[distracted]

I am considering buying a small mill for making aluminum molds; 7075, QC-10, Alumold, Fortal. The molds are for making short run injection molded production plastic parts. Probably the largest piece would be in the range of 10 x 10".
I want to minimize the finishing required for the mold. Machining speed is not the issue as a lot of the time it would sit idle waiting for instructions; it is really to reduce the turnaround time and control costs for the molds. Having said that, I want to be smart about my purchase and make sure I get the right machine for the job. And I am torn between buying a good used machine or opening my wallet further for a new machine.
Quite frankly the shear volume of information and available machines is a little overwhelming. Hence, I am looking for some recommendations/guidance on purchasing a machine. This my first CNC machine purchase and I want to get it right. I will hire an operator but most around here are not used to making molds and I do not trust their opinion to get it right. Any takers?

[ram48]

check out the two CNC machines that Novakon have to offer
here is there forum on this sight http://www.cnczone.com/forums/novakon-systems/
Enjoy

[distracted]

I have seen their site. I have also seen Novakon Sucks. WARNING .... Not sure what to think.

[hanermo]

Likely, novakon or tormach will work out fine for that use.
In bigger, industrial users, moldworkers seemed to use around 1mm end mill at 10-12.000 rpm and long run times (10-30 hours) to finish the molds.
Spindle load was essentially zero (on 25 kW mills).

DOC is really small for finishing the molds. Stresses are small. Chips are really small.
Runtimes are long.