Before your CNC machine arrives: power, air, floor and rigging

What has to be ready before the machine arrives?

Four things, each sized from the builder's figures for your exact model and configuration:

• •Power. A supply at the machine's kVA and voltage, run to the spot it will stand on.
• •Air. A line at the pressure and flow its catalog lists, if it lists any.
• •Floor. Room for its floor space, and a slab checked for its weight.
• •Access. A clear path from the truck to that spot, and a place to unload.

Power and air come first. Under Section 9 of our terms of sale, power and air must be at the machine's location before an installation.

Here are the figures for five Hwacheon machines we sell, from their catalogs:

For another model, look for the same lines in its catalog: see its model page, or our catalogs page.

How much power does it need?

Hwacheon gives the supply in kVA. In the table it runs from 25 kVA for the HiT-400 to 55 kVA for a Hi-TECH 450 with a sub spindle.

Voltage can change with the configuration. Of the five catalogs, only the HiT catalog prints a supply voltage, and it follows the control: 220 V, 60 Hz with FANUC or Mitsubishi, and 380 V, 60 Hz with Siemens (p. 10).

All five list a transformer as an option; the HiT catalog's is 25 kVA (p. 11). Under Section 9, we are not responsible for extra electrical equipment the machine may need at your location, such as a transformer, a buck and boost transformer, a breaker box or fuses. Settle before you order whether yours needs any, and who supplies it.

Give your electrician the kVA and the voltage for your exact configuration.

Does it need compressed air?

The three machining centers in the table do. The VESTA-1050B and VESTA-500T catalogs list 0.5 to 0.7 MPa (about 73 to 102 psi) at a flow of 690 Nl/min, normal liters per minute; the VESTA-1050B with the BT-50 spindle lists 760 Nl/min. The HiT catalog gives 5 kgf/cm² (about 71 psi), with no flow figure.

The CUTEX-180 and Hi-TECH 450 catalogs list no air supply. Both list an air blower among the accessories, standard on the CUTEX-180's sub-spindle versions (CUTEX-180 p. 8, Hi-TECH 450 p. 13), so ask whether anything on your order needs shop air.

Check that your compressor and line can hold that pressure and flow at the machine's spot, on top of everything else the shop runs on air.

How much floor does it need, and will the slab hold it?

Lay out the spot from the floor-space figure, not the size of the machine. The VESTA-500T catalog gives both: with the BBT-30 spindle, the machine is 76.77 x 107.68 in and its floor space 173.35 x 163.94 in (p. 14), and its coolant tank sits outside the machine at the rear (p. 9).

Use the weight of your exact configuration: on its short and long beds alone, the Hi-TECH 450 runs from 16,535 lb to 21,164 lb (p. 12).

None of the five catalogs gives a slab thickness or a foundation requirement. Ask for the builder's requirements for your model before you order, and have a structural engineer check your slab against them and the machine's weight.

Will it fit through the door?

Walk the route from where the truck stops to the machine's spot, and check:

• •Doors. Width and height, against the machine as it will be moved.
• •Overhead. Beams, pipes, lights, sprinklers and power lines along the way.
• •Turns. Every corner and aisle it has to get around.
• •Floor on the way. Trenches, drains, covers and ramps between the door and the spot.
• •Unloading. Where the truck parks, and room to unload it.

Some catalogs give more than one height. Hwacheon lists the VESTA-500T at 116.06 in, and at 91.18 in with the Z axis fixed or its Z-axis servo motor removed (p. 14). Ask which dimensions apply when the machine is moved in.

Our installation work covers rigging, leveling, commissioning and operator training on your floor (see service and parts). Get what your order includes in writing: under Section 16, the proposal signed by both sides is the complete statement of the deal.

Who pays for freight and rigging?

You do. Under Section 3 of our terms of sale, a sale is FOB Arlington, TX: you pay freight and insurance from Arlington, and any demurrage, rigging and unloading charges at your end. We price a machine with freight, rigging and the options you need, so those costs are on your quote.

Shipment dates are not guaranteed (Section 11). If you ask us to hold shipment more than 30 days past the scheduled date, the order becomes subject to invoicing, payment and storage charges from that date, or instead to interest on the unpaid balance at 1-1/2% per month. Have the power, air and floor done before the machine is due, not on the day.

A new machine that is not on our floor is built to order, so ask for the lead time with the quote. Machines already on the floor are listed under machines in stock.

What should be done before delivery day?

1. 1.Power. A supply at the builder's kVA and voltage for your configuration, run to the machine's spot.
2. 2.Electrical extras. Know whether you need a transformer or other equipment, and who supplies it.
3. 3.Air. A line at the catalog's pressure and flow at the spot, if your machine lists air.
4. 4.Floor. The spot laid out to the floor-space figure, and the slab checked by a structural engineer.
5. 5.Path. Doors, overhead, turns and floor measured, and a place for the truck to unload.
6. 6.People. The operators who will run it, available for training on your floor.
7. 7.Paperwork. The proposal read for what it includes, and your tax-exempt form if you have one: provide it and you will not be billed taxes.