Our Blog - See Examples of Spindles We've Repaired

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Welcome to our blog. Here, you'll find examples of spindles we've repaired in the past. We explain what was wrong, have images, videos and more. If you're looking for more specific brand information, or can't find a brand click here, or try the "brands" link above.

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    • Mitsubishi Spindle Repair

    Mitsubishi Spindle Repair

    Mitsubishi machine tool referred an aerospace customer to us. The customer had sent the large milling spindle to one of our competitors and the spindle failed shortly after installation. Our spindle repair competitor refused to cover the spindle under warranty even though the spindle failed within days of the installation.

    When the spindle arrived we were tasked with finding the cause of failure. Here is what we found:

    The front shaft journal was egg shaped and badly scored causing stress to the bearing

    Shaft Damage

    The front housing was badly egg shaped and scored causing stress to the bearing

    Housing Damage

    The damage to the shaft and housing were indicative of extremely poor bearing installation practices.

    The bearing spacers were scored during the installation causing a non-parallel condition which leads to premature bearing failure.

    This spindle had a hydraulic rotor. It was also installed improperly causing scoring to the shaft and rotor and bending the shaft.

    The rear cover was in contact with the rear nut causing metal debris to enter the bearings.

    The bearings were not installed in the proper orientation causing a lack of lubrication to the front quad set of bearings.

    As you can see our competitor was not equipped to perform this repair and actually caused additional damage to the spindle when they worked on it. We have been repairing spindles for over thirty one years and have gained the knowledge and equipment to perform your repair properly. Don’t loose money and machine production time to a company who offers empty promises that they are qualified. Ask for references, warranty policy and make sure you feel comfortable with the company you’re dealing with before you send the spindle for repair.

    Categories: Aerospace Industry,CNC Spindles,Mitsubishi Spindle,Problem Solving Case Studies

    Sandy @ 11:28 am


    Smith Renaud BA-0025

    Smith Renaud BA-0025 Spindle Repair

    Northland Tool & Electronics has been rebuilding these Smith Renaud spindles for our customer for over 15 years. When we first started our repair program with them we would get 2 to 4 spindles to repair per month. We worked closely with them to eliminate main causes of failure. As you can see in the picture we added an air purge system to the front and rear of the spindle along with making changes to the labrynth systems. We also reconditioned the shaft and housing journal fits to bring them back to OEM specifications.

    15 years later we receive 1 spindle every 2 to 3 years from them to repair. We have earned a customer for life and they have saved countless dollars in spindle repair and increased output due to less machine downtime and better part quality.

    Categories: Automotive Industry,contamination prevention,Problem Solving Case Studies,Smith Renaud Spindle Repair,Spindle Modifications,Spindle Repair Programs

    Sandy @ 6:40 am


    Mazak VTC200B
    Mazak VTC200B

    Mazak VTC200B

    12,000 rpm
    40 taper
    Oil Mist Lubrication
    This customer has multiple Mazak VTC200B machines in their facility that were experiencing frequent spindle failures. We disassembled the first spindle and found that the design was very poor. The nut for the rear bearings was hydraulic and had the long shaft that attaches to the drive motor bolted to it. The problem with this setup occurs if there is any misalignment with the drive motor, any vibration in the drive motor or if any number of ground surfaces are not virtually perfect. Any flaws in these areas subjects stress directly to the rear bearing causing premature failure. To compound these issues the drawbar system that requires significant forces to function is included in this assembly.
    We discussed these findings with our customer and mutually decided the best course of action was to replace the shaft, hydraulic nut and drive motor tube. This was the only way to insure proper fits and run outs. Special care will also need to be taken during the installation process to insure proper alignment and balance.   
    Categories: CNC Machining Industry,CNC Spindles,Mazak Spindles,Problem Solving Case Studies

    Sandy @ 10:53 am


    OKK HM40
    OKK HM40

    OKK HM40

    Conversion from ceramic to steel
    One of our long time customers had this spindle fail recently. They use the spindle to rough out parts and are only running it at a fraction of its top rated speed. We discussed the repair with them and decided that replacing the ceramic bearings with steel would not only save them money but would increase the spindles lifespan in the machine. The steel balls in the bearings are less likely than their ceramic counterparts to brinell the raceways during high load situations.
    Categories: Automotive Industry,CNC Spindles,Milling Spindles,OKK Spindles,Problem Solving Case Studies

    Sandy @ 12:28 pm


    Mazak H630
    Mazak H630

    Mazak H630

    This spindle was exchanged with the OEM the last time it failed. Our customer came to us because it failed prematurely and the OEM would not cover the repair under warranty.

    When we received the spindle and evaluated it we determined that when the spindle was exchanged the new spindle they installed had air purge capabilities. Their machine did not have this option and the OEM did not plug the air input hole. This gave coolant a direct path to the bearings and led to the spindle failure.  We placed a removable plug in the air purge and gave instructions to our customer for the installation of an air purge system.

    Categories: Automotive Industry,Mazak Spindles,Milling Spindles,Problem Solving Case Studies

    Sandy @ 10:09 am


    Toyo HFB03
    Toyo HFB03

    Toyo HFB03

    30,000 rpm
    This spindle was crashed causing the bearings to brinell. This spindle was critical to our customers process and they called us for an immediate turn around. We were able evaluate the spindle the day it was delivered. Our technician worked overnight assembling the spindle. The parts that were needed were pulled from our large stock of bearings and spindle parts inventory. Our customer was able to pick this spindle up at 6:00 am the next day. We saved our customer valuable production time and most likley retained their customer for them.  
    Categories: Automotive Industry,Emergency Repair,Grinding Spindles,Problem Solving Case Studies,Toyo Spindles

    Sandy @ 11:55 am


    Studer Oil bearing
    Studer Oil bearing

    Studer Oil bearing

    Our customer was having difficulty holding tolerances on their Studer grinder. They were able to narrow down the issue to the spindle assembly but they were not sure exactly what was causing the inconsistencies.
    We had them ship both the oil bearing spindle and the ball bearing spindle that drives it. Our test run found that both spindles were out of acceptable tolerance levels and were probably both to blame for the problems. We rebuilt both spindles and test ran them as an assembly. Our extensive testing as an assembly insures our customer will get the optimum performance from their Spindles and their Studer grinder.
    Categories: Grinding Spindles,Hydrodynamic spindles,Hydrostatic Spindles,Oil bearing spindles,Problem Solving Case Studies,Studer Spindles

    Sandy @ 1:33 pm


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