Spindle Replacement: Not Necessarily the Nightmare You Envision

[PracticalMan]

Machine tool spindles are the heart of the machine tool, and the most significant component when it comes to making parts. To meet today’s demands for higher productivity, the spindle must meet higher speed requirements, and deliver increased metal removal rates, longer design life, and improved reliability. Today, machine tools are required to perform a wider variety of tasks—under numerous speeds and load conditions—and to undergo frequent tool changes to keep manufacturers competitive and profitable.

Traditionally, damage caused by spindle impact requires replacement of the entire spindle. This is a very lengthy process, which is extremely costly in the way of downtime, parts and labor. When a machine tool is awaiting spindle repair or replacement, it is not making chips, resulting in significant loss of productivity and therefore profits.

Throughout the life of a machine, most companies will experience machine downtime due to spindle damage and repair. For this reason, spindle design should be modified by machine tool builders to simplify the process of spindle replacement and repair. Today, Toyoda Machinery is the only manufacturer with a modular spindle design, simplifying the replacement process and minimizing downtime.

Bill Gibler, senior spindle technician for Toyoda Machinery, explains that the spindle’s modular design allows individual components to be removed and replaced without the need to replace the whole spindle, getting machine tools up and running again quickly and at a lower cost. The spindles are designed with a removable taper, providing easier access to subassemblies. This intelligent design allows technicians to quickly and easily replace the taper unit in the field, maximizing machine uptime. It also allows for quick changes and accommodation of different types of tooling, allowing customers to match any production requirements with a quick switch. Other benefits include optimized cut times and minimized intervals between operations.

Toyoda’s in-house spindle rebuild department supports a team of engineers, factory-trained to follow the proprietary OEM spindle construction procedures and tolerance dimensions. These processes include strict standards and testing on every component. During performance testing, if any part of the testing process does not meet Toyoda’s rigorous standards, the entire test fails and the unit is disassembled to determine the cause.

“It is increasingly more important to keep U.S. manufacturers successful and profitable,” says Gibler. “With our modular spindle design and rebuild capabilities, machines are up and running as quickly as possible, saving customers costs related to time, parts and labor.”