Some great ideas there Ken!

Maybe there's another way to do it but one of the most attractive reasons for a tool changer is that you post one partfile per setup vs one partfile per tool.

Thank you guys. I am getting quotes on spindles now. The 2.2kw chinese is at the top of the list. I really don't want to spend thousands on the spindle and VFD. Only if it is THAT much better.

I think this would be better than the multi-router thing because you don't have to deal with multiple cables, alignment etc.

Blurry Customs has a new version that looks pretty nice too.

http://store.blurrycustoms.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=46

Sheldon, with the screenset I posted (assuming you're using Mach 3), it's the same deal. I haven't owned a machine with a tool changer but dang....this has got to be pretty close. Look at the videos on Ger's site, it's truly a matter of popping out the old bit, popping in the new one and pressing cycle start. No other steps. (I probably shouldn't be giving away these "secrets"!)

A spindle is just a 3-phase motor fused to a shaft sitting on bearings, it's not a complex machine but it does need to be machined accurately to work well. If you get one from one of the resellers of imports who support their product (like AutomationTechnologies), then you could probably get an exchange if they don't live up to the published runout specs. That's the way I'd go if I were buying.



My new machine (mid-90's industrial CNC router, American made) has three nice Italian spindles on linear rails with air cylinders...instead of an ATC. Things were weird back in the day...there are a lot of Thermwood's out there with eight...EIGHT...separate spindles on a vertical carousel! Madness, it is.



Those guys make me want to love them with their words, but have a site filled with nothing but Solidworks renders and one picture of a power-coated but unbuilt frame for anything above their hobby level machines has me smelling vaporware. The one video of the spindle on Youtube has them cutting a chunk of 2x10 at about 60IPM, and their videos of their Ultraman machine shows it cutting at <100IPM with huge chatter after a bunch of hullabaloo on the website about 1000IPM cut speeds and 'best of both worlds performance'.

People who know the owner keep saying they're totally above board, but the facts show a company selling a >$20,000 product who can't produce a picture of it after four years in business. Because of that, I get the feeling that the only AVX spindle ever made is the one in the video.

I say all this when my company's webpage is full of Solidworks renders and promises, but we're six months old...we'll have all kinds of Youtubey fun before you can buy the product

Well guys... I went a totally different way. This will allow me to get my feet wet with the machine and hopefully able to use it in my working day while I do some learning.

I have PC routers around here and plan to mount one with a K2 mount, get a good dust hood from kentcnc http://www.kentcnc.net/nc/ and here is the kicker, add a "super PID"http://www.vhipe.com/product-private/SuperPID.htm to regulate the power and spindle speed. The reason for this decision is because of what I learned here and other reading. I have no first hand experience with CNC machines and until I get a feel, smell, sound of the machine I am just guessing. I don't plan on doing a lot of experimenting with material cutting and the other fun stuff; Just mostly cut parts and jigs.