Category Archives: Industrial

October 2, 2018 · 8:42 pm

Sherline vs Taig With Upgrades?

Sherline vs Taig With Upgrades?

In the world of mini or benchtop mills and lathes, two names come to mind; Sherline and Taig. Both are good machines, however both have some major weaknesses. Thankfully, those weaknesses can be fixed through a few upgrades from a company called GlockCNC.com. Anyway, let’s look at some differences.

The Sherline Mill vs Taig Mill

Side by side, it’s pretty clear that the Taig is a much more robust machine. The work envelope is also much larger on the Taig. Where the Sherline shines is the number of accessories and flexibility with odd angles. Keep in mind though, with those odd angles come a real lack of rigidity. After using both machines, it’s clear that the Taig’s box-way linear system is hands-down more rigid than the Sherline. Thankfully, both companies now offer ballscrews, which are the better way to go for CNC application. So what are the downfalls of both? Frankly, it’s the headstock and motor. Both headstocks very small, if not anemic. The tooling sizes end up being very limited. This is especially true with the Taig mill, because it could certainly handle bigger cutters. The other issue is the motors. Both companies have very weak motors. One company out there has come up with the best solution yet; GlockCNC.com (and they are really the only one out there with industrial quality). How have they improved Sherline and Taig.

Simply put, they offer much more heavy duty headstocks and motors. Plus, a wide variety of spindle options. While they will sell stock Sherline casing headstocks with ER, R8 or MT3 spindles, their own Heavy Duty Commercial Headstocks are the way to go. You get much larger bearings than would ever fit in the Sherline or Taig OEM casing. Plus, you can choose from deep grove or angular contact bearings. And get this, they come with upgraded ABEC-5 deep grove bearings with the option of ABEC-7 or ABEC-9! It gets even better…. They will also do a secondary grind operation for those demanding the highest level of accuracy. In other words, they will shrink the bearings to the spindle, then grind the collet contact surface area to match the bearing accuracy. Frankly, this is only found on much bigger and high end commercial machines. After looking at their prices, I’m sure you’ll agree that they are a bargain for what you get. I’m thinking that as they become more popular, you’ll probably see the prices rise. At this point, their prices are very reasonable when you compare them to a high end Swiss made machine.

The Sherline Lathe vs Taig Lathe

Taig offers two types of lathes, bed lathe and gang tool type. While Sherline pretty much offers one type that can be converted into a gang type. The Taig bed type lathe is tiny. Almost unusable for many unless you’re doing super small parts. The Sherline offers a much longer bed, but there are some issues. The biggest problem with the Sherline (aside from the headstock and motor…again), is the saddle isn’t rigid at all! The deflection is very frustrating. The Taig on the other hand, it seems to produce much less deflection and therefore better results. The gang tool Taig is far and away my favorite of all the options. It’s rigid and will hold plenty of tools. Of course, there’s no tail stock with this type. Again, here’s the rub for both Sherline and Taig….it’s the headstock and motor. Just read the above about the mills. The other lathe specific issue is the very small through hole in the OEM spindle. GlockCNC has solved that issue with a .55″ to .79″ through hole option. As far as motor upgrades, they offer a 750 watt and 1,200 watt upgrade. Both can be manually controlled or CNC.

Check out the upgrades at GlockCNC, plus they are also Sherline, Taig and Tormach TTS dealers…so, they can get you whatever you need: https://glockcnc.com/

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May 7, 2016 · 4:38 pm

Used Metal Stamping Presses

When looking for used stamping presses for sale from dealers, it’s important to use one that has experience. Years of service in the industry go a long way. Also looking for one with a wide reach in the market place. Here are some things to consider when looking for used stamping presses.

The condition of the press is important, but can be deceiving. Presses run in messy environments full of lubricant and grease. This can leave a machine looking messy and in poor shape. However, that may not be the case and can fool the untrained eye. It is possible to find a very dirty looking press that is actually an excellent machine. In some cases, the plant maintenance people just didn’t have high standards for keeping things pretty, but may have kept things in excellent mechanical condition.

Consider the brand as well. Top brands are Minster, Bliss, Aida, Schuler and Komatsu. Other good brands are Danly, Clearing and some like Niagara. Bliss presses probably has made the most presses of anybody. Minster usually demands top dollar for there used machines. Some of those companies are not out of business. Bliss Clearing Niagara is all combined in one company now. You can buy a new one from them, however they are very expensive.

What type of machine do you need. OBI, hydraulic, mechanical, knuckle joint, transfer or servo? Consider what speeds you need to operate at. Another big concern is the bed area. Make sure you are purchasing a machine that will have the minimum bed area for your projects. If you are a job shop and do runs for other companies, then a larger bed will allow you to take on a wider range of jobs. If the press will be single purpose, then you may not need a bed size larger than exactly what is required.  When considering used metal stamping presses for sale, also about the age.  You will likely ignore the controls on the machine, because they will likely need to be updated anyway.

If you want to see examples from a dealer, go to http://affordable-machinery.com/

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December 17, 2015 · 9:13 pm

Used Hydraulic and Mechanical Presses

Hydraulic and mechanical metal stamping presses are pretty much the most common.  We have included some photos of them.  Hydraulic presses are typically slower and are commonly found in foundries.  The can be very high capacity.  If I recall, the largest presses are in Russia, France and in Ohio USA.  They are huge stamping presses used for avaiation related parts.  They are also used for tryout presses.  Mechanical presses are much more common.  You can see these in automotive to lawnmowers to metal sink manufacturing.  They are able to opperate at much higher speeds or SPM.

Used metal stamping presses have become much more difficult to locate in larger tonnage sizes.  Much of this was because the year 2008 and the heavy economic downturn.  With high scrap prices and no demand for the machines, many where scraped by struggling automotive companies.  When the economy picked up, this created a huge void in the used market.

Common brands are Bliss, Minster, Niagara, Clearing, Komatsu, Aida, Blow and Danly.  All are good presses. Minster is typically the most liked of the brands. Bliss probably made more than anybody else.  Bliss, Clearing and Niagara where all bought out and  combined by a single company.  If I recall, they are owned by a German company.  There are other good brands out there too.

You can find more use metal stamping presses for sale at: https://s3.amazonaws.com/used1/AM/affordable-machinery.com/index.html

Here are a few press pictures:

Danly 3 1,500 Bliss 2

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