I am Steve Seebold.

I have been asked to start a thread about the Tormach PCNC milling machines for folks who have questions about them. Hopefully Doug from Earthsurfer will chime in once in a while as well.

If you have any questions about these machines, please don't hesitate to ask.

There are 3 ways to reach me. You can try here, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or you can call me at 714-420-2453. If you call, please don't do it before 8:00 AM or after 9:00 PM. WEST COAST TIME

Steve

I have been eyeballing these for several years now.. I actually use some of the Tormach tooling on my machine (TTS). Someday I will buy a Tormach if I can take the plunge. It was simply over my budget when I bought my machine... today I wish I had spent the extra $. The automatic tool changer system sure would be nice!!!!

I was going to ask that very question. Please post photos and any additional information; time permitting.

TIA

I spent just over $14,000.00 on my machine. The automatic tool changer (ATC) came out about 2 months after I got it. I did however get the Power Draw Bar (PDB).

The ATC was $4,200.00 when it came out, but I thought for $4,200.00 plus tax and shipping, I could change tools a whole bunch of times by hand.

Marc, the TTS tool holders are a great way to go, even in a manual machine.

I'm going to do another run of outdrives in the next 6 to 8 weeks. When I do, I'll take some video to show how well the machine works.

I've had mine just over 2 years and all I can say is I love it.

Tomorrow I'll post some pictures of some of the parts I have made on it and I'll try to give a discription of each part. I have done a lor of boat parts, I've done some fiber optics stuff, some suspension upgrades for Nissan trucks and even some ptototype for some parts for the U.S. Army.

I call my company Mid Day Machining because I seldom start work before 11:00 AM and I try to be finished by 5:00 PM, 6:00 at the latest. And in the last few months, I have been working less because last January, my wife and I bought a new motorhome, and we're doing what we can to wear out the engine, but it's got a diesel so that's going to be tuff.

The way I got my machine was kind of cool. I was sitting on my ass one Sunday afternoon watching TV when my wife came in and said "I'll make you a deal". Her niece was getting married in about 5 weeks and if I would agree to wear a suit to the wedding, she fould find the money for me to get my Tormach. I stood up and said "let's go buy a suit". I'll probably be buried with my suit.

I ordered my machine on Tuesday (2 days later) and it was delivered on Thursday, 2 days after that..

Here's a little video of something you could do.

Very nice demo. Whats the sofware you are using to input the g code mach 3? What does the computer interface look like screenshots please. In jog mode do you have pre defined feed increments like .1,.01,.001,.0001. to help in setup of finding edges etc. Any shots of the tool loader.

Steve The loader is well worth it if you are trying to mass produce things in a timely manner . I wish I had a $14,000 head start on that.I would have gladly kicked out for the accessories .

Tell us about the machine Collet system, work area, dimensional limits, etc.

How do you load the atc are there corresponding numbers in the gui package that facilitate such things.

I use GibbsCam to both draw and create Gcode for my machine. I'll get a picture of the monitor tomorrow. I'm working on getting a job ready to go to the plater tomorrow. I have a few minutes now because I need something to eat.

In Jog mode there is a window where I can tell the machine at what incerments to move whether it be .0001, .0002, .0005, .001 , .1 or anything in between. I use an accessory called a Jog Shuttle Hand Wheel. With that, I can either move in increments by turning the inside hand wheel or I can move it continuously by turning the outside ring, and there are 4 buttons that allow me to select the axis to move. I can move the axis in either X, Y, Z or A axis. A axis being a rotary axis.

My machine and all Tormach PCNC 1100's will move 18 inches in the X axis (left to right), 9.5 inches in the Y axis (front to back) and 16.25 inches in the Z axis (up and down). I don't have a A axis (rotary) on my machine. I had a chance to get one a couple of weeks ago, but I decided to go with a couple of Quickdraw engines instead. I can't race the rotary axis.

For coolant I can use either flood coolant, spray coolant or even brush on coolant. It just depends on what I am doing and what size and type of cutter I am using. For flood coolant I use a produce made by SwissLube, Blasocut 2000 Universal. For Spray coolant I use a system called a FogBuster. It's a 2 nozzle system that works great for profiling (cutting around the outside of the part), or cutting the top (surfacing), but it's not that great for drilling, tapping or pocketing. For brush on coolant/lubrication I use WD40. I'll either spray it or brush it on, depending on the application.

Your time and effort is greatly appreciated.

Steve
Do you know the repeat-ability accuracy of this machine?

TIA

Hugh, I can hold plus or minus .001 all day long. If you're looking for a machine that will hold +/-.0002, then it's probably the wrong machine, but +/-.001 is easy.

The only time +/-.001 is difficult is if you don't finish your part today and you have to shut the machine down tonight and restart it again tomorrow. The HOME switches don't always pick up in exactly the same place.

For that reason, I NEVER leave an unfinished part in the machine over night. If I have a part that's not going to finish at a reasonable time, I won't start it till tomorrow.

If you're going to make more that about 50 pieces, depending on the complexity of the part, this is probably not the right machine for you. It's just slow. I will consistantly run 100 piece orders of my boat parts but I'm not doing it to make a living. If I were, I would probably be running something like a Haas. Remember, I'm supposed to be retired, so I theoretically have nothing but time on my hands. But, it's true, I am doing this for something to do, not to make a lot of money. If I were in the boat parts business to make a living, I would have gone broke a long time ago.

Don't get me wrong. The Tormach machines are great machines, and I'm really happy with mine, they're just not high volume production machines.

I had to turn down an engraving job a few months ago. The cutters were too small for the maximum RPM of my machine. I have a maximum of 5,140 RPM, and the job I turned down required a minimum of 50,000 RPM. With that, you're getting into some high quality, low power air spindles. I would have probably been OK to make one or two pieces, maybe even ten, but the customer wanted hundreds.