Help me learn what CNC machine I need

[Chipper5783]

As an aside, asking anyone who knows, what other machines are going to be comparable to a Haas ST10Y? And, how big a problem is it running one of these 3 phase machines on single phase power with an RPC in a home shop type environment?

There are lots of other CNC makers out there. Not sure what you mean by comparable to Haas ST10Y - work envelop, service support, reliability, ease of programming, price, availability, . . . .?

Power? Some of the commercial RPC units are advertised as being suitable to power CNC machines. Recognize that electronics are vulnerable. Given that I am running CNC machines that are about 25 years old, and some of the electronic parts are nearly impossible (certainly impractical) to replace I went with what I understood was the best power that was reasonably available, and came to the conclusion that a PhasePerfect was better suited to my needs (real 3 phase, either grid or a diesel generator were not practical for me). The PP powers all the machines and has worked out very well - I’m running a 20kVA nameplate CNC machine on a 100A, 240V single phase residential supply. No problem, I’m often running a manual machine at the same time (say 3 hp), and the air compressor kicks in (another 5 hp). I have never tripped the 100A supply breaker.

 

[Investigator]

There are lots of other CNC makers out there. Not sure what you mean by comparable to Haas ST10Y - work envelop, service support, reliability, ease of programming, price, availability, . . . .?

Power? Some of the commercial RPC units are advertised as being suitable to power CNC machines. Recognize that electronics are vulnerable. Given that I am running CNC machines that are about 25 years old, and some of the electronic parts are nearly impossible (certainly impractical) to replace I went with what I understood was the best power that was reasonably available, and came to the conclusion that a PhasePerfect was better suited to my needs (real 3 phase, either grid or a diesel generator were not practical for me). The PP powers all the machines and has worked out very well - I’m running a 20kVA nameplate CNC machine on a 100A, 240V single phase residential supply. No problem, I’m often running a manual machine at the same time (say 3 hp), and the air compressor kicks in (another 5 hp). I have never tripped the 100A supply breaker.

Work envelope was mainly what I intended to convey by being comparable. I would need something that can handle up to1.75" bar, and have live tooling to be able to cut in the Y axis.

 

[BGHansen]

I can think of roughly a dozen 'major' manufacturers of suppressors. There are many other smaller manufacturers producing suppressors. From what I've seen some of them seem to have the business plan of selling cheaper with less performance than the big guys. Personally I'd like to build a high quality product that can compete with the big guys performance wise and because of my size and overhead produce that at a lower price point. I don't plan to sell as many as the big guys.

Hope that helps a bit to explain my thinking

Sounds like an excellent plan! I used to be a development engineer for GM; years ago a group of us were sitting at a tool shop waiting for first-shots off a new tool BSing to kill time. The salesguy mentioned that he'd helped another GM engineer find a source for straight-grained maple in 2 dimensions. The engineer was trying to make pool cues but had a problem with warping. He was buying clear boards and ripping them with the grain on the flat surface. What he'd failed to account for was the grain direction on the board's edge. Once he got the warping issues fixed, he was in business. He catered to the high-end market and was known for his quality, not his quantity. He'd get over $2500 for a well-decorated cue. One of the lines he used in his marketing (I'm probably butchering it), "Cost is soon forgotten, quality lives on".

Bruce