Mori Seiki SV500 Spindle Repair
Mori Seiki SV500 Spindle Repair
This Mori Seiki spindle was sent to us from a company in Italy to repair. Their sister plant here in the United States has been a customer of ours for spindle rebuild over 20 years.
The spindle was completely disassembled when we received it. At times this makes it difficult to determine the cause of failure but we are able to determine which parts will need to be reworked or replaced in our initial spindle evaluation. Our evaluation showed that the front spindle bearings failed first and were stressed to the point that the inner races split. The drawbar assembly gripper fingers and Belleville washers were worn beyond tolerance. The shaft drive dogs and front cover were damaged from impact. The rear housing was tapered and worn oversize by 25 microns.
We replaced the gripper fingers and Belleville washers to recondition the drawbar assembly. Our machining department repaired the damaged drive dogs. The rear housing and shaft taper where sent to our grinding department where they were green ground, chrome plated then finish ground on one of our Kellenburger ID/OD universal grinders.
Once the reconditioned parts passed our QC process the spindle was released to our clean room for assembly. The shaft was balanced on our schenk balancer and the bearings were installed. Then shaft was gently slid into the housing and the capture was set. After the rest of the spindle was assembled the spindle was placed on our custom test stand for break in and final trim balance. When this was completed the spindle repair was thoroughly tested by our QC personnel to insure micron tolerances are held and the vibration levels were within our standards. View Our Mori Seiki Spindle Repair Page Here.
Gildemeister Spindle Repair
This customer had sent the spindle to a different repair facility previously and was not happy with their work. They decided to send it to us.
We broke down, cleaned and evaluated the overall dimensions of the spindle. The bearings were replaced. We machined the spanner holes in nuts and shaft burr. We then adjusted preload, balanced, assembled and broke in the Gildemeister spindle. This customer was happy with the repair, and their mind was at ease knowing they have a full 1 year warranty.
We recently had a customer inform us that they were trying someone else due to the lead time we quoted them. We understand that from the customer’s point of view that they needed their spindle yesterday, in a manner of speaking. This particular customer did not have a spare and the OEM did not have any in stock. This certainly put the customer in a bind; so they did what they felt they had to in order to minimize downtime. This customer explained to us that they were happy with our quality and prices, and was hesitant to go elsewhere.
From our stand point this spindle had to have a grind chrome plating and finish grind to bring it back to specs; unfortunately this takes some time. The estimated lead time we quoted them was 5-10 business days. We always do our best to get a customer’s spindle back to them as quickly as we can. We understand how important it is to keep their business running smoothly.
They ended up sending the spindle to another vendor, who quoted them a 5 day lead time. This was their lead time for anything sent in regardless of how much work needed to be done.
We received a call from this customer after the spindle had been repaired by the other vendor. The customer let us know the other vendor took 7 weeks to return the spindle. The customer has since sent us another spindle to be rebuilt.
When it comes to turn around time we try our best to get the customer what they want. If we can’t do this we will tell you the truth. The truth hurts sometimes but it is for the best.
GMN TSEV-100SDU Spindle Repair
5,000 RPM
There were a few things that needed repair on this spindle. The grease was washed out of the front bearings. The grippers were missing so we replaced those. A housing rod had bent threads and needed to be replaced. The HSK taper had 20 microns runout which we corrected with a grind chrome plate and regrind bringing it back to specs. The front nuts also needed to be repaired. This was all done, inspected by our quality control department and returned to the customer.
Fuji Lathe Head Spindle Repair
4,000 RPM
This spindle had reached its estimated life span and was sent to us for a preventative maintenance check. We test ran the Fuji spindle on our custom test stand and determined through vibration analysis the bearings were near the end of their lifespan.
We cleaned and inspected the overall dimensions of this Fuji Lathe Head. We replaced the bearings, adjusted the preload, balanced, assembled and broke in the spindle. It was then checked by our QC department and shipped back to the customer.
The Fuji machines at this customer location are very important to their process and can have only limited downtime. By repairing their spindles before catastrophic failure they are able to plan downtime and receive much shorter lead times due to a reduced scope of work needed to repair the spindle.
Spindles sent in for preventative maintenance also receive our standard warranty.
Pibo Multi TRH400-333
3,500 RPM
Our customer has an extensive installation of Pibo Multi spindles. A common cause of failure for this type of spindle is coolant contamination. To protect the spindle from this we evaluate the condition of the labyrinth system on the front end of the shaft systems. The spindle repairs often require a rework or replacement of these parts in order to maximize the contamination prevention properties of this system. Northland Tool & Electronics stocks these parts for many models and we can manufacture them for any repair.
Mazak VTC-16 Spindle Repair
7,000 RPM
This customer wanted a ballpark quote for his spindle repair. He was satisfied with the amount so he sent his spindle in to be thoroughly quoted, which is always a free service. After he received the actual quote he decided to proceed with the repair.
We cleaned and inspected the overall dimensions of the spindle. We discovered that the cause of failure was due to contamination. The taper had 40 microns of runout. The tooling rocked in the taper and the bellevilles were worn.
We replaced the bearings. We also ground, chrome plated and reground the taper. The preload was adjusted. The spindle was balanced, assembled, broke in. It was then checked by our QC department and shipped back to the customer.
Heald 438-100 Spindle Repair
2,600 RPM
In most companies there are several operators working on the same machine. In this case the third shift operator took the spindle apart trying to figure out what was happening with the air purge. He then put the spindle back together. The spindle was making noise and was tight. Our technician spoke with him but was unable to troubleshoot the problem over the phone. The spindle still was not working properly so they sent it to Northland Tool & Electronics for a thorough evaluation.
We determined that this Heald 438-100 spindle had contaminated bearings, and most of the grease was washed out. The shaft face had 10 microns of runout, and needed a kiss grind. View Our Heald Page Here.
Jagura AAL Spindle Repair
55,000 RPM
This customer sent their spindle in for routine maintenance. Once we received the spindle we determined that there was bearing contamination. The shaft taper was out of round, and had 100 microns of runout. The drive pulley had damage from pliers.
We replaced the bearings. The shaft taper was ground plated and reground using our Kellenberger. The shaft pulley was kiss ground as well. We adjusted the preload, balanced, assembled and broke in the spindle. It was then thoroughly checked by our QC department and shipped back to the customer.
It’s a good idea to have your spindle checked before issues appear. At Northland Tool & Electronics we offer preventative maintenance.
Hermle C800U Spindle Repair
Our customer sent in a Hermle 5 axis spindle for repair. They supplied the bearings. They had repaired it themselves 6 months ago. After experiencing such a short spindle life they decided to have it done properly by us.
We determined that there was contamination in both the front and rear. We replaced the bearings. The cause of the premature failure was the rear spacer was not within specifications causing extreme loading to one side of the bearing and low preload to the other. This condition if left unrepaired causes the bearings to wear heavily on one side and the rolling elements to “flutter” on the other. This customer paid our expedited fee and had it back in 3 days.