HEALD SPINDLE REPAIR

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Heald Spindle Repair

Northland Tool has been repairing Heald spindles — also known as Red Head spindles — since 1979. Over our 40+ years of spindle repair, we have incorporated many design changes to improve Heald spindle life, accuracy, lubrication, rigidity, and speed.

James N. Heald was an early 20th-century innovator in the design and building of grinding equipment for the automotive industry. Heald invented a rotary grinder for the sides of piston rings, plus internal grinding machines with a planetary action that overcame many of the problems common to grinding methods of the time. His designs were so well-developed that many of his concepts survive in the grinding machines used today.

Heald Red Head 407 Spindle Repair

Heald Common Issues

From coolant contamination to bearing failure to crashes, Northland knows that there are a variety of issues that can affect the performance of your spindle, and we’re prepared to handle them all. Some common issues that Heald spindles encounter include:

  • Damage from crash
  • Excessive belt tension
  • Pilot damage
  • Pulley damage from tool change
  • Worn housing bearing bores
  • Worn shaft bearing journals
  • Worn treads

Heald Case Studies

Spindle Repair Process

  • C3926E5A-486E-48BC-AAAE-E285B6DAD0F9
    Evaluation
  • 207F0C2E-4EAA-4F39-8293-466CAEE7DA6D
    Quote & Scheduling
  • EDFFE499-9CDB-4BCD-8E82-9C8D04F54EE2
    Assembly & Delivery
  • Upon arrival, we log every spindle into our production tracking software system and any issues associated with transit are noted.
  • Our technicians then carefully break down the spindle into its component parts, note their general condition as well as specific damage, and perform a full dimensional inspection to identify excessive wear.
  • Our production manager performs a second evaluation, during which he/she will try to identify the cause of failure, consult with the head of our grinding and machining departments, and determine any recommendations for preventative measures.
Spindle parts laid out on the ground
Watch Repair
  • Our purchasing department sources all replacement part costs, determines lead times, and generates a quote.
  • Our team gives the quote a final check and communicates it to the customer for approval.
  • Following the customer’s approval, we schedule production and order any parts needed for the repair.
A demo quote for spindle repairs
  • We carefully clean all parts of the spindle and complete any necessary grinding or machining operations.
  • Our highly trained technicians then assemble all spindle components and perform a rigorous break-in process. This includes dynamic balancing and thermal/vibration analysis.
  • After our inspectors perform a final quality control check, our shipping department carefully boxes the spindle and returns it to the customer.
A shipping crate used for transporting finished Spindles back to customers

1 Year Warranty

A spindle being spun and repaired

Our competitive 1 Year Warranty policy ensures that proper workmanship and parts free of defect are used in the repairing or rebuilding of every spindle. The warranty begins as soon as the repaired spindle is shipped from Northland Tool, and is valid for a period of 12 months thereafter. We will replace any parts that prove to be defective under normal use and correct any improper workmanship at no charge to the customer. Please see our full warranty terms for more details.

Your staff is amazing. I dropped off my spindle at the repair facility and I was met by four guys in the shipping and receiving department and they absolutely understood what I needed for my little woodworking spindle it was fixed properly. Everyone was professional machine is back up and running, it works properly no play, not overheating. The machine now cuts better with less noise. I saw other spindles there from Hubble telescope and an aircraft facility. I knew I was in good hands.
— Scott Masi, Chairman Of Maine
I really didn’t expect this; You guys really pulled it off! My many thanks to your outstanding crew for helping us get back into production.
— Dan Eaton, Taylor Metalworks
Its great not to be sending spindles out on a regular basis since you addressed my problems, but I know they will still be coming sooner or later. Never a problem when we get them back , run better than new. Hope everything is ok there. Please tell everyone there that we here appreciate everything that you do to keep us up and running and the quick turnarounds. Have delt with the rest now deal with the best. Have a great week end and up and coming holiday.
— Northland Customer
Thank you NTE just received spindle today and WOW ! what a nice job. Can’t wait to use it. Thank the Northland team for us for a job well done 
— Northland Customer
Both of the spindles that you repaired are on the machines and running great. We don’t have any spares for those grinders. We probably will not be purchasing a spare, as you have been able to turn around the repairs quickly and the price of a spare is cost prohibitive.
— Northland Customer
I am writing to thank Northland Tool for going the extra mile and saving my company from expensive machine downtime and expensive repairs. We have always sent our Chiron spindles for repair as a shaft with bearings. None of our previous rebuilders pointed out the bearing fretting or the fact that the housing in the machine was out of tolerance and causing premature failure to the spindles. After Northland fixed the housings the spindles have never sounded as good or run as well! Great job guys!
— Northland Customer
The detailed cause of failure reports and the expert technical advice that Northland Tool provides is bar none the best I have ever seen. We struggled to keep two of our large our milling spindles running for longer than 6 to 12 months. Northland Tools evaluation showed that the hydraulic nuts were not holding the assembly together causing premature spindle failure. We discussed this in detail and mutually decided to modify the spindle shaft to prevent this from occurring again. The first spindle we performed this on is still in the machine running like new after 3 years. That’s over three times the life of previous repairs and it’s still going strong. Easily over $40,000.00 of savings so far on that one machine and counting.
— Northland Customer
Your people go above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to spindle repair. When we had difficulty with the spindle installation and we were able to talk directly to a spindle technician that helped us troubleshoot the issue it helped us out of a bind. We have sent several spindles to you and have nothing but great things to say.
— Northland Customer
Thank you for your attention with my quick turn spindle repair. Your status updates allowed me to plan around machine downtime and I now know that you deliver on your promises. In the past other spindle repair vendors talked a big game and consistently failed to deliver. You not only delivered my spindle before the due date but you kept me informed throughout the entire repair process.
— Northland Customer
You performed a miracle with my BIG PLUS spindle. After crashing the spindle severely damaging the taper we found that a replacement spindle was not only cost prohibitive but had a long delivery. Your repair was a fraction of the cost of new and you never would know that the spindle was damaged to the extent it was.
— Northland Customer
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