Best all around VMC for a job shop/best bang for your buck

[champshire]

Kind of slow here at work so I thought I would post a poll here. Obviously everyone has different takes on things, but I was curious as to what everyone's opinion was for the best all around 3 axis VMC. I left higher end choices like Makino and Matsuura off because I think those are more upper end machines that wouldn't likely be found in a job shop.

[JParis]

The unasked question is what would it used for?

Big difference between a light milling, drill & tap machine and a machine that coule see anything from Aluminum to exotics

and Robodrills should be in that mix as well

[champshire]

I guess my answer would be whatever work comes in the door. I would think a mix of Stainless steel, Aluminum, 4340, Delrin and whatever else. Not a production environment above lets say 1000 pcs of something.

[gcode]

I voted for "OTHER"
We have a small OKK VMC here that has been a very good machine.

[CNCAppsJames]

I voted "other" as well. 

Obviously I have a visual bias as I see A LOT of job shops (in excess of 120 shops per year) and contrary to your opinion @champshire I DO see A LOT of Makino, Kitamura, Matsuura, Yasda, and Mitsui Seiki machine tools in job shops. 

@JParis questions are extrordinarily important. "Whatever comes in the door". So... you machine Aluminum through Waspalloy? On the same machine? How big are the parts?

[riverhunter]

whatever Titan is using these days ha ha ha..

I believe the so called "High end machines" are mostly found in very profitable job shops. and there is a reason for that! 

[MIL-TFP-41]

A year or so ago I did a bunch of homework on "commodity" level VMC's. I looked at most if not all that is on your list. Wound up getting a DN Solutions machine. By the time a Haas was optioned out to match, it was more money. Other brands like SMEC and Smart were in the running...but lack of a footprint in our area of the US steered me away. Low footprint = low inventory of parts for when shit goes south. The HMI on the DN machine was more polished also.

To date, no one bitches about the machine, which means its running good. If it had any problems, I am the one who gets an earful, so silence is golden when it comes to that.

[Newbeeee™]

Depending upon service in your parts....and if the parts fit in your palm, without doubt I'd be in the Brother camp with 16k spindle.
Ultra reliable and fast as.
Their 40inch X machines are sweet....

If #40 is required, i wouldn't look elsewhere than a Quaser with a 15k spindle.
Rock solid and they are Matsuura's partner....

[neurosis]

I voted for "OTHER"
We have a small OKK VMC here that has been a very good machine.

We have two OKK VMC's here, and I really like them.

[Jeff]

We're a job shop, and the Okuma M560V is hands down the best in it's class IMO.
Fast, reliable and accurate and has no problem taking a cut.

[champshire]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I have been around a lot of different brand machines and I like Doosan, Mori and Okuma out of that list. I feel like those machines are middle of the road, they are well built, last a long time and you get a long life for your money.

I am not a Haas guy, I feel like they have made themselves the Great Value brand of CNC machines. Not a fan, never have, never will. We have a couple here at work and I haven't been impressed.

Mazaks are nice, but their stuff is so proprietary you can't even get a parameter book to look at things yourself. Call Service.

I have a buddy who has a job shop that started with Haas stuff and has worked into Makino, Okuma, Mazak. He also has a YCM and Toyoda which seem to be nice pieces.

I have never been in front of a OKK or Hurco with the exception being at IMTS. Hurco seems nice but you don't see them around this area much (NW Ohio).

James, I don't even know what WASPALLOY is lol, but it doesn't sound fun!

I know at the end of the day you get what you pay for, I was more curious where you all thought the line is for a good quality machine.

No doubt, Matsuura, Makino, Yasada are top end machines, I just feel like they are more out of the norm for Job Shops in my area.

[Zoffen]

Zack agrees with Jeff. The M560V and M460V seem to bring great value for the price. A 5ish year old one can be had for cheap as well. If i were starting out again and had the cash that would probably be the first machine i would buy...

[JParis]

James, I don't even know what WASPALLOY is lol, but it doesn't sound fun!

It's not

It's one of those metals you really have to be in the business of cutting to do it well

[Jeff]

It's not

It's one of those metals you really have to be in the business of cutting to do it well

We have recently had a repeat job of Monel K500, and after hearing horror stories of how bad it is I did my research and programmed accordingly. That shit cut like butter. I can see why it could go downhill in a hurry but that material never gave us an issue both turning or milling.

Never had to cut Waspalloy.

[CNCAppsJames]

Waspalloy... definitely not an easy material to cut. 

It is perhaps the most, or close to the most unforgiving materials I've ever had the displeasure of machining. Make a mistake, and tools WILL grenade. Plunge on it... BOOM! New cutter. Dwell on it? Work hardening takes place and BOOM!

But since I know how to cut it, it is what it is. It's a precipitation hardening nickel alloy. It's got carbon, cobalt, nickel, chromium and molybdenum in it. There's more, but i don't remember all of it. Hardness is ~38Rc. So only high-ish.