[pauldavid86]

Hello all and thank you for taking the time to read this. We are a small commercial cabinet company looking to move into CNC production. We mainly produce typical white melamine cabinets for medical field, and I am spending way too much time behind a saw. I have found what I think to be a great deal on a 2007 Cosmec Conquest 510 in good working order. The machine is still in production at a local shop and I think I can pick it up (with a large dust collector) for $14000. It would probably sit for a year or so as we ready our shop for three phase power (right now our other machines are running off of phase converters) Can anyone give me any advice? Is this a good machine? I am so lost by all of the different options and millions of pages on the internet.

 

[difalkner]

Welcome to the forum, Paul! When you get a minute complete your profile with first name so it clears the N/a in the side panel.

What all comes with the CNC besides the DC? Computer, software, any spare parts, vacuum pumps, etc.? Why are they getting rid of the machine - does it have too much wear to cut accurately, are there problems with the electricals, parts out of production, etc.?

A local friend owns a large cabinet shop and their 10-year old CNC was used almost daily and they wore it out. He said it wouldn't hold tolerance to 1/8" and they were getting sloppy fits on their cabinets to the point they were having to clean up the cuts on the table saw. They replaced it two years ago with an amazing machine around $100k - very fast and accurate.

I only bring these things up because someone bought their old machine, that was still working, and the new owner was made aware of its shortcomings. Just making sure you know the history and true performance of the one you're looking at.

David

 

[Semipro]

CNC’s are changeing for the better daily. Why buy now if you will not be able to use it for a year or two?

 

[pauldavid86]

Thank you both for commenting!
It looks to be in great shape and he claims the reason for selling is they are purchasing a new machine with automatic unloading capability. (plus he probably needs a large write off this year) I know I will have to purchase a software package and spend quite some time learning how to use it , they currently use cabinet vision. He has invited me to his shop to see it run, and it will be running there until the new machine arrives nearly next year. This machine has a 10 HP spindle, 14 hp suction for the table and 7.5hp vacuum system with 3 collectors and all duct work, it also has 6 spindle line boring. There is a holzher parts and service place about 30 minutes from our shop. Hopefully we could get it in production before an entire year but we are so busy I'm just not sure. I really just thought it was a good value and it is fairly close so we can get it transported for almost nothing. Most of these machines were selling for 3000-5000 more than that without the vacuum system. I also think he is selling cheaper for convenience. He wants to have a purchaser set up so the day before his new machine arrives it is picked up and moved and he doesn't have to deal with it. I have to make a decision pretty quick as someone else is flying in to look at it next week.
Thank you again for you comments!

 

[difalkner]

Sounds like a good deal. Are you going to stick around with us after this decision? We'd love to have you jump in on discussions, ask questions, show some photos, etc. You can also add your website to your signature line if you want.

David

 

[pauldavid86]

absolutely! Im sure I will need help and software suggestions along the way. As soon as I get a few minutes I need to complete my profile. I am working all day and doing shop drawings at night. Thank you you for your comments! I am looking forward to learning from you all.

 

[pauldavid86]

Semipro,
Do you not think it would be worth looking into? My goal would be to have it running by mid year, but time flies when you are slammed. I figure worst case scenario, I should be able to get most of my money back. We want to move in CNC, but I definitely do not fell comfortable with a huge payment.

 

[pauldavid86]

We went to check out the machine today, and I must say it was impressive. We ran a few sheets for a current project they are working on, and the machine looks to be very well maintained. I am definitely interested in purchasing it ,but man I underestimated the size! It is capable of cutting 5 x 10' sheets, and the machine is about 7.5' by about 18'. (I was thinking it would be closer to 6 x 12.) That's not including the massive vacuum pumps and the 3 bag dust collection system. I really think it is a great buy, but I am concerned about the amount of space it will take up, we are not ready to move to a new location, we have 20 years of junk in our shop lol. I definitely have some thinking to do over the next few days. It seems like to any entry level machine is 30 k and they don't even have line boring spindles. Any suggestions for other machines I should look at?

 

[RainMan 2.0]

5x10 , that’s a monster and would take my entire garage lol . I want a 4x8 and I don’t think I get it to fit in my garage amongst everything else .
Looks like I’ll be buying a 5x5 when the time comes . I don’t know enough about CNCs yet , but would adding a vacuum table to one from cncrouterparts work?
I’ve never heard a bad thing about this company in the five years I’ve been studying cncs.

Your pretty vague on your location, but cncrouterparts is based out of Seattle Washington

 

[J0seph]

Other options

I frequent this forum to read the posts, but this is my first post.
There are some great options available that do not require three phase power. I own a small cabinet shop and do mostly commercial case goods and high end residential. I am running a 4 hp water cooled spindle on 220 volts single phase. I have a 5x8 table with vacuum hold down, also 220 volts single phase. unless you intend to cut MDF doors, you do not need the mega hp spindles. Most small cabinet shops moving to CNC can do all they need on a single phase CNC router. Just my two cents worth.

 

[pauldavid86]

What machine are you using? Also what software are you using?

 

[J0seph]

I had my machine custom built by DNC Routers. I use Mozaik software for my kitchen design, Cam Bam and Bob Cad for my cad drawings and Mach3 for machine control. Mozaik is a great design program that allows a virtual walk thru of the design and takes the design straight to g code. The learning curve on the software is steep, but well worth the effort. This was my first cnc router and I had some interesting moments learning the software but hung in there and am very satisfied now. I just finished my first year with the machine. It has really increased my production time and accuracy, not to mention the ability to accomplish things that I would not attempt before.
The decision to go to cnc router was a big one for me and I understood the steep learning curve for the software, but I still had to deal with some frustration along the way. My advice to you is to learn the software yourself and do not delegate it to an employee until you completely understand it. Good luck