Technical Considerations to purchase a CNC

Acejunker said:

I want to know what technical specs I should ask the marketing guys before making a purchase. I am planning to start machining aerospace parts. Appreciate any feedback.
1. How much does having through coolant help?
2. Should I be concerned about the max spindle speed or the torque? What's the significance of both and where do they matter most??
3. I heard a senior advising me that cutting tools is more important than machine tool. How much of it is true? Can you get away with a cost effective machine tool by compensating for it with modern cutting tools?
4. What are the differences between a production machine and tooling machine?
5. I know there are BT40, HSK tool holders? Which is preferred and why? What advantages and disadvantaged do they offer??

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Good questions all.
My answers:
1) Though the spindle coolant is a must in my book. All of the really advanced tools run with either TSC, high pressure, or both. To be fair, many even prefer to run DRY. But for the modest cost TSC is definitely a must have, especially for efficient drill/tap. When not running my own shop, I work for Doosan, and we provide it as standard, most other quality builders do too. High pressure (500 psi or higher) is also a good bet.

2)This depends on many variables. I like to see a 6k spindle minimum, and 8k or more is preferred. BUT - if you're doing a lot of heavy hogging in nasty alloys, a 6k high torque spindle might be preferred over a 20k high speed spindle. The VMC in my shop has a VERY high torque spindle but only rpm, where as in the showroom, I've been working on a 12k spindle that seems to have enough for most things, but then, I'm running far more advanced tooling than in my own shop. 8k to 12k and I think you've got a good balance.

3) The best cutting tools in the world will be worthless on a chatterbox machine that can handle the forces. Even tools that take relatively light cuts at high feed rates need a good, solid machine to handle the ENORMOUS forces that these seemingly "light cutting" tools generate. A cheap machine will have cheap bearings, skimpy guides, smaller ballscrews, and this may be "ok" for light cuts and intermediate use, but will HAUNT you later on. Even things like tapping will be a nightmare if the machine isn't rugged enough.

4) This depends on the builder. Many mills don't have ATCs (Automatic Tool Changers) and this is ok if you're not running production, but with the price of VMC's the way it is, it's in your best interest to go for an ATC equipped machine. I tell customers and dealers all the time - once you get a good CNC in your shop, you're going to actively LOOK for things to put in it and will gravitate to it far more than you may currently think. It will VERY quickly become the most popular machine in the shop.

5) This depends on how fast you're going to be running. Most shops, running a CAT 40 or CAT 50 is more than enough. HSKs are great for extended high speed applications. If you're doing alot of 20k or higher work, you may want to look into one. Obviously tools are more expensive than for CAT/BT spindles. Some high speed machines use CAT 30, and that has its place as well.

Hope this helps -

I'll add one more parameter - Parts and service. Buy from a major tool builder and this will not be an issue. Not so much for breakage, as for maintenance. Take care of a quality machine and you'll get years of service. Beat it up, and you'll have to trade it in like a car lease - every 3 years.

Good questions all.My answers:1) Though the spindle coolant is a must in my book. All of the really advanced tools run with either TSC, high pressure, or both. To be fair, many even prefer to run DRY. But for the modest cost TSC is definitely a must have, especially for efficient drill/tap. When not running my own shop, I work for Doosan, and we provide it as standard, most other quality builders do too. High pressure (500 psi or higher) is also a good bet.2)This depends on many variables. I like to see a 6k spindle minimum, and 8k or more is preferred. BUT - if you're doing a lot of heavy hogging in nasty alloys, a 6k high torque spindle might be preferred over a 20k high speed spindle. The VMC in my shop has a VERY high torque spindle but only rpm, where as in the showroom, I've been working on a 12k spindle that seems to have enough for most things, but then, I'm running far more advanced tooling than in my own shop. 8k to 12k and I think you've got a good balance.3) The best cutting tools in the world will be worthless on a chatterbox machine that can handle the forces. Even tools that take relatively light cuts at high feed rates need a good, solid machine to handle the ENORMOUS forces that these seemingly "light cutting" tools generate. A cheap machine will have cheap bearings, skimpy guides, smaller ballscrews, and this may be "ok" for light cuts and intermediate use, but will HAUNT you later on. Even things like tapping will be a nightmare if the machine isn't rugged enough.4) This depends on the builder. Many mills don't have ATCs (Automatic Tool Changers) and this is ok if you're not running production, but with the price of VMC's the way it is, it's in your best interest to go for an ATC equipped machine. I tell customers and dealers all the time - once you get a good CNC in your shop, you're going to actively LOOK for things to put in it and will gravitate to it far more than you may currently think. It will VERY quickly become the most popular machine in the shop.5) This depends on how fast you're going to be running. Most shops, running a CAT 40 or CAT 50 is more than enough. HSKs are great for extended high speed applications. If you're doing alot of 20k or higher work, you may want to look into one. Obviously tools are more expensive than for CAT/BT spindles. Some high speed machines use CAT 30, and that has its place as well.Hope this helps -I'll add one more parameter - Parts and service. Buy from a major tool builder and this will not be an issue. Not so much for breakage, as for maintenance. Take care of a quality machine and you'll get years of service. Beat it up, and you'll have to trade it in like a car lease - every 3 years.

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