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- Nov 23, 2014
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- 2,577
I'm looking at upgrading my current 1979 Jet JVM-830 mill with a Bridgeport. Lots of choices in my area including one about 15 miles from me with a 2-axis Anilam Crusader II CNC installed. I found this web site which does a decent job going through the G-codes:
http://faculty.etsu.edu/hemphill/entc3710/ani-mill/
I've never worked on a CNC machine before, but programmed a TRS-80 computer in Z-80 machine code back in the day (google Bruce Hansen TRS-80). Going through the web site above, doesn't look that overwhelming.
Any good questions to ask the seller regarding the circa 1979 CNC controller? Here are a few questions I though of:
1) Ball screws on the X, Y?
2) Controller has the Z screen shown, difficult to add the third axis?
3) Anyway to dump routines to/from the control box to/from a PC?
4) I'm assuming in lieu of a Servo power feed on the table, the Crusader can do the same function?
5) Any CAD packages available that translate a drawn part to the G-codes needed to produce the part?
Any other tips/questions would be appreciated. Frankly I'm 50/50 between this mill and getting a non-CNC but with a modern DRO. I don't do production work in 1000's, maybe make 20 of something. Can see some real advantages with the CNC, but this is a 1979-era system; one step after vacuum tubes!
Thanks for the tips!
Bruce
http://faculty.etsu.edu/hemphill/entc3710/ani-mill/
I've never worked on a CNC machine before, but programmed a TRS-80 computer in Z-80 machine code back in the day (google Bruce Hansen TRS-80). Going through the web site above, doesn't look that overwhelming.
Any good questions to ask the seller regarding the circa 1979 CNC controller? Here are a few questions I though of:
1) Ball screws on the X, Y?
2) Controller has the Z screen shown, difficult to add the third axis?
3) Anyway to dump routines to/from the control box to/from a PC?
4) I'm assuming in lieu of a Servo power feed on the table, the Crusader can do the same function?
5) Any CAD packages available that translate a drawn part to the G-codes needed to produce the part?
Any other tips/questions would be appreciated. Frankly I'm 50/50 between this mill and getting a non-CNC but with a modern DRO. I don't do production work in 1000's, maybe make 20 of something. Can see some real advantages with the CNC, but this is a 1979-era system; one step after vacuum tubes!
Thanks for the tips!
Bruce