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Whoops, missed the description saying the spindle was rebuilt. It should be good for as long as you have it then. And. the control thingy (pendant, sort of) definately is newer than the age of the machine suggests. Both good things.

It's not even remotely in the same class. I can see the appeal of portability but the OP is asking about an old production-class machine. Smartbench isn't a production machine, It won't ever be expected to run 24 x 7 or handle 8 hour shifts 5 days a week for years on end.

It would be a no for me. I haven't run steppers for nearly 20 years for one and ATCs are harder to retrofit to newer controls.... although it could be done with a multicam since they are still in business. Just not cost effectively. But, the objective advice is to call the closest dealer (to...

Yes, a solvent wipe can work (and is about the only way to polish lexan edges somewhat. Some shops will vaporize the solvent and polish complex machined parts in a tank of solvent vapor. Pretty old school tho. I know one shop that merged with another. The younger owner threw out all the...

This is the best way actually just takes longer. But no issues with solvents and such then.

I can do those. Assuming expanded pvc (ie Sintra) foam?

A no brainer to try for us as we spend about 2K a year on gas and cylinder rentals etc.

Yah we bought one. It works fine but we haven't used very much as we have the real setup. The flame is relatively small but that's sometimes a good thing but it does end up slower too. The chemical mix goes brown after a while so maintenance is a little unknown (still worked the last time we...

I should add to those that don't like the application tape option, you probably could use something else to stop the adhesion (LOL, WD40 comes to mind but something that would prevent adhesion and easy to clean off would work like soapy water solution). I'm still looking for a better ACM bit. I...

The easiest way for a small shop to flame polish is the little "brown's gas" machines that you probably can pick up on amazon or ebay for $200-300. It uses chemistry to make the hydrogen (and some of the oxygen) and has a small torch too. Way cheaper than the "real" setup with the bonus of...

If I understand you, you are getting bits of the cutting in/on the laminate? I always get my customers to premask anything but raw sheet (direct print might be ok) because usually the adhesive of the vinyl (and maybe / probably the laminate) sticks to itself quite well. Heat might have something...

I think this depends on your contour cutting needs and expected needs. I do this for customers but it's a pain if the machine is not set up for it, and I gather machines like the colex are. Heavier letter work probably favors the routers and doesn't need a vision alignment system. I myself...

Seriously? Hardly any aluminum in the cheap stuff.....

I sell Plexi and ACM is the way to go. Oversized holes, screws with washers should avoid any warping, although if you can get a screw in the middle it wouldn't hurt. Better yet, use 6mm and don't use the plywood at all.

Name would be changing as it's meaningless right now, but obviously if I bought the place the transition would be more gradual. No word back from the broker yet anyways, although I know the managing partner is out of town so that could be part of the issue (but I doubt it). I have seen the...

I visited the shop for sale today. There is probably a path forward to have the woman working there remain in some capacity. No promises made or given, but it was a definite maybe with myself getting to better understand what would work for her. No word from the broker yet and (going back to...

Also, thanks to all for the questions and Gino in particular for your feedback on what you buy and where.

I get that. I hope to get more stuff on the CNC / laser that is ready to install without extra finishing work and price it more aggressively. Trading inventory variety and dollars for labour to some extent. Why paint a matte black if you can cut a matt black acrylic? Yes, sometimes architects or...

No. What I actually was hoping for was some customer feedback (ie you guys here) on what you typically order of the type of work this place does, and what values are most important....like are most dimensional jobs: - low end (styro, unpainted sintra, or diy paint 30 feet up installed) - medium...

Not too worried. I also did that once. Small competitor, small price, all the customers were cheapest of the cheap and not a lot of repeat business. Kept one customer that was sort of worth it. But, made sure a competitor was gone (a bigger deal for a plastic fabrication place), got some...