CNC machine tools are a cornerstone of many manufacturing companies, but they are highly complex machines. With this in mind, here are 4 things you really should look for when in the market for buying a CNC Machine.

1. Service & Support

• Whatever machine your are looking to buy, make sure there is adequate service and support available for the machine in your region. The machine tool you purchase will be the heart of your manufacturing operation, so it’s important that you feel confident in the service and support available.

• You will have no doubt invested a considerable amount of money in purchasing your CNC machine tool, but it is also essential that you invest time learning how to use it effectively before purchasing any additional materials or equipment to go along with it. Does the machine purchase come with free training on how to use it? If not, is there someone in your region that can offer training on the use of the machine if you need it?

• Does the machine come with good documentation. If you are purchasing a new machine, this should be standard. However if you are browsing the second-hand cnc machine tool market then it is so important to ensure the machine comes with full documentation. Check it has electrical diagrams, mechanical diagrams, parts list and operational manuals. While initially the importance of these may not be apparent, down the road when the machine develops a fault the importance of this soon becomes all to apparent.

2. Parts Availability

When considering the purchase of a CNC machine tool, it’s important to consider the availability of parts. The cost and ease with which you can source replacement parts for your machine is an important factor that should be considered when making your purchasing decision. You don’t want to buy a piece of equipment that will break down and leave you without a working piece of machinery or that will cost you an arm and a leg to purchase replacement parts!

Parts are not always easy to find, especially if they’re unique. In some cases, it’s possible that there may only be one supplier in the world who manufactures specific parts for your particular model or brand. That could mean that if something breaks on your machine (and let’s face it – machines will break), then finding replacement parts might prove difficult or impossible altogether.

3. Test the machines before you buy them.

Yes, I know this one seems a little obvious. But you’d be surprised how many machines i’ve commisioned for clients, only to switch them on and literally nothing works. CNC Machines are expensive bits of kit and when it comes to selling them, people will often make a big effort to hide any issues the machine might have.

So, before you buy make sure you:

• Power the machine down.
• Power it back up.
• Switch the servo drives on
• Perform a tool change or turret rotation
• Operate all other auxillary functions (parts catcher, tool probe, coolant etc.)
• Run a program
• Run the spindle up to maximum RPM

You want to see the machine running under load for at least 30 minutes if possible. It’s impossible to be sure there are no problems, but by doing all these things you will certainly reduce the risk of buying a total non-runner.

4. System Backups

Before you agree to purchase any new or second-hand CNC Machine Tool make sure it comes with a full system backup.

The last thing you want is for the machine to power up for the first time at your site and have lost all its parameters and data. The best CNC Machine in the world is useless without it’s parameters and PLC data. You want to make sure any backups supplied are on an external storage device such as floppy disk, USB stick or PCMCIA flash card.

Be Vigilant!

We hope this guide has been helpful to you. There is a lot of information to take in and consider when buying a CNC machine tool. We understand that it can be overwhelming, but we also want you to know that if you’re looking for help with your decision, we’re here to help!

If you are looking to buy a CNC Machine Tool and want to have someone by your side who can check it out thorougly, just get in touch!