Engineers and engineering

[Chris Wilson]

I am, and now its talk of milling and CNC and mortaging my house

 

I equipped my workshop with a Bridgeport mill, an 11 inch swing Harrison lathe and an old surface grinder and an old but good folder for very little. Getting 3 phase may be a problem, small single phase machines fetch a premium. I suspect the credit crunch will see quite an array of surplus machines come to auction soon, so if you are serious now's probably a good time to have a nose of the auction sites.

[steb9780]

If you lived nearer I'd be tempted to get one and pay you to show me how to use it Are XYZ's any good? I don't suppose I should even be CONSIDERING this, given my manual Bridgeport with a basic DRO is still a bit of a mystery, but it's so cool how a basic CNC mill or lathe can make little runs of things quite viable...

 

Looking for a floor standing hydraulic press, used, about 50 ton capacity, and a decent UK made metal shear, about 48 inch, manual one is fine, Edwards or similar, if you ever get to hear of things like that?

 

The Bridgeport CNC I have at work is excellent, it's the last one of 3 (approx. 15 years old). The two knackered ones where used to machine steel/titanium and the other dural. The one we have left was only ever used as a borer. We mill on it now, but basically 2mm cuts @ 4000rpm @1500mm/min feed. to rough. Then finish 3mm cuts at 1000mm/min. The machine will still produce a good H7 bore at 90mm (the biggest size we do on it).

 

Heidenhain is pretty simple to use, especially on the older TNC2500 on that m/c.

 

You are not limited to simple XYZ movements you can move all 3 axis at the same time model/scan profiles etc. it's just you are into complex calculations with trig. etc. then unless you can acquire some programming software. Oh we also have a 4th axis which is like a rotary table a bit like a lathe chuck. It really is a versatile bit of kit, so much so they just can't get rid of it.

 

There is massive investment at BAe at the moment, with multi-million pound machining centres going in i.e. 40000 rpm @ 30m/min feed machines. They are also a world leader in machining titanium too. But they still need some of the simpler machines to pull these fancy machines out of the shit sometimes.

[Burna]

Bridgeport and Fanuc suck, sell your house and buy a Mazak:p

 

Mazak VTC's FTW

 

Or you could try this Rob http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1ymcVTnVy1o

 

Looking for a floor standing hydraulic press, used, about 50 ton capacity, and a decent UK made metal shear, about 48 inch, manual one is fine, Edwards or similar, if you ever get to hear of things like that?

 

Morgan Rushworth sometimes have 2nd hand stuff they want to shift so they may have some guillotines Chris http://www.morganrushworth.com/

 

If I hear of anything on the press front I'll let you know

[turbonut]

Hey hun

 

To be honest a trip to the library may be a good start. Get some idea on possible projects and the materials you want to work with. Tool requirements will be in with the projects. Its more usual to pick tools for the job rather than vice versa

 

My dad's spent all his life as an engineer, my brother too. Now dad's retired he joined a model engineering club and the range of projects they do is amazing. Lots of advice on hand including where to source things.

 

With the demise of manufacturing in the UK engineering lathes and drill's are going for a song at auctions. Even so your talking several 100 squidly's so you need a good idea of what your going to use it for, otherwise you could waste a lot of money.

 

Have fun

 

Lxx