California-based Haas Automation Inc. built its reputation by developing high-quality machine tools, building them domestically, and delivering them affordably. When it introduced its VF-1 vertical machining center in 1988 it was available for just under $50,000 — “a price unheard of at the time,” Haas said recently.
Recently, Haas reported it has produced the 125,000th Haas CNC machine tool, a 2012 VF-1 vertical machining center that will be delivered to a shop in The Philippines.
In addition to vertical machining centers, Haas Automation designs and builds horizontal machining centers, CNC lathes, and rotary products. It also has various specialty machines available, including 5-axis machining centers, moldmaking machining centers, toolroom machines, and gantry routers.
All Haas products are built in the company’s 1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Southern California, and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets (HFOs) that provide the industry’s best sales, service and support.
While the original VF-1 was the model that launched the Haas legacy nearly 25 years ago, the new edition is a far more technically advanced design that demonstrates how far Haas Automation has progressed. The original machine featured 20 × 16 × 20 in. travels, a 7.5-hp (peak) spindle motor, speeds up to 5,000 rpm, brush-style servomotors on all axes, 480-ipm rapids, and a 16-tool ATC. Its Haas CNC control had 128 K of program memory, and a maximum processing speed of 20 blocks per second. Additional options were essentially non-existent.
Haas said the current VF-1 “is easily 10 times the machine as its 1988 namesake.” It still has travels of 20 × 16 × 20 in., but now it offers a 30-hp (peak) spindle with a high-performance vector drive, speeds to 8,100 rpm standard, brushless servos on all axes, 1,000-ipm rapids, and a 20-tool ATC. The current Haas CNC control offers 1 MB of program memory (eight times more than in 1988) and provides processing speeds up to 1,000 blocks per second (or 50 times faster than in 1988.)
Numerous high-productivity options are available for these base-model details, Haas stated.
The machine builder made a particular point about the value of its new machine: the first Haas VF-1 had a suggested retail price of $49,900 (equivalent to $94,880 now, adjusted for inflation), while the 2012 VF-1 lists for $45,995 (about $24,190 in 1988 dollars.)
