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Anyone have guitar shop experience with some of the older Fadal Control versions like the CNC 88?

I do, It's been a while though.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

The reason I ask is that from the research I've done it sounds like the CNC88HS controller is the one to go for, but my budget is more inline with machines of the CNC88 vintage. So no graphics, large files have to be fed via DNC. I don't mind the DNC but the graphics are kind of nice to varify position and file visually.

I think that is the type we used over at PRS. We also had a new one with the newer Fanuc style controller. Both work...no real issues with either one.

Trev

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http://www.PeakeGuitars.com

The dnc works fine. Assuming your not going to MDI everything into the machine you should be able to verify your code on your programming system.
If the machine is not worn out, you should be a very happy camper.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

I have an 88HS and FWIW, I've never used any of the graphics or built-in functions in four years. 180K of memory, though I have the chips here to put it to four hundred something, so I DNCed everything. I used the MDI once in awhile to drill some quick holes or face something off, but 99% of the time was DNCing a program or jogging the cutter around with the pulse wheel.

The various 88-series controllers are almost identical except for the graphics, the menus, and speed. I've never used the graphics or the menus, but speed can be an issue. As you go down in controller versions they get slower and slower. The 88 is at most a third the speed of the slowest HS which means you'll have to take it slow if you want really accurate cuts. This isn't usually an issue since most guitar builders with CNCs have them sitting 90% of the time, but would have been a huge issue for me.

Here's info on the control versions:
http://www.fadalvmcparts.com/fadal-cnc.html
http://www.fadalvmcparts.com/fadal-parts/1400_board.html

The controls are the real bottleneck on these machines; I'd consider it worth it to upgrade them. The difference even between different revisions of the 88HS can be pretty big if they're actually being fed at production speeds. You could always retrofit it later if the controller's getting you down.

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

Also: try to get a '94 or later machine and verify that it has 'metric ballscrews'. They changed to bigger and better ballscrews in '94 (mine has them, it's a '94) but I'm not 100% sure they didn't release any machines with inch ballscrews in early '94 or somesuch. You can retrofit a control, and you can even replace the motors and sensors, but you're stuck with your ballscrews.

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

Thanks for the input guys.

Bob, what do you mean by slow? On my current machine typical speed for accurate work is 40 "/min or less. The fastest we cut is 80 "/min.

So far as I know, any of them will do 250IPM. That's the inch ballscrew standard. The metric ballscrew machines are rated at 400IPM.

A 88HS (1400-4) is at least six times as fast as an 88, and it can profile accurately at 200IPM. That could be a function of the feedback loop as well, and of course the complexity of the motion. Of course 'accurate' is a relative term when you're talking about guitar parts, but the 88 was made in a day when something fully contoured like a guitar neck or bridge was expected to take hours.

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

Hey Sheldon, Not sure how pressed you are to speed up production but you should be able to carve bodies & such upwards of 200 ipm with a 10 HP/10,000 rpm spindle (I'm assuming this is the one you have). Granted, you'll probably want to slow it down for things like neck pockets & other more precise work. Necks are typically run slower than a couple hundred ipm just because of the type of toolpath...the machine will knock pretty good at the end of each pass as it reverses direction when it goes this fast. With that said...you definitely need some good jigs to be able to handle the forces on the parts when taking off that much material that fast...!!

Trev

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http://www.PeakeGuitars.com