Supermax mill quality???

[capriracer351]

I am going to head out on a trip tomorrow to look over a 1996 vintage Supermax mill for my employer. It is from what I can tell by looking over the manuals for it, a virtual clone of an Enshu VMC-650 vertical mill. I am curious if in anyones experiences here this machine is worth having. It has a Fanuc control, motors, and I believe drives, but what about the overall mechanical quality of the machine?

My employer bought a Chinese made Bridgeport clone several years back, and it had .060 backlash in the drive screws right off the truck, and no way to adjust it. No bargain there, and I knew it wouldn't be, but they are a "bargain driven" (cheap) organization.

I am of the opinion that these machines are good to stay away from, but thought that I would ask about what first hand experiences people might have had here.

Thank you for any helpful replies.

'85 Mercury Capri
Mild 351 Cleveland powered
6.78 @98 mph 1/8 mile. 1.45 60 ft.

 

[sbi]

I have worked with one supermax knee mill and was impressed, it had teh beaf and weight of a good lagoon, for less $$
it was a acme lead screw so back lash is the norm
but was a goos deal for the money,
still like our old Cinncinnnati 2mi the best

SBI
Central Ne.,USA

 

[LECmeasurement]

Used machines are sold for a reason, usually because they are worn out.

The question you should be asking, is what shape is this machine in? Supermax is a good make, and I have one of their machines here in my shop. However, a beaten up worn out Supermax is not any better than the cheapest mill out then when new.

Regards,
Ross

 

[aamoroso]

Good points all around Ross, I have worked on a SuperMax machining center when it was brand new and I wasn't too impressed with the accuracy. It was great for roughing out parts and holding moderate tolerances but if you are looking for tight tolerance (less than .0005) then I would stray towards a quality machine with some mfg support. We looked at a used Supremax when I was in R&D in Florida but decided that for price we were better off buying a brand new Haas, I am not a huge fan of Haas but for the price it was the wise decision for us.

Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches.