Experience with Roland DWX 53DC and DWX 52DCi

[MikeW]

We have one of each, a 52DCI and a 53DC. They are solid mills with their own quirks. We are using Millbox to control them, and the biggest issue we run into is that the Vpanel occasionally gets in a state where it thinks one of the mills is offline and we can no longer output to it without restarting the computer. I have initiated a morning reboot which has, for the most part, alleviated this. As far as the machines go, as long as we keep up with the periodic maintenance, they just keep on running. The 53 was recently replaced as Roland did a "recall" on the original models, we noted that the spindle has some changes (air nozzle placement) and the front panel for the milling chamber has been redesigned (perhaps to keep more material out of the internals). If it helps, we are running Mastercut tools and get ~100 hours per bur. Using the open edge adapter on the 53 allows for saving a lot of material while still getting the interproximal anatomy on large-span bridges. The 53 is faster in all regards than the 52, due to the improved disc changer and faster spindle.
The most important thing is to make sure you find a good vendor who will provide prompt and good support. Our vendor is not good, and our support is lacking. Fortunately, I have a lot of experience with Sum3D and Roland mills going back to the 50D, so I am capable of doing most of the support.

The issue with VPanel dropping into an Offline state is likely related to a bad update. Check with Roland Support to make sure you're running proper Firmware and Vpanel versions. A client of ours was running a beta version of VPanel that was recalled. The issue went away after they reverted back to the latest stable release.

Check to see if any MillBox updates are available. I always recommend updating these two in tandem as updates to VPanel / Firmware can change how the machine moves relative to the CAM's instructions. This can result in unexpected errors or even collisions in more rare circumstances.
It sounds like your knowledge is mostly SUM3D based which is good because underneath the hood, that's what MillBox still is. If you're looking for better support, we can help - levelupcadcam.com

 

[DaveId]

The issue with VPanel dropping into an Offline state is likely related to a bad update. Check with Roland Support to make sure you're running proper Firmware and Vpanel versions. A client of ours was running a beta version of VPanel that was recalled. The issue went away after they reverted back to the latest stable release.

Check to see if any MillBox updates are available. I always recommend updating these two in tandem as updates to VPanel / Firmware can change how the machine moves relative to the CAM's instructions. This can result in unexpected errors or even collisions in more rare circumstances.
It sounds like your knowledge is mostly SUM3D based which is good because underneath the hood, that's what MillBox still is. If you're looking for better support, we can help - levelupcadcam.com

We have had all of the software removed and reinstalled by Roland after our vendor was unable to address the issue. It hasn't fixed anything. Our vendor claims the computer is at fault (they say it is a Windows bug),but that is likely because they didn't sell us the computer. The computer came from Roland with our 52DCi and we saw no reason to replace/upgrade it just to add another mill (it is most certainly fast enough). I update the firmware/Vpanel myself and at the same time. I'd love better support, but my company decided to use the vendor they chose even though I fought them on the decision...

 

[funkyfester]

Looking at getting a DWX 52DCi does this mill have the option for open face milling at 90 degrees?

 

[MikeW]

Looking at getting a DWX 52DCi does this mill have the option for open face milling at 90 degrees?

52DCi does not officially support usage of the C-Clamp fixture because it has to be manually mounted in the mill (The Disc Changer cannot pick it up).
The only way to use the C-Clamp on those machines is to disable the disc changer and manually place the puck.

So, is it possible? Yes. Is is practical? Well, it kind of negates the purpose and benefits of the Disc Changer. If you only do full arches on seldom ocassion, then this could make sense, but if it's all the time - get yourself a machine that has a real C-Clamp like the older generation DWX-51D.

They've even reduced the overall angle with the new 53DC so newer gen mills have been moving a little bit in the wrong direction and ignoring this great capability to get unparraleled facial detail from your parts.