What's the Difference?

You might wonder what the difference is between the SIEG Mini Lathe and the HiTorque Mini Lathe or between the SIEG Mini Mill and the HiTorque Mini Mill. They share many of the same features. For example, both mini mills incorporate the large X-Y table. (Visit our mini mill or mini lathe comparison pages for more details.) The most significant difference is the drive system. The photos below show the major components of the two drives.

SIEG Drive System	HiTorque Drive System

The SIEG drive on the mini lathe and mini mill incorporates a 350 Watt conventional wound rotor DC motor and PWM controller card. The gears provide two speed ranges to enhance low speed torque because the output torque of a DC drive like this falls off as the motor speed is reduced.	The HiTorque drive system on the mini lathe and mini mill incorporates a 500 Watt brushless DC motor and controller. The wound stator and permanent magnet rotor provide virtually constant torque over the entire speed range. RPM feedback from the motor to the controller helps insure constant speed through varying loads.
See the SIEG machines	See the HiTorque Machines
Why Is the HiTorque Drive Better? Besides simply having more horsepower (500W is 0.67hp, 350W is 0.47hp), the brushless DC drive in the HiTorque mini lathe and mini mill have greater torque, especially at low speeds. Compare the typical torque curves. The HiTorque drive lets you take deeper cuts at all speeds, and the low speed torque makes slow-speed operations like parting off significantly easier. Because of the nearly linear torque curve, the HiTorque drive does not need 2-speed gears. There is one continuous speed range. This means there are no gears to shift and no plastic gears to break.
YouTube Videos These videos provide more information than most of us want to know.
About PWM	About brushless DC motors

What's the Difference?

SIEG Drive System

HiTorque Drive System

Why Is the HiTorque Drive Better?

YouTube Videos