Anyone using Mechatron STC-80 ATC?

[JAZZCNC]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. The ATC unit is 755 Euros. They also do a spindle with ATC as a set for 3000 Euros.

The thing which scares me is mostly the complication of getting all the little bits working together. Adding relay controlled pneumatics, adding a tool holder, telling Mach 3 the location of the tools, probing Z height. I also worry about things like getting the tool to insert reliably each time.

I wouldn't pay 750 euros for that and certainly wouldn't pay 3000. For $2000 you'll get a proper BT30 ATC spindle with tool holders from China.

Controlling them isn't difficult but does require you have plenty of spare I/O. The pneumatics are simple to install and control, it's no more different than controlling a VFD for start stop, you are just controlling outputs at the correct time.

Regards the Mach 3 then you just set the I/O pins for each function, and setup the tool table with the length of tools in the holders. All the magic happens in the M6 tool change macro.
It's in here that you set the location and distance between tools, among other things needed to change tools, when it's all finished with changing tools another macro or bit of code gets executed to probe tool height if needed. However, because all the tools are set in holders you only really need to do this if you break a tool.

The M6 macro is the hardest bit but still it's not rocket science.