Our Engineers’ (and our End-Users’) Favorite Doosan Machines of the 2010s

The 2010s were a decade of exciting growth at Doosan. The breadth of our lineup was increased, and across that entire line, the machines officially compete with the best that Japan has to offer. But if you had to choose just one machine to name as your favorite of the past decade, which one would it be?

Tough question. We asked a couple of our engineers about it, plus an end-user or two. Not surprisingly, they all answered differently.

Paul Anderson, Applications Engineer at Doosan

“My favorite Doosan of the decade is the DVF 5000. Over the last 10 years, we’ve made plenty of machine tool advancements. Quantity, quality, getting our name out there. But the DVF is easily our biggest game changer right now. Where we used to concentrate on lathes, VMCs, our segue into 5-axis has been really positive.”

Paul has worked in machining for 41 years, 38 with CNCs. He’s programmed and run more projects than he can count. His role is to help out the people who are shopping Doosan machines. He optimizes them on the show floor, codes demos and explains features, functions and advantages.

“Doosan machines are phenomenally solid. Always have been,” he said. “But there was a perception that had to change. When we entered the 5-axis market, that perception started to shift. Our first 5-axis machines were very good, but with the DVF 5000, we now have a more customer style machine that can go head-to-head with the other name brand manufacturers.”

When we asked him when he first saw the DVF in action, Paul remembered it clearly. “IMTS 2018. Right away I knew it was different. Whenever a new machine comes out, you ask how it will play in the market, how complicated it is to run, things like that. The DVF 5000 was different. Simpler. I just knew we had a winner.”

Learn more about the DVF 5000, our automation-ready 5-axis VMC.

Jaime Ochs, Supervisor, Applications Engineering at Doosan

“My favorite machine of the decade is probably the SMX 2600ST. The MX and SMX are my all-time favorites, actually. I call them the Swiss Army Knives of the machine world. I can make pretty much anything since they’re fully functional 5-axis mills and fully functional CNC lathes. Capable of high precision machining and truly versatile.”

Just like Paul, Jaime has 41 years in the industry. He mainly worked in aerospace early in his career, and has been an applications guy for the last quarter century. He takes plenty of technical support calls and sets up plenty of Doosan machines for demos (both in our New Jersey showroom and at off-site events), and he’s very good at it. He was introduced to the SMX at IMTS.

“I was tasked with setting it up for the 2018 show,” he said. “I’d been working on different model SMX machines…no lower turret, no right spindle. This machine was special because it was equipped with hydraulic plumbing through the turret, steady rest that increases the capability tremendously for that type of machine.

“I was always looking for a lower turret. I rely on it because the upper path is a milling spindle with ATC. You can put turning tools in it, sure, but it has a longer tool change time than a turret lathe. But the lower turret actually helps with cycle times for turning applications. You can use it as a standard turret lathe, or for multi-tasking, machining something on the right side while you’re machining something else on the left.

“You can do so many things that require a lot of parts handling on other machines, and you don’t have to worry about the integrity of your part. You’re always holding with some fixed point on the machine. You eliminate all the errors associated with parts handling, refixturing, rehandling. Swiss Army machine.”

Read more about the PUMA SMX Series, our infinitely flexible multifunction mill turn centers.

Hear it from Doosan end-users

Sam Cummins, Marketing Director, Griffin Armament

The PUMA 2100SY II machine is a superb model in the single turret sub-spindle Y axis market segment. Its ability to process hard materials with ease and its cabinet size and travels really make it versatile. The half indexing turret feature and 4” Y travel supports custom tooling that we’ve purchased aftermarket or designed to make the machines exceed their original factory intended support and capabilities.

The build quality, production-ready standard options, user-friendly control and service life really make Doosan a great brand to consider for your shop. Ultimately though, dealer support is extremely important in the machine acquisition decision-making process too, and Ellison Technologies has done a great job supporting us—and the Doosan line that they sell. It’s a team effort from the builder to the dealer to the end user to make sure that a shop is productive and profitable.

Read more about the PUMA 2100/2600 Series, and watch Griffin Armament’s PUMA delivery video.

Laurens Wijnschenk-Mauritsz, 3DTechDraw

In the past decade, Doosan machines have made 3DTechDraw what it is today. From the first proper CNC machine in our shop to our latest fully automated 5-axis DVF 5000, Doosan machines have always been part of the 3DTechDraw story. I can’t pick just one. I have to go with at least three.

The NM 510 was the one that started it all. We bought it second-hand and brought it into our shop, and it has been nothing but amazing to us. The VC 630/5AX made the biggest difference in our existence, and we nicknamed it “the Beast” because of its rigidity, spindle power and accurate finished parts it produces. And the DVF gets my vote too, because it took our 5-axis capabilities to another level. Amazing machines.

Read more about the NM, the VC 5AX and the DVF, and follow Laurens on Instagram

Kyle Grob, Founder/CTO, KGmade

What really turned us on to Doosan, as a brand, was our first machine: a Lynx 220LSY. We had previously had another company's lathes and were looking at multi-axis, as our turning intricacy increased.

I talked to a couple people that had Doosan machines and they had nothing but good things to say about them. I gave them a try and haven't looked back since. From the speed to accuracy (we hold tenths, without issue), the Doosan machines are a force to be reckoned with.

We now have two multi-axis lathes, a DNM 5700S and the new Doosan cobot. Safe to say we are a Doosan shop, with no plans of changing.

Read more about Lynx Y-axis machines and follow kgmade on Instagram.