News & Events

Top 4 Ways Your Spindle Rebuild Project WILL Benefit From an In-House Grinding Department

Top 4 Ways Your Spindle Rebuild Project WILL Benefit From an In-House Grinding Department

Simply put, a spindle repair company should have the experience and expertise to repair your spindle the right way. But short of sending your spindle to one company or another and hoping the repair goes well, how can you more accurately identify which shops are really the most skilled? One method is to vet the shop’s services and look for a spindle repair company with an in-house grinding department.

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5 Key Reasons Why Your Spindle Repair Shop Should Offer a Spindle Support Program

5 Key Reasons Why Your Spindle Repair Shop Should Offer a Spindle Support Program

After a spindle repair is complete, one of the best tools a repair shop can provide its customers with is a ‘spindle support program.’ This program should offer premium content with reports and recommended corrective actions for incoming spindles, as well as tips, tricks, and how-tos to keep a rebuilt spindle in proper working condition when it is returned to the customer. Unfortunately, while support programs like these are commonplace in most industries, they are rare in the spindle repair business.

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What Does It Mean to Be a Factory Authorized Big Plus Spindle Rebuilder?

What Does It Mean to Be a Factory Authorized Big Plus Spindle Rebuilder?

The ability to rebuild a BIG PLUS spindle is a specialty few spindle repair companies possess. In fact, BIG PLUS spindle rebuilds are such a rare attribute that only nine operations in North America are licensed and authorized as “BIG PLUS spindle rebuilders.

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Hardinge HMTS Show

Hardinge HMTS Show

Northland Tool & Electronics was recently invited to the Hardinge Machine Technology Show 2014 in Elmira, NY where we exhibited as a Technology Partner. Our display was located next to that of BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling, with whom we have partnered for many years to support the BIG-PLUS Spindle System. Big Kaiser is the North American distribution partner of BIG Daishowa Seiki, the originators of the BIG-PLUS dual contact spindle tooling interface. Pictured here are Fred Messmer, Eastern Region Sales Manager for BIG Kaiser, and Northland Tool’s own spindle repair peddler, Givin Owen.

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Summer Recommendations to Extend the Life of Your Spindle

Summer Recommendations to Extend the Life of Your Spindle

Summer Can Mean Stress for Your Spindle Summer is almost here and Northland Tool & Electronics would like to bring a few things to your attention that can help extend the life of your spindles during this season. Check your air dryers: The increased humidity puts higher demands on your air systems, leading to the potential of water getting to your spindle bearings (in oil/air applications). It is much easier and cheaper to address it now with an air dryer than later with a spindle repair. Vacations: This is a common time for employees to leave for weeks at a time.

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The Benefits of a Ceramic Conversion Program by Northland Tool

The Benefits of a Ceramic Conversion Program by Northland Tool

There are many benefits of a ceramic conversion program by Northland Tool & Electronics, including: Service: Our staff will be in contact with you all the way through the spindle repair process, and will make sure the spindle is performing to your satisfaction after delivery. Quality repair: Northland Tool uses only the best materials and skilled technicians in your spindle assembly. Example: NTE has a customer whose router spindles where only lasting 6 to 12 months between repairs. The high repair costs and machine down time were seriously affecting the companies’ profits.

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Okuma Howa 438 spindle repair solutions

Okuma Howa 438 spindle repair solutions

Our customer acquired several Okuma Howa machines from a sister plant that closed. The installation of the machines was anything but smooth. The first problem they ran into was a spindle that was making noise and leaving chatter marks on the parts. We concluded the bearings were worn and pulled the spindle for repair. Our breakdown evaluation found the failure of the rear bearing to be the main cause of failure. Contamination had worked its way through the rear cover into the rear bearing causing the grease in the rear roller bearing to fail. Here is a view of the back cover and the contamination that was present.

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Bryant WBA Grinder Spindle Repair

Bryant WBA Grinder Spindle Repair

Bryant WBA Grinding Spindle 70,000 rpm Thru Tool Coolant An automotive company in the mid-west contacted me regarding their Bryant grinding spindles. Their ID Bryant spindles were only lasting from 1 week to 3 months between repairs. The repair company they were using was voiding the warranties sighting contamination and charging them for full repairs. At $5000.00 or more each repair the costs were adding up. They felt a repair company should be trying to solve the cause of failures and reduce the total repair expenditures. That’s when they called Northland Tool & Electronics.

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Mazak VTC200B Spindle Repair

Mazak VTC200B Spindle Repair

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.

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Northland Tool BIG PLUS Spindle Repair Services

Northland Tool BIG PLUS Spindle Repair Services

Ensure you’re getting the maximum performance from your BIG PLUS tooling by having your spindles repaired by Northland Tool & Electronics. To receive the maximum benefit from your BIG PLUS tooling your spindle must meet the same high quality standards you have come to expect from BIG PLUS. Northland Tool has worked closely with the engineers at BIG Kaiser to develop a repair program exclusively for your BIG PLUS spindles. Special care and attention will be given to the tooling interface, drawbar, bearing journals and balance, insuring that we provide the extreme accuracy required.

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