so i found a pair of these for sale locally for a pretty low price. these are basically tapping centres with 11.8x8.5" xy travel and a 10 tool carousel.
my understanding is that they have very limited milling ability due to the controler. basically straight lines with no look ahead so contouring is a bit of a no. this particular model is only 4000rpm in the spindle. so its pretty clear why these sell so cheap - they have very limited uses. that said, ive seen people doing some nice things with old brothers on youtube.
anyone know much about these and of possible ways to enhance milling performance?
my first inclination is to put the machines in tandem operations, leaving one stock, purely for drill and tap. then id take the other machine and swap out the control for something more robust with a 4th axis and maybe a spindle motor speed upgrade. if i go mach3, i lose rigid tap and all the fancy features. anyone know of another cheap option to add? emc2? maybe a brother made upgrade? id like to keep the original servos and drives and keep the costs low as possible so tacking on something like a fanuc mate 0i is not really viable as it costs more than both machines combined and then some!