HTC-400 spindle oil air leak?

Volitan · Apr 16, 2013

We are getting an air pressure down alarm several seconds after turning the spindle on, I think since I hear air leaking when the spindle turns on it has to do with the oil/air lubrication in there. It's not the air blast.

I opened up the cover on top of the spindle and I can feel air coming out from the back of the spindle.

Am I gonna have to take the spindle apart? Anyone have this before?

Volitan · Apr 16, 2013

(just thinking out loud here (sort of))

It looks like way lube gets sent to a mixing valve where air and oil get mixed and sent to the bearings and gear. Why would so much air be going through the system that it shoot out the back of the spindle? Bad mixing valve? hmmm

Tom3197 · Apr 16, 2013

I'd have a hard time believing its those little spindle lube lines. Are you sure its not the airblast line connection under the cover in there? Those little spindle lube lines are attached to the back of the spindle thru brass ferrule fittings... can't really see them leaking unless you have a broken line in front of that. Even then, I wouldn't expect it to be a big enough leak to cause a problem because those lines aren't really restricted at any point, they just blow the same oil/air mix regardless at that low pressure.

You should see a maybe 3/8" diameter black (black on mine at least) air line for the air blast with a fitting in the end that screws into a bracket off the back of the spindle, I'd check there first. Is this a direct drive spindle or gear drive?

That's about all I can tell ya, other than that you'd have to call a spindle guy to ask if there could be another leak involving the lube lines. I just can't see how those would cause any sort of alarm even if you had a line broken somewhere.

Volitan · Apr 16, 2013

Tom3197 said:
I'd have a hard time believing its those little spindle lube lines. Are you sure its not the airblast line connection under the cover in there? Those little spindle lube lines are attached to the back of the spindle thru brass ferrule fittings... can't really see them leaking unless you have a broken line in front of that. Even then, I wouldn't expect it to be a big enough leak to cause a problem because those lines aren't really restricted at any point, they just blow the same oil/air mix regardless at that low pressure.

You should see a maybe 3/8" diameter black (black on mine at least) air line for the air blast with a fitting in the end that screws into a bracket off the back of the spindle, I'd check there first. Is this a direct drive spindle or gear drive?

That's about all I can tell ya, other than that you'd have to call a spindle guy to ask if there could be another leak involving the lube lines. I just can't see how those would cause any sort of alarm even if you had a line broken somewhere.

Turns out there are no leaks that aren't supposed to be there. It's not the airblast though. It looks like it is a bad pressure switch for the spindle bearing lube. Mazak helped me check it over the phone.

Volitan · Apr 16, 2013

The wire for the switch was laid against the flag for homing Y, so whenever Y went home it would move the wire down. Eventually it broke:

Volitan · Apr 16, 2013

I don't think that was done at the factory though. We had a tech in here years ago working on the machine. This is what I found inside the box where the switch was wired to. A screw wasnt put back and was just laying there.

Search

Largest Manufacturing Technology Community on the Web

Search

HTC-400 spindle oil air leak?

Volitan

Hot Rolled

Volitan

Hot Rolled

Tom3197

Hot Rolled

Volitan

Hot Rolled

Volitan

Hot Rolled

Volitan

Hot Rolled

Similar threads