Hermle C250 or DVF 5000 for a growing shop?

[Tay1313]

I'm hoping to get some opinions from those with more 5-axis time than I. I came from a big aerospace shop before starting my own place here in Tampa, mostly doing smaller work (golf club heads, custom putters and some small fixturing).

Business is growing and it's time for our first 5-axis. I've narrowed it down to the Hermle C250 and the Doosan DVF 5000, likely with some form of automation. I've been told service is sound for both in my area.

My budget is around the $400k mark. The big question is, for that money, what's the smarter move for running parts unattended? A base Hermle for its legendary precision or a fully automated DVF 5000 that can run all weekend?

Curious to hear what you guys would trust to make chips by itself for light production.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Corvus_Fallen]

If most of your parts are aluminum and toolpaths are clean, the DVF’s plenty accurate and easier to automate from day one. The Hermle shines if you’re chasing tenths or doing more exotic materials. Either way, make sure you budget for probing and reliable workholding like that’s what really makes lights-out runs possible.

 

[Tay1313]

If most of your parts are aluminum and toolpaths are clean, the DVF’s plenty accurate and easier to automate from day one. The Hermle shines if you’re chasing tenths or doing more exotic materials. Either way, make sure you budget for probing and reliable workholding like that’s what really makes lights-out runs possible.

Thanks, @Corvus_Fallen. Most of our work's aluminum, where the DVF's accuracy would be plenty. My only hesitation is future-proofing for jobs with tighter tolerances. For those who've run a Hermle, is its precision worth a more complex automation setup later on?

 

[IVGrbn]

I'm hoping to get some opinions from those with more 5-axis time than I. I came from a big aerospace shop before starting my own place here in Tampa, mostly doing smaller work (golf club heads, custom putters and some small fixturing).

Business is growing and it's time for our first 5-axis. I've narrowed it down to the Hermle C250 and the Doosan DVF 5000, likely with some form of automation. I've been told service is sound for both in my area.

My budget is around the $400k mark. The big question is, for that money, what's the smarter move for running parts unattended? A base Hermle for its legendary precision or a fully automated DVF 5000 that can run all weekend?

Curious to hear what you guys would trust to make chips by itself for light production.

Thanks for the input.

For your current workload of aluminum golf heads and small fixtures, I'd lean toward the fully automated Doosan DVF 5000. It's the smarter immediate business move at the $400k price point. You can spec that machine with a pallet changer and a huge tool magazine, which is what actually makes lights-out weekend running possible. The revenue from max uptime outweighs the precision gain from a base Hermle right now. While the DVF's precision might not rival the Hermle C250, it’s certainly sufficient for most aluminum work, and the Fanuc control makes it easier to find operators in your area. The Hermle is the superior machine structurally, especially with the Heidenhain TNC 640 control. However, at your budget, you're buying a base C250, and adding a proper, robust automation cell to a Hermle later is a massive extra capital expense. You can always justify that C250 or C32 as your second, dedicated precision machine when the job queue demands it. Uptime pays the bills!

 

[Tay1313]

Both of you noted Hermle's precision and said the DVF handles aluminum production well. For unattended runs, did either of you find the factory automation packages from Hermle or Doosan worthwhile or is it smarter to look at third‑party options?