Format 1 vs. Format 2

This is common knowledge in Phoenix at many of the job shops that have FADAL's. They learn to tolerate the FADAL control and put up with the many quirks and bugs in the FADAL control because they have no choice.

If FADAL ever gets the bugs out of their new control they should offer it as an upgrade for the 88 at their cost.

jon

Reply to
jon banquer
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Sam,

Such as ?

You wouldn't be the first to do so. ;>)

Sure but it doesn't have anything to do with stability.

Your point on pathetic documentation for a FANUC is certainly a valid one.

FADAL should offer to refit an existing machine for what it cost them when they properly develop their new control. Based on what is posted in

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in the FADAL Forum and based on e-mail I have recieved the new FADAL control has a long, long way to go.

Well, IIRC last we talked about BobCAD, I think you were going to get version 19. BobCAD has many similarities to FADAL.... they both move on before getting the bugs out of the older version and get the user to pay again and again for what they already paid for. Have a good friend that I work with that owns BobCAD version 19.... he's had enough.

jon

Reply to
jon banquer

Jon:

Alternate perspectives are what make other people interesting.

I would have to agree. In my experience our Fadal controls are less stable than the Haas control. We have to restart our Fadals to recover from a lock up more often than the Haas.

And the Haas has bugs that the Fadal doesn't have. We had the Haas lock up due to using a specific feed rate when we were machining some wheels. It was a repeatable fluke of a problem, but changing the feedrate cured it. I've also had a tool unclip error code on the Haas where I tool the sheet metal off the front of the machine and poked around for awhile at the innards, I didn't really do anything and it "healed" itself. It's done this twice, but it's been fine for about a year now.

I think a lot of this is probably due to familiarity. You can't do a mid-program start on a Haas at a tool change without the Haas unnecessarily loading the prior tool. It's an easy fix though, just start on the next line AFTER the tool change.

This is not a problem I personally encounter, since I do most all of my editing from the CAM system.

I'm not sure what you mean here. Could you elaborate?

Stability wasn't what I was referring to when I said the Haas control isn't all THAT much better than the Fadal control. I was referring to setup features; setting tool length offsets on the Fadal is easier since it allows you to input any setting gage size, and automatically puts the next tool to be set in the spindle, the Haas doesn't. Fixture offset setting with an edge finder is easier on a Fadal as they have special feature to accommodate different dia. edge finders, which the Haas doesn't have. As far as inputting programs by RS-232, our Fadals are very stable in that regard. Our Haas burps about one out of 25 times and the program has to be sent a second time. We use an in-house built switchboard type of input devise.

-- BottleBob

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Reply to
BottleBob

I considered Haas......then there were a lot of Bridgeport vmc selling in the mid 90's too...

I have the 94.1 version in two of our machines, and some sys99 ver in the other, no stability problems with either of them

No exp with the newer Fadals though except what Ive been told by another individual who has six of em...FWIW he wasnt been very happy with their newest controller.

Funny thing....is...I actually LIKE the -4 fadal controller, and I wouldn't buy a new Fadal BECAUSE of their newer controllers...

Buy an older linear way machine, rebuild the spindle, put new ways and screws onto it and I'm good to go....

Bobcad likely isn't gonna get any more of my money, either.

Reply to
PrecisionMachinisT

"PrecisionMachinisT" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@scnresearch.com:

Good plan. I know a couple of dealers really well. I'll just leave it at that, and hope that they get their act together again.

Dan

Reply to
Dan Murphy

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