mazak offerings?
mazak offerings?
(OP)
hey guys, great forum you've got here!
i'm looking into purchasing a small cnc lathe for small aluminum parts (normally only a couple inches long and around 1inch diameter), and have been looking into what machine would be best.
currently i work at a machine shop and setup and run parts on mazaks. we've got a few different generations, and i'm pretty proficient with each. but my knowlege is mainly limted to actually using the machines, and i'm not very familiar with the aspects of the various machines mazak offers.
i'm thinking something like the qtn 100 would be ideal for my needs, but dispite hours of looking, i haven't been able to find any comprehensive information as to the ins and outs of each type of machine, or even mazak in general. for example, what's the difference between a nexus and a quickturn? what models are available from what year? and most of all, what are the prices?
i've sent an inquiry to mazak via their "get a quote" option, but haven't recieved a response.
i think my best choice would be a used mazak, because of cost, but i haven't had much luck looking for a good used one either. most of the stuff i've seen has either been too old, or is too big for what i need. and of course finding the price is difficult too.
does anyone have any ideas, or know of a place i can look? i realize that this probably isn't the best place to ask this question, but i was hoping someone might be able to help.
also, what are your thoughts of using kerosene as a coolant? are there issues with flammability or damage to the machine?
i'm looking into purchasing a small cnc lathe for small aluminum parts (normally only a couple inches long and around 1inch diameter), and have been looking into what machine would be best.
currently i work at a machine shop and setup and run parts on mazaks. we've got a few different generations, and i'm pretty proficient with each. but my knowlege is mainly limted to actually using the machines, and i'm not very familiar with the aspects of the various machines mazak offers.
i'm thinking something like the qtn 100 would be ideal for my needs, but dispite hours of looking, i haven't been able to find any comprehensive information as to the ins and outs of each type of machine, or even mazak in general. for example, what's the difference between a nexus and a quickturn? what models are available from what year? and most of all, what are the prices?
i've sent an inquiry to mazak via their "get a quote" option, but haven't recieved a response.
i think my best choice would be a used mazak, because of cost, but i haven't had much luck looking for a good used one either. most of the stuff i've seen has either been too old, or is too big for what i need. and of course finding the price is difficult too.
does anyone have any ideas, or know of a place i can look? i realize that this probably isn't the best place to ask this question, but i was hoping someone might be able to help.
also, what are your thoughts of using kerosene as a coolant? are there issues with flammability or damage to the machine?





RE: mazak offerings?
Using kerosene I would not do. Aluminum machines fine with water based coolants and the benefits are well documented.
RE: mazak offerings?
size isn't a particularly important factor either, since most of the parts i'd machine would be well within the specifications of just about any machine i could buy.
and i'd really like to go with mazak, since that's the only machine i have any experience with, and wouldn't have the faintest idea how to go about setting up something else. are there other machines that use a similar conversational code?
i just wish that there was more information available online. when you go to buy a new car there are hundreds of sources for review, opinions and help, and the same with just about any consumer product out there, but when i'm trying to find a cnc lathe, i have a hard enough time even finding out what a dam machine might cost!
another thing i'd like to know, is where would the best place to get tooling be?
there are places like enco and such, but are there any places that tailor specifically to machine shops, with good deals?
RE: mazak offerings?
Philip
RE: mazak offerings?
also, the maintance guy at my current place fixes whatever problems we encouter with them at work, and he does various jobs on the side for other people (wiring, plumbing, etc), so he's always an option as far as repairs.
are there any machines that are very similar to mazaks, as far as running and setting up goes? i'd be willing to learn a little to adapt to the other machines, but i'm really happy with the mazatrol and am quite adept at making it do whatever i need it to do. i'm concerned that with somthing else, i might have problems...
RE: mazak offerings?
RE: mazak offerings?
RE: mazak offerings?
Robert Setree
www.advanced-grinding.com
RE: mazak offerings?
now my main concerns are finding a building, and worrying about other expenses :(
if the building doesn't already have phase 3 power, is it expensive to install?
RE: mazak offerings?
RE: mazak offerings?
I use a 3 phase converter in my shop. But I have all manual machines not CNC. On the other hand, I cannot see why it should make any difference if it is CNC. I know just enough about electicity that I was able to wire it myself but a good electrician can do it for you.
Here are some basics: Once you purchase a machine, buy a converter that is sized to start a 3 phase motor that has at least 1.25 times the hp needed to run the combined hp of all the machines you plan to use. This is because a 3 Phase motor running on single phase converted to 3 phase will only be about 80% efficient. Buy a new or used 3 Phase motor (motor A)with 1.25 times the total power requirement. Wire the converter to start this motor and wire your machine tool(s)in parallel with motor A. Once motor A is started via the converter and left idling, it will act like a generator to supply 3 Phase power for starting the machine tool(s). The CNC controls will be wired from one leg of the 3 phase circuitry or directly from your single phase source.
RE: mazak offerings?
and using phase converters, here are some points of interest. We have been running converters in our job shop since 1976 for manual equip,1995 for cnc equip. Power requirements for cnc machines ARE DIFFERENT than manual.Voltage must be balanced on all three legs to plus/minus 10% of machine voltage requirements, the generated leg (commonly called wild leg) has a tendency to run high and must be balanced out. I checked one of ours, the wild leg was 296 (incoming voltage was 245) before going into the capacitor bank. All 5 of our cnc machines have multi-tap transformers on them and help with incoming power varibles.There might be some converters on the market that will let you run more than one machine at a time on them,I am not sure. I do know that if the cnc controller see's a drop involtage (like starting a manual lathe while the cnc is in cycle) it will fault out. For this reason our's are separate and they work quite well. Three phase was not an option for us because of our location. If you are working out of a garage three phase might be very expensive, they could charge industrial rates. Ours have proven to be cost efficent and durable. Other notes, HYUNDAI makes a MAZAK copy but not sure about quality & coolant reps will let you test product for free sometimes.
I forgot to mention converter size, it should be twice as big as the largest motor on the machine. A small lathe will have a 7.5 to 10 hp main motor. A 20 hp converter should do well.
RE: mazak offerings?
i think the converter will probably be the way i'll go, since the lathe would probably be the only machine i'd use on it.
RE: mazak offerings?
a #3 j&L will run the small runs just as well as a cnc, it just needs a good opperator, and if it is fitted with a 2 axis
DRO you can fly
I have a pair of # 5s and can out run our cnc chuckers on almost all the short runs,
SBI
Central Ne.,USA
RE: mazak offerings?
does the mazak need a sub-spindle
RE: mazak offerings?
RE: mazak offerings?
http://www.cnczone.com