Nathan the Machinist
KnifeMaker / Machinist / Evil Genius
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2007
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[video=youtube_share;DiEhyZ7xBgI]http://youtu.be/DiEhyZ7xBgI[/video]
This is a Dynamechtronics Dynamyte 4400 with a Mach3 PC retrofit that I'm selling for $ UNLISTED, MOVING TO EBAY.
The 4400 sold new in the late 80's for approximately $55,000.
This is a relatively low hour machine. I estimate about 3,000 spindle hours. Typical lifespan is several times that.
The purpose of this video is to illustrate the machine's capabilities.
Roughing with a 3/8" cutter at 4,000 RPM and 24 IPM, full width of cut, just under 1/2" depth of cut in 6061 T6 aluminum.
I bought this about 9 years ago as my second CNC mill. The Dyna was a good candidate for a PC CNC retrofit because it was good iron with a crummy controller. I installed the retrofit in 2006 and started running jobs on it immediately. The retrofit is a Gecko 340 servo kit with encoder feedback running on Mach 3. The hardware such as drives and encoders are still available new today and are affordable and easy to work on should the need arise. None of this is brain surgery. The servos are 600 oz/in geared down 5:1 to the screw. This limits the machine to 45 IPM but gives it smooth motion, power and accuracy you wouldn't have on a 1:1 setup. That's plenty fast enough for anything short of higher volume production.
The machine weighs about 3,000 pounds and makes a little over 3HP. The table size is just under 10X29. The travels are about 9X14 with a generous Z axis for use with a rotary table. It will fit under a standard 7' garage door.
The machine needs about 20 amps of 220V 3 phase. I run it on a rotary phase converter. The three phase components in the mill are the coolant pump and the spindle amp.
I did not retrofit the tool changer. This mill is a manual tool change only. The cards and hardware for the tool changer are in place and an industrious person could get that going, but I've always just used it as a manual tool-change machine. You're not going to find a good CNC with an ATC for 3K...
This has an E-stop button, so the big red button stops everything.
There are no limit switches in the machine travel. I haven't needed any in all these years, but if you want to install limit switches all you need are switches that close a circuit on the E-stop button. It's not rocket science but I didn't fool with it.
The coolant and spindle are on toggle switches.
The sump holds 4-5 gallons of coolant.
The spindle speed is controlled with a 0 to 12 volt signal. I'm using a 12 V power supply for this (included) so spindle speed is controlled with a knob and RPM is read on an analog gauge. There are hardware upgrades available to put this under the computer control, but when I did the retrofit I was accustomed to manually operated Bridgeport mills so having the spindle under manual control was natural. You can put this under computer control without too much trouble.
The spindle takes CAT30 and BT30 tool holders, goes to 5,000 RPM and max output is a little over 3 HP. The spindle is quiet and can be run for long stretches at high speed without any problems.
1/4", 3/8", 1/2", TG100 collet and drill chuck tool holders are included with more available for a reasonable price.
Included are documentation for the machine mechanicals and spindle drive.
The good: this is a good functional CNC mill in good operating condition that is relatively stout and powerful for the size and money.
The bad: there is no automatic tool changer.
The ugly: it's old and oily and the coolant has made a lot of the paint peal over the years. This is a machine tool for work, not a beauty queen.
The part cut in the demo (the thread is 5/16-18):
This is a Dynamechtronics Dynamyte 4400 with a Mach3 PC retrofit that I'm selling for $ UNLISTED, MOVING TO EBAY.
The 4400 sold new in the late 80's for approximately $55,000.
This is a relatively low hour machine. I estimate about 3,000 spindle hours. Typical lifespan is several times that.
The purpose of this video is to illustrate the machine's capabilities.
Roughing with a 3/8" cutter at 4,000 RPM and 24 IPM, full width of cut, just under 1/2" depth of cut in 6061 T6 aluminum.
I bought this about 9 years ago as my second CNC mill. The Dyna was a good candidate for a PC CNC retrofit because it was good iron with a crummy controller. I installed the retrofit in 2006 and started running jobs on it immediately. The retrofit is a Gecko 340 servo kit with encoder feedback running on Mach 3. The hardware such as drives and encoders are still available new today and are affordable and easy to work on should the need arise. None of this is brain surgery. The servos are 600 oz/in geared down 5:1 to the screw. This limits the machine to 45 IPM but gives it smooth motion, power and accuracy you wouldn't have on a 1:1 setup. That's plenty fast enough for anything short of higher volume production.
The machine weighs about 3,000 pounds and makes a little over 3HP. The table size is just under 10X29. The travels are about 9X14 with a generous Z axis for use with a rotary table. It will fit under a standard 7' garage door.
The machine needs about 20 amps of 220V 3 phase. I run it on a rotary phase converter. The three phase components in the mill are the coolant pump and the spindle amp.
I did not retrofit the tool changer. This mill is a manual tool change only. The cards and hardware for the tool changer are in place and an industrious person could get that going, but I've always just used it as a manual tool-change machine. You're not going to find a good CNC with an ATC for 3K...
This has an E-stop button, so the big red button stops everything.
There are no limit switches in the machine travel. I haven't needed any in all these years, but if you want to install limit switches all you need are switches that close a circuit on the E-stop button. It's not rocket science but I didn't fool with it.
The coolant and spindle are on toggle switches.
The sump holds 4-5 gallons of coolant.
The spindle speed is controlled with a 0 to 12 volt signal. I'm using a 12 V power supply for this (included) so spindle speed is controlled with a knob and RPM is read on an analog gauge. There are hardware upgrades available to put this under the computer control, but when I did the retrofit I was accustomed to manually operated Bridgeport mills so having the spindle under manual control was natural. You can put this under computer control without too much trouble.
The spindle takes CAT30 and BT30 tool holders, goes to 5,000 RPM and max output is a little over 3 HP. The spindle is quiet and can be run for long stretches at high speed without any problems.
1/4", 3/8", 1/2", TG100 collet and drill chuck tool holders are included with more available for a reasonable price.
Included are documentation for the machine mechanicals and spindle drive.
The good: this is a good functional CNC mill in good operating condition that is relatively stout and powerful for the size and money.
The bad: there is no automatic tool changer.
The ugly: it's old and oily and the coolant has made a lot of the paint peal over the years. This is a machine tool for work, not a beauty queen.
The part cut in the demo (the thread is 5/16-18):
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