On 05/12/2012 10:15 AM, k...@gmail.com wrote:
> There is a bit of talk on some machine shop forums, arguments perhaps, that
> retrofitting a machine is a waste of time.
> And that it's time and money well spent to just buy a good used
> machine and move on with making money with it.
> Any comments on this from the list?
It seems like some information for making a good comment is missing.
This decision, although it can be divided up into lots of
micro-categories, to do it justice needs at least a few categories. I
suggest these basic ones.
1. A machine shop with lots of paying customers, lots of machining
knowledge, and little electronics knowledge, and no spare time.
2. Someone with time on their hands, and enough electronic knowledge.
A. a manual machine that can be bought for a song, and is in
good condition.
B. a CNC machine that can be bought for a song, and has a
control issue.
C. a CNC machine that can be bought for a song, and requires
major rebuilding.
From what I've heard, converting a manual machine to CNC is very
unlikely to be a good decision, although for some it might work.
Someone who has lurked in this forum should know enough parts sources
to make a good decision on parts to replace a control on a machine
that's in good shape otherwise.
A CNC machine that's been abused, that has rusted ball screws and
ways may not be a good choice even if it has a working control.
I still use a Bandit control at work that's limited to 512 program
commands. Even working that is a major limitation for someone who has
more complicated parts to cut. For what we use it for, 512 commands is
rarely a limitation at all; but I would suspect the typical shop would
want to replace at least the computer part.
For the machine shop that has lots of expertise in machining, and
little in electronics, a working machine either new or great used
condition is just the right match.
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