yes.
But does this mean you should favor the control that includes the most off-the-shelf PC hardware? Not necessarily.
No, the best way to choose a replacement CNC in today's market is to take advantage of the range of choice now available to find the right control for the application. This will mean selecting the one that best delivers the features—including price—which that application demands. However, it will also mean finding the most appropriate mix of proprietary and non-proprietary hardware.
Not "Either/Or"
There are varying degrees to which a control can employ widely available hardware. Thus "proprietary" and "non-proprietary" are not either/or conditions. They can better be imagined as opposite directions along a common axis.
At the extreme "proprietary" end of this axis would be the CNC which was essentially the only type available ten years ago. This control has hardware built or specified entirely by the manufacturer, and at best offers only a slow serial interface for (one-way) data exchange.
Today, at or near the opposite end of this axis would be a control like the one offered by Manufacturing Data Systems, Inc. (MDSI; Ann Arbor, Michigan). Designed to permit a low-cost retrofit, or low-cost entry into CNC networking, MDSI's control consists of PC software running entirely on non-proprietary hardware. Its hardware requirements include a touch-screen monitor, and interface cards for encoders, servos, and I/O, all of which can be purchased from any of a variety of vendors. It has no motion control card. Instead, it closes the servo loop via algorithms in the software. For this reason, it requires just a digital-to-analog converter to interface with the servomotors.
Between these two extremes would be a CNC like the one offered by Creative Technology Corporation (Arlington Heights, Illinois). This is a control optimized to serve the needs of shops interested in milling intricate contoured forms at high feed rates. These include makers of molds, dies, and prototype parts. Accordingly, this PC-based control employs one particular vendor's motion control card, chosen for its fast servo cycle time, among other features. While this single-source card technically qualifies as proprietary hardware, the overall control is not as proprietary as the "extreme" proprietary control cited above. The customer does not have to return to the control vendor for replacement parts or upgrades. The maker of the motion control card has licensed the right to produce and market its hardware to a variety of competing manufacturers, and the rest of the control consists of generic PC hardware that is widely available.
This leads to another frequently used CNC term necessary to carry this discussion further. That term is open. (As in, "open architecture.") It is used together with "PC-based" so often that the two may appear identical in meaning. However, while the definitions may overlap, these two terms describe very different ideas.
In fact, different CNC vendors embrace any of at least two definitions for an open control. Some define this as a control using off-the-shelf hardware, which therefore (in theory) can be maintained and upgraded inexpensively, without the vendor's involvement.
Other vendors view an open control as one that can easily share information across a network. This information includes both input, like an NC program, and output, like machine status data.
These two definitions of open don't necessarily go together. A CNC can be open to hardware without being open to a network, and a CNC favoring proprietary hardware can be constructed to interface with a network freely. In the retrofit world, one example of this second case comes from Memex Electronics (Burlington, Ontario, Canada), which offers retrofit boards allowing older, "closed" Fanuc CNCs to connect directly to a PC network.
However, a more general example of a system delivering network openness to a proprietary CNC comes from yet another approach to a control employing PC hardware. This is an approach offered by GE Fanuc (Charlottesville, Virginia) and Siemens (Elk Grove Village, Illinois), among others. These companies place a PC front end on a control system in which all hardware comes from a single source—from pushbuttons through servomotors. This is the PC-enabled control system that most resembles the traditional, proprietary CNC. And for this reason, it may be the right approach for many applications.
Costs And Benefits
The determining factor, according to both GE Fanuc and Siemens, is the productive value of the machine tool.
For example, the purpose of a CNC retrofit may be to give new life to a machine that is non-critical and/or relatively inexpensive. The machine may be one that sits idle because needed hardware for its dated control can no longer be found, or because the control itself limits the machine's capabilities or makes it difficult to use. The machine may also be a low-cost vertical machining center that a different control might make faster or more accurate. In any of these cases, the shop will likely see the productivity gain from a retrofit as "gravy"—extra machining capacity acquired for significantly less than the cost of buying a new machine. If so, then the shop has to minimize the cost of the retrofit to make the upgrade cost-effective. This means finding the most inexpensive control that is feasible, and this may well mean choosing one that maximizes its use of widely available electronics.
But as the value of the machine tool increases, the outlook may change. There is no precise dollar value at which a machine can no longer be said to be "low cost." However, somewhere on an ascending scale of the machine's replacement cost—whether this is $200,000, $300,000, $500,000—there comes a point where the machine is valuable enough, and machine downtime is costly enough, that a compelling case can be made for proprietary hardware. With a single-source control system, the shop has the support of just one vendor behind all of the electronics that keep this costly machine productive.
Siemens marketing manager Peter Herweck adds another consideration when evaluating a largely non-proprietary control versus a largely proprietary one. A common selling point of the former option is its promise to let the buyer upgrade the control without the vendor's involvement, just as one would upgrade an office PC. The more proprietary controls do not promise this same freedom. However, Mr. Herweck cautions potential CNC buyers to weigh how valuable this promise really is. Questions he would have them ask include: "How often will I really want to upgrade this control? Can I truly perform this upgrade more economically in-house? And if so, am I willing to trade the support advantages of a single-source control to realize these savings?"
As for the other selling points of a non-proprietary control, he notes that a more proprietary control can also deliver these. He lists them: "Expanded part program storage; freedom to run third-party software; and data I/O, whether this is networking, zip or floppy drive, or a PCMCIA slot. A single-source control with a PC front end can provide all of these advantages," he says. And while the single-source system adds the support benefits to this, he notes that it also delivers these benefits not through general-purpose hardware, but via hardware that has been engineered around one function—reliably and repeatably controlling a machine tool.
The argument, in other words, is that you get what you pay for. However, today's market offers a corollary to this: If you don't want to pay for the advantages of a proprietary system, you no longer have to. Both of the less-proprietary systems mentioned in this article illustrate this, albeit in different ways. Using MDSI's control, shops have not only "resurrected" machines that were once too low-cost to justify retrofitting, but in some cases have realized performance benefits—including accuracy at higher feed rates—which the original control never permitted. And the specialized focus of the Creative Technology control has allowed die-mold shops to devote the price of a CNC retrofit to maximizing the control features most beneficial to the die-mold milling application. In fact, the control's benefits have proven profitable enough in this application that some die-mold shops have not waited for obsolescence, but instead have retrofitted the control to practically new vertical machining centers.
Upgrades like these illustrate how CNC technology has evolved rapidly in recent years. As to where this evolution might lead, the answer may lie no farther (from me) than my own fingertips.
Rebuild Retrofit
At Machine Rebuilders, we know most machine tools are made to be rebuilt. We can make or repair parts that the O.E.M. may no longer supply to repair older machines. Our in-house capability allows us to customize and specialize your machine tools for improved production. We can dismantle, clean, restore, and refurbish your equipment, even send it back with a new coat of paint, working better than new.
Machine Rebuilders onsite crane and lifting capability means you’ll save on shipping, as we can load and unload your machine tools at our facility using our own equipment and personnel.
When needed, Machine Rebuilders can repair and retrofit onsite.
We have the experience to know and advise whether it is more cost effective to refurbish your machine tools or to purchase new.
Machine Rebuilders onsite crane and lifting capability means you’ll save on shipping, as we can load and unload your machine tools at our facility using our own equipment and personnel.
When needed, Machine Rebuilders can repair and retrofit onsite.
We have the experience to know and advise whether it is more cost effective to refurbish your machine tools or to purchase new.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Dispenser designed for modern appeal
RPC Bramlage has launched the latest generation of its renowned CD dispenser - the CD Smart - offering all of the range’s proven functionality in a stylish new look CD Smart has been designed for modern appeal, with a slim cylindrical body and an hourglass-shaped dispensing head
The appearance of the cap and body can be customised to meet specific branding objectives with a range of decorative options, including hot stamping, silk-screen printing and labelling.
High-quality, environmentally-friendly function is assured thanks to the dispenser’s patented mechanical vacuum operation.
It is available initially in 15 and 30ml sizes and can be injection moulded in PS, PP or PET.
The appearance of the cap and body can be customised to meet specific branding objectives with a range of decorative options, including hot stamping, silk-screen printing and labelling.
High-quality, environmentally-friendly function is assured thanks to the dispenser’s patented mechanical vacuum operation.
It is available initially in 15 and 30ml sizes and can be injection moulded in PS, PP or PET.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
CNC Router Gets in the Groove
The CNC routers are used for sign making or for other types of general jobs. The router is going to double when used for engraving equipment. It will be easily used for many things.
The big interest in this equipment is for home and for small business use. People are finding out that these machines can be used for many things and make their life easier.
Most of these items are going to come with a high price tag. There are going to be different plans that are out there for people to choose from in order to afford what they need.
Different ways to use a CNC Router
A CNC router can be helpful in many different projects. They are going to cut time in half and you will be able to make so many new things with this machine. The harder designs are now going to be much easier to do and you will have better control of the machine.
Making furniture is so fast and easy with a CNC router. You will find that you are going to get more professional results with it as well. there is software that will help you find your depth for each use and this will give you better results. You also can engrave just about anything from larger things to something that is very small. The machines are so easy and great to use once you know what to do.
Even the smaller machines are going to be a great help. You will find that they are going to run on 120 volts and will work in any household. they are a great choice for a workshop. The motors are going to have one or two horsepower in them. the smaller models that fit on a table top are going to be more affordable and will cost around $7000. however the larger machines are going to run about $20,000. getting a used machine may be better as this will cost you about $3500. it may sound costly but you can make so much more furniture and save yourself so much time with one.
Getting a Used CNC router
Getting a used machine may be more cost effective for you. you should really shop around and look for the best deals that are out there. Make sure that you are getting one that is going to offer the best possible performance.
Some of the used machines are refurbished and are inspected for any damage. You can find out where the parts where fixed and see if you can get a warranty on them.
There may be some support that comes along with the company that refurbished your CNC router. Many will give you the advice and help that you are looking for to keep your equipment working properly so that you can protect your investment.
Concentrating on latest developments in cnc wood routers, the reviewer writes articles largely for http://www.insidewoodworking.com His contributions on cnc router bit can be encountered on his webpage and also many different online publications.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linden_A._Walhard
The big interest in this equipment is for home and for small business use. People are finding out that these machines can be used for many things and make their life easier.
Most of these items are going to come with a high price tag. There are going to be different plans that are out there for people to choose from in order to afford what they need.
Different ways to use a CNC Router
A CNC router can be helpful in many different projects. They are going to cut time in half and you will be able to make so many new things with this machine. The harder designs are now going to be much easier to do and you will have better control of the machine.
Making furniture is so fast and easy with a CNC router. You will find that you are going to get more professional results with it as well. there is software that will help you find your depth for each use and this will give you better results. You also can engrave just about anything from larger things to something that is very small. The machines are so easy and great to use once you know what to do.
Even the smaller machines are going to be a great help. You will find that they are going to run on 120 volts and will work in any household. they are a great choice for a workshop. The motors are going to have one or two horsepower in them. the smaller models that fit on a table top are going to be more affordable and will cost around $7000. however the larger machines are going to run about $20,000. getting a used machine may be better as this will cost you about $3500. it may sound costly but you can make so much more furniture and save yourself so much time with one.
Getting a Used CNC router
Getting a used machine may be more cost effective for you. you should really shop around and look for the best deals that are out there. Make sure that you are getting one that is going to offer the best possible performance.
Some of the used machines are refurbished and are inspected for any damage. You can find out where the parts where fixed and see if you can get a warranty on them.
There may be some support that comes along with the company that refurbished your CNC router. Many will give you the advice and help that you are looking for to keep your equipment working properly so that you can protect your investment.
Concentrating on latest developments in cnc wood routers, the reviewer writes articles largely for http://www.insidewoodworking.com His contributions on cnc router bit can be encountered on his webpage and also many different online publications.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linden_A._Walhard
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