Catastrophic bearing failure was the main cause of this spindle malfunction Continue reading to learn how Northland Tool performed this repair and converted a Weiss GHK 176239 spindle from grease-injected to permanent grease lubrication……
Read MoreHitachi Seiki Spindle Repair
Hitachi Seiki was a Japanese builder of CNC milling and turning machines targeted at the automotive manufacturing market until the[...]
Continue ReadingHitachi Seiki was a Japanese builder of CNC milling and turning machines targeted at the automotive manufacturing market until the demise of the company in 2002. Although Mori Seiki took over the machine tool line and briefly produced several machines under the Mori Seiki Hitech nameplate, support for the original Hitachi Seiki machines was extremely limited.
Northland Tool & Electronics has been supporting Hitachi Seiki spindles since the beginning (over 30 years!) and we have amassed prints, parts and the knowledge to repair most types of Hitachi Seiki spindles. This allows us to guarantee quick turn around on the spindle repair to make sure you are up and running in the shortest time period possible.
[...]CASE STUDIES
Upon arrival, every spindle is logged into our production tracking software system. Any issues associated with incoming condition as related to transit are noted.[...]
Continue ReadingThe spindles are prioritized and moved to either the disassembly technicians or to the spindle run-up room, depending on the circumstances. Our techs carefully break down the spindle into its component parts while meticulously noting their general condition as well as specific damage to them. They also photograph the process and perform a full dimensional inspection to identify excessive wear which may help identify the cause of failure.
Once the initial disassembly and evaluation are completed, the spindle is given a second look by our production manager who reviews & completes the evaluation. He will identify the mode of failure and all pertinent issues, as well as recommended corrective actions. Many evaluations are not complete until the production manager consults with the head of our grinding & machining department. We often have recommendations for additional steps the customer can take to prevent premature spindle failure in the future. We call on our 30 plus years of experience rebuilding spindles to come to these conclusions.
After our purchasing department sources all replacement part costs & lead times, the quote is generated, given a final check and communicated to the customer for approval. Once we have received the approval, production is scheduled and parts are ordered. All spindle parts are carefully cleaned and any grinding or machining operations are completed. Only when all components are available and qualified does the spindle proceed to our spindle assembly technicians. These highly trained professionals assemble all the spindle components and then perform a rigorous break-in process which may include dynamic balancing as well as thermal & vibration analysis depending on the type of spindle. After a final quality control check is performed, the spindle is given back to our shipping department, carefully boxed to minimize the possibility of in-transit damage and shipped back to you, our customer.
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MODELS WE REPAIR
At Northland, we take pride in our expert knowledge of every brand we repair-please see the list of models we repair below. If you do not see your particular model please contact us, we have probably repaired one just like it in our over 30 years of spindle rebuilding:
- Hitachi Seiki HC400A
- Hitachi Seiki HC630
- Hitachi Seiki HC800
- Hitachi Seiki HG500
- Hitachi Seiki HG800
- Hitachi Seiki HG400II
- Hitachi Seiki HG500II
- Hitachi Seiki HG630II
- Hitachi Seiki HG400-III
- Hitachi Seiki HS300
- Hitachi Seiki HS500
- Hitachi Seiki HS630
- Hitachi Seiki VA40
- Hitachi Seiki VA50
- Hitachi Seiki VK45
- Hitachi Seiki VK55
- Hitachi Seiki VK65
- Hitachi Seiki VK85
- Hitachi Seiki VK45-II
- Hitachi Seiki VK55-II
- Hitachi Seiki VK65-II
- Hitachi Seiki VM40
- Hitachi Seiki VM50
- Hitachi Seiki VM40-II
- Hitachi Seiki VM40-III
- Hitachi Seiki VS50
- Hitachi Seiki VS50 B
- Hitachi Seiki VS60
- Hitachi Seiki MACC MATIC 48VGb
- Hitachi Seiki MG 2500-H
- Hitachi Seiki 2ML-9
- Hitachi Seiki 2ML-P
- Hitachi Seiki MS-400H
COMMON PROBLEMS
One of the most common causes of failure on Hitachi Seiki spindles is excessive wear of the mating parts of the rotary union which can allow through-spindle coolant to find its way to the interior of the spindle. This condition if ignored can cause not only bearing failure, but can also make it necessary to grind, plate & finish grind one or more bearing journals and in some cases rewind of the stator.
To avoid this failure replace the worn rotary union parts during every spindle change. You should also be sure that the pressure in your rotary union system is up to specification. Insufficient pressure will result in the two precision-ground mating surfaces of the rotary union not being forced together enough to prevent leakage.
- Rotary Union Failure One of the most common causes of failure on Hitachi Seiki spindles is worn rotary union parts. This causes the through tool coolant to leak from its passageway and it often time finds its way to the interior of the Hitachi Seiki spindle. This causes bearing failure and stator damage. It is not uncommon that failures due to rotary union failure involve a stator rewind and grind plate grind to the bearing journal. To avoid this failure replace the worn rotary union parts during every spindle change. You also want to make sure the pressure in your rotary union system is up to specification. Reduced pressure can cause leakage, as the two mating parts of the rotary union will not be forced together enough to prevent leakage.
- Spacer Damage From Loss of Preload Spacer damage can occur if bearing preload is lost or if the spindle is run after bearing damage has occurred. Depending on the severity of the damage the repair of the spacer can range from rework to manufacture of replacement parts.
- Shaft Fretting When two mating parts, in this case the spindle shaft and pulley, are not within specification fretting will occur. The evidence of this is the brown almost rust colored discoloration. This area of the shaft was worn down from the micro machining that occurs when the two parts are allowed to move against each other. The shaft in this particular spindle repair was undersized and needed to be ground plate ground to bring it back to OEM tolerance.
In this helpful guide to spindle bearing preload, Northland Tool & Electronics will answer all the basic questions about your spindle bearing preload calculations.
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