Introduction/First Machine Selection · Machine Shop LaunchPad

Introduction/First Machine Selection

Hi Everyone,

Very excited to be here. I am a product designer utilizing Fusion 360 and 3D printers to produce my prototypes and parts. I went to school for automotive design and fabrication and was able to get minimal experience with milling and CNC machines. As my journey has progressed, I keep coming back to the need to learn to produce parts using CNC technology. I have been watching Evan’s videos and following his suggestions. My plan is to cater to the local aerospace and manufacturing companies in Arizona by offering low volume fast turn around precision prototyping. I am currently stumped with which machine to select as my first machine. My budget is pretty flexible but my biggest concern is having a machine that #1 is user friendly for a beginner coming into the space, #2 is capable enough to generate a wider selection of jobs on Xometry, and #3 is capable enough to be used in the scaling of my business in the future. My first pick for a machine would be the Tormach 1500mx due to to the customer support it has, ease of use with Path Pilot, through spindle cooling, and price point. My only concern with this machine is its precision capabilities and travel speeds as I don’t have the experience to determine exactly what I need. The second option would be a Sylil X7. The problem with this is the customer service base is not as strong in the states (I definitely could be incorrect about this) and you don’t get as many options as you would for the price in comparison to the Tormach. My third and most expensive option would be buying a HAAS Super Mini Mill or a VF3. The pros that the HAAS machines have is that those are the machines I eventually would like to work with. Obviously, the job will determine the tool but if I could pick, it would be HAAS due to the the reliability and service infrastructure that is established in the U.S. The only negative that I can see is that if you option out a HAAS machine, you are going to be in the $115k+ arena which to me seems way overkill for my first machine. I guess my summarized question would be, should I stick with a Tormach to learn in the beginning and eventually graduate to a bigger, more capable HAAS or should I make the investment in the beginning?

Any help and advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Connor

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Introduction/First Machine Selection