Call David: 07834 858 407 (On or off-site Training)
I’ve wanted to get my hands on a new Haas machine for a while. Really wanted to see what the new control was like.
Stiltz provided the machine and the victims for the training.
If you have read any of my articles you will know I have always had an affection for Haas machines. The first one I ever worked on being about 1994. At that time they were nothing short of ground breaking innovation.
Things like a built in airline and coolant wash-hose were not only innovative but really useful.
Coolant Hose (What Will You Do With This)
A machine that worked straight out of the box. Easy peasy tool-change. Handwheel to scroll through the program, people still get impressed by this today.
Programmable coolant nozzles, fuckin hell that was a game changer. Just move nozzle to a position and press an F key and it’s stored with the offset.
Macro at no extra cost (wow) some people wanted two grand for this (cost of a good family car in 1995)
Program restart still the best in the world, don’t get me started.
The New Machine David How Was It?
To start with on this one I didn’t like the interface but it does grow on you. You need to get used to using the touch screen. Access to some menus is a bit convoluted too.
This Haas Mini Mill has a 10k spindle and 30 tools.
Something I suddenly remembered about this model. Well you know when you get a cup of coffee and it’s in a tall tapered glass mug? You are thinking “nice big cup of coffee”. You take four big swigs n it’s gone, shit what happened. What happened is an optical illusion because the cup is tapered it’s actual capacity is that of a thimble.
It happens all the time everything comes in a great big box with loads of packaging and the actual item is minute.
Anyway try moving this machine to the end of it’s stroke in X. Fuckin hell what a disappointment I recon you can only move around about half the table. I mean great you can put a pretty big part on here. That’s great so long as you don’t want to machine it!!!
It definitely is not what you expect from the company that’s known for pragmatism. Anyway that does piss me off.
The way this machine is being used is running programs from a memory stick. At first I thought it was a bit crazy as the programs weren’t particularly big.
Anyway surprise surprise it works well. Just plug in and press load and it runs. But what about editing you ask. No problem you just do it. Same as normal.
Program restart, no problem works exactly the same as when running from memory.
VPS Haas Mini Mill
To be honest I used to avoid this like the plague but now on this Haas Mini Mill it’s actually quite useful really good graphical representation and easy to fill out boxes with plenty of explanation.
It’s gone from being pretty shit to not too bad.
Face milling, pocketing that kind of stuff, you can quickly create code n stuff in your program.
All in all a big improvement.
The Graphics
Sorry but I have to say this is incredibly disappointing. I think Haas are really missing a trick here. Experts correct me if I’m wrong but how hard would it be to put some real good program simulation graphics on this control?
I mean it’s like the fuckin 1980’s. I mean yes you can pick out typos and wildly wrong tool paths but that’s it.
At least you can speed it up and slow it down with the F3 and F4 keys which you can’t do on a Fanuc.
Coolant Level
You would think every machine would have a coolant gauge, sadly they don’t. Really useful.
Typical Haas.
I Am The Greatest (Almost)
I always recommend my trainees to watch every video I ever did and read all my articles. Worship me please I love it.
But hold on Haas Tip of The Day, fuckin awesome. This alone should be enough to make you buy a machine. This does people like me completely out of work. Haas USA keep up the good work.
Probing Haas Mini Mill
This machine has the all singing all dancing probing system. Personally if I was buying a machine this would be an absolute must.
WIPS system. Now if you even mention whips in my circle of very juvenile friends the conversation from then on is stuffed with childish CarryOnEsk comments. Never mind perhaps the guy at Haas who thought of it was genuinely naive. Enough said.
The interface for this is good, tool measurement is a doddle the actual setting of datums I think is a bit more convoluted than it used to be. Think they want you to use the touch screen.
Anyway not really grounds for complaint.
You can only set your Z offset as zero which I think is a bit shit. (Let me know if I’m wrong.). You can’t set the top of your part as Z1. to machine it off.
Haas Are Into Everything
I think Haas make their own everything now, they even sell a fan with the machine that blows off the table. I love these. Yes I know you already used one.
But…. does your machine have a nifty widget that just programs it for you? I think not sucker.
Just love it.
Do Haas do double glazing.
Even A Brush (That’s Insane)
The Thing With The Airline
There is like a little black hole in the windscreen of this Haas Mini Mill, you blast it with your airline and it cleans the screen from the inside. How cool is that?
Oven Ready Machining
On a Haas you get everything even a tool tightening whatsit.
And Even a Tool Tray
By the way if you buy the Super Dooper Mini Mill it comes with a mini bar, how cool is that.
Alarms What Alarms
This is another great idea. Any alarms come up in red so you can just go to it and then when you correct it, it’s no longer red.
Nice little touch
Fusion 360 & Haas Mini Mill
I believe the two companies are working together and it shows. My customer was using Fusion 360 and the flow was seamless. Post worked great without any tweaking to the code. My customer proved to me that my skills are outdated. Who needs to know this stupid G code shit. Just get a copy of Fusion 360 and away you go.
Bowling club, tea shops and pissing my pants here I come.
Insert Media File
Now I know they had this for a while but I haven’t used it so it’s new to me.
Stuffing pictures in the middle of your code is awesome. Think of the fun you can have. Leave a picture of your fat arse for the bloke on nights (maybe not). Anyway it’s great. Couldn’t get the video one to work (if you know how let me know). Who knows what I’ll put on that.
What a great idea. They even give you a quick way to get to the link.
Programmable Coolant Nozzles?
Haas are known for these as I mentioned earlier.
Sadly not on this one but I still liked the layout. Little tip here if you can afford through spindle coolant it’s always worth having on a new machine if you want to take advantage of modern tools. This one didn’t have it.
Conclusion Haas Mini Mill
Not bad, some improvements. In all fairness it’s hard to improve on something that is already pretty dam good. But please, please sort the fuckin graphics, it’s a big let-down.
Loads of stuff to love really enjoyed this one, in great company at Stilttz, nicest guys I ever worked with.
One quite serious point it still has that thing where it carries on after you wind the hand wheel too fast to catch up mmmm. Not on the bigger machines.
Third day they took the piss relentlessly. Everything stops for Pop-master on the radio, they loved my knowledge of the 1970’s. Being an old fart does have a few advantages.
If you need CNC Training get me in, you won’t learn much but at least you’ll get a good score on pop-master.
