Overview

Making a multiaxis equipment choice decision is similar to choosing a car make and model. The decision needs to be based on the intended use, budget, and personality, along with many other considerations. The multiaxis garage includes the equivalents of race cars, all-terrain vehicles, buses, and luxury vehicles. There are general-purpose machines and there are machines made for specific applications. This chapter may help narrow the search based on the specific parts being manufactured.

Most small shops enter the multiaxis arena by adding a single- or dual-rotary unit to their existing 3-axis vertical machining center. The addition of the single- or dual-rotary unit allows parts to be manufactured more quickly and makes it possible to machine more complex parts that were previously out of reach. This advance may cause a chain reaction. When shops get better at producing complex parts, they start to charge more for those parts. They then seek out even more challenging work to make more money. In turn, these ventures will stretch the limits of capability of the equipment, prompting consideration of purchasing more new equipment.

The available budget is always the big consideration. The price of any machine will reflect its quality, but as with cars, the price may also be affected by the name brand. However, budgetary considerations are outside the scope of this book.

Machine manufacturers spend a great deal of time developing machines. They also spend time on their sales and marketing efforts. Reputable manufacturers have applications teams who install new...