I’m new to CNC machining and found a great deal on a used PCNC1100 Series 3 that I’m very excited to use. Unfortunately, during shipping, Roadrunner tipped it over in its warehouse and it seems to be leaking oil, and the stand is destroyed with one of the feet being ripped off. It seems to have fallen backwars, which also makes me worried that the electrical box on the back might be damaged. I’ve attached all images I have at the moment.
I’m trying to figure out whether the damage is repairable or if I should refuse shipment? I know it’s a really difficult ask (especially because you don’t really know until you turn it on and run a test routine), but any help here would be incredibly appreciated. Thanks so much!
I think the question you are asking is if you want a mill or a project?
I don’t know how much you spent on this but there is no way I would pay the same price for a machine that has been dropped as a - theoretically- functional machine.
If I was looking at used machines I would expect to pay significantly less for a machine that was thrown down the steps as I would for a machine that was ready to use when I got it.
Ya more and more I’m thinking the same. I’d be happy to wrench a bit to better understand and learn. But I do not want this to be a thing that’s a year of weekends just trying to get the calibration and tolerances right. Let alone the cost of replacement parts. Thanks so much for this!
That’s a total loss. Even if the ways aren’t damaged basically everything that was straight could be bent. That’s a project that will require every single part to be replaced to get a used machine.
Yeah I wouldn’t even consider accepting that unless the carrier wanted to refund 100% of my purchase and shipping costs. Even then, I’d plan on it being little more than a parts donor.
I think you made the right call. We are happy to support all our machines, even the legacy ones, and we would walk you through repairs if you needed us to, but just looking at those pictures…
Kind of interesting to see if it could set it up and working in spec. just to see how tough they are. I would only worry about a cracked casting and bent ball screws. I bet the control electronics would be mostly ok.
Bottom line is that when you try to make something if anything doesn’t come out right you would basically have to have every part checked and then that might not even fix it. You would need a metrogoly workshop just to see if the ways were torqued and then. Replacing bearings and carriers and all the bolts, the list is literally all the moving parts. And that’s if the electronics are all working. If the head was all the way down to the table the spindle bearings and bore could even be wrecked. Iron cracks but steel can deform = invisible problems.
Also when they tip it back up to move it I would expect less care than when they tipped it over. So if the axis motors snapped off they will be dangling supported by the lead screws. Literally it’s not going to be worth the cost of delivery unless the recycling plant is paying gold prices for iron.
A while back Tech Support got a call from a customer who’s PCNC1100 was violently removed from his shop via tornado. At the time the purpose of the call was to get info for the insurance company. Well a few days later he called back to say that they found the machine in the next guys field, but it was a total loss. The castings appeared OK and most of the electrical cabinet was there but the ATC was ripped off as well as a bunch of the sheet metal.
I didn’t give it much thought until someone called me months later to get info on replacement parts because he bought that machine and was Frankensteining it! He was going all out with a massive servo drive spindle and some other control system but I was impressed that the base machine was operational.
I feel like I remember hearing about the tornado through the Facebook groups, not sure I knew anyone was resurrecting the machine though. That would be cool to see!
This is awesome. Thanks for being so helpful everyone and welcoming me to the community. Lol what a first post . I’m working with the delivery company and original shipper now to reject the sale. Hopefully I can recoup my money and keep looking for another solid used machine. Again, thank you!!
And thank you to Tormach who was super helpful via phone talking me through the various items that could be at risk of being damaged. Also that tornado story is WILD.