The Collected Wisdom
of the Haas Answer Man

Haas Mini Machines

(Fall ’04
vol 8 # 31)

Dear Applications:

I just got a Mini Mill with rigid tapping. What kind of tap holder should I buy? My supplier offers a tension-only holder or a tension and compression holder, as well as a rigid tap holder. Should I just get the rigid one? I will be cutting 6 mm and 8 mm tapped holes, and also 1/8 NPT and 1/4 NPT. Thanks!

Josh Paulson

Dear Josh:

It’s not necessary to use a tension/compression type toolholder with rigid tapping on a Haas. You can run the tap in a rigid holder. Remember, your feedrate must be precisely computed for the thread you’re tapping (rpm x thread pitch = feedrate). The Haas control’s calculator can help you do this, or, if you’re using a CAM system, it should automatically do the calculation for you. Otherwise, please consult your Operator’s manual for details about programming tapping cycles on the Haas control.

Sincerely,

Haas Applications

(Spring ’04
vol 8 # 29)

Dear Applications:

     How well does the Mini Mill machine steel? We are considering purchasing one. Most of our machining is in Ultem, Delrin, and various other plastics, but once we get a new machine we’ll want to do more in-house. Maybe 25% of the work on the mill would be steel – A-2 tool steel and stainless.

     John Kulpepper

Dear John:

The Haas Mini Mill is fully capable of cutting all types of mild steel. Our Applications department has Mini Mill demo parts cut from 12L14, 1018, and 4140 steels. (One of our Applications experts has even cut Nakhigh hard steel on a Mini Mill.) You should have no problems at all with the applications you’ve described. Your local Haas Factory Outlet will be more than happy to run a test cut for you, and discuss your specific applications.

     Sincerely,
     Haas Applications

(Winter ’04
vol 8 # 28)

Dear Applications:

    We have a new Haas Super Mini Mill. When I run a drill program, the coolant doesn’t turn on until it gets to the second hole. It should turn on for the first hole, when it reads the line that has the M08 command, but it doesn’t seem to be doing this. The machine seems to working fine otherwise. Any idea what the problem could be?

    Lee Nines

Dear Lee:

    There is a normal 2- to 3-second delay for the coolant to reach the nozzle from the tank. In your particular case, it would help if you turned on the coolant right after the tool change. Also make sure the coolant level in your tank is high enough. For your information, there is an optional high-pressure coolant pump available for your machine.

    Sincerely,
    Haas Applications

(Summer ’02)
vol 6 # 22)

Dear Applications:

Can I use the Mini Mill to machine 1/8" to 3/16" stainless? Would it require more than one pass?

     Thanks,
     Robert

Dear Robert,

The Mini Mill is more than capable of cutting stainless, as long as you stay within the torque and horsepower range of the machine. The Mini Mill’s spindle provides 33 ft-lb of torque up to 1200 rpm, and is rated at 7.5 peak horsepower. For best results, select tooling that allows you to run speeds and feeds that fall within the peak torque band of the machine.

As with any machine, the number of passes required depends on the type of tooling being used, the material being cut and the amount of material being removed.

     Regards,
     Haas Applications

(Spring ’02)
vol 6 # 21)

Dear Hector:

The Mini Mill and the Super Mini Mill have the same control as all Haas machines, so there should be no special programming considerations. You may use any CAM software that has a post processor available for a Haas machine.

A Mini Mill is a great CNC machine, especially as a first step into CNC. If you are interested in buying one, be aware that any options purchased are installed by the distributor at your location. This is a favorable feature, because you can add options as you need them.

If you are going to be doing a lot of 3D work, we’d suggest that you look seriously at the Super Mini Mill. This model comes standard with a 10,000- rpm spindle and 1,200-inch-per-minute rapids, and there’s a very reasonably priced option package that includes a 15K spindle and High-Speed Machining, as well as 16 MB of memory, macros and coordinate rotation & scaling.

     Sincerely,
     Haas Applications

• • •

Dear Applications:

I am considering buying a Toolroom Mill. Could you please tell me if this machine is EdgeCam-compatible and whether it has a serial computer interface?

     Michael Herrmann

Dear Michael:

The Toolroom Mill has the same control as all Haas machines, and the serial port is standard on all machines. If you are using EdgeCam to program any other CNC machines, you should have no problem with the TM-1. If you don’t have a Haas post-processor, you can use one that is for the Fanuc 6-M. This should run with minimal editing.

     Sincerely,
     Haas Applications