Gene Haas founded Haas Automation, Inc., in 1983 to manufacture the industry’s first fully automatic programmable collet indexer – a device used to position parts for machining with very high accuracy. Designed to increase production in Gene’s own machine shop, the patented Haas 5C collet indexer was a huge success, and over the next four years, the company expanded its product line to include a wide selection of fully programmable rotary tables, rotary indexers, and machine tool accessories.

In 1988, Haas Automation achieved another industry milestone, by introducing the first American-built vertical machining center (VMC) to sell for less than $50,000 – a price unheard of at the time. The Haas VF-1 sold for a published price of $49,900, and quickly became the industry benchmark for affordable CNC technology.

The first VF-1 prototypes were introduced in 1988 at the International Machine Tool Show (IMTS 88) in Chicago, Illinois. The “V” in the model name stands for vertical – an industry-standard designation for a vertical mill – and company founder Gene Haas added “F1” to unofficially designate it as the company’s “Very First One.” That first machine was the foundation of Haas Automation’s industry-leading VF Series vertical machining centers.