Category: Spindle Repair

In high-end manufacturing, any machine tool with moving parts will inevitably need to be repaired or replaced. If the machine is improperly maintained, usage over time can cause wear in to critical components. Damaged spindles negatively affect machine performance and can hinder other key systems. It’s essential to catch spindle wear and damage early and conduct necessary repairs before equipment reaches the point of total failure. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to optimize your machine’s health and extend its usable life.

Proper Staff Training

One of the best ways to keep your equipment in top condition is to ensure it is being used correctly. Operational habits have a significant impact on machine health and performance. Incorrect machine settings such as improper feed rate, excessive loads, improper electrical settings, improper belt tension, lubricant contamination and improper lube rates can all cause unnecessary wear and/or damages to the equipment. Ensuring that your machine operators have read the equipment manuals and are following standard operating protocol will significantly extend the life of your spindles.

Monitor Your Machine’s Bearings

Spindle Bearings are one of the most common points of failure within a spindle. When bearings begin to fail, the machine’s overall performance suffers, and it often causes problems in other parts of the equipment. To extend the life of your bearings, train your staff to spot the most common causes of failure.

Contamination: Contaminants can find their way into bearings through many paths. One of the most common sources of contamination is a misdirected part coolant nozzle. High pressure air guns are another common source of contamination. Running positive air pressure/air purge for 30 to 60-minutes after shutting down equipment along with conducting a visual examination of the nozzle’s direction is a great way to prevent contamination.

Overload: Overload is the result of excessive forces placed on a spindle during operation. It is often caused by maintenance errors, improper feed rates, and incorrect belt tension. When a machine operates with an overload, excessive friction can cause overheating and lead to significant damage. Training your staff to adhere to the correct load and speed ratings for your specific spindle is the best way to avoid overload.

Imbalance: Spindle imbalance is usually caused by using unbalanced tooling. The use of unbalanced tooling significantly reduces the precision of spindle and causes damage to the spindle bearings and other critical components. Make sure all your tools and spindles have a regular balancing schedule to improve lifespan and performance.

Drawbar retention force: When the drawbar springs or Belleville washers’ fatigue and wear over the course of time and use, they lose their retention force which can cause chatter and undue wear on the tools in use. Periodically check tool retention with a retention force gauge replace defective drawbar components as necessary.

Use Predictive Maintenance Data

Utilizing predictive maintenance data can significantly improve your machine maintenance program. We have access to predictive maintenance data acquired by IIoT enabled devices that provide detailed insights into the spindle lifecycle. Vibration analysis is a very popular tool to diagnose a variety of spindle issues including imbalance, bearing issues, and looseness within rotating machinery. A vibration monitoring system can be temporarily mounted on equipment for periodic checks or it can be permanently mounted to receive real-time machine-health updates.

To learn more about how you can extend your spindle life or to schedule a professional repair, contact GTI Spindle Technology today.

About GTI Spindle Technology
At GTI Spindle Technology, we specialize in high-quality spindle diagnosis and repair. Getting your business back into full operation and minimizing downtime is our mission. We offer in-house, on-site, and emergency assistance for machine tool spindle failure analysis, spindle repair, and complete spindle testing. With an extensive range and expertise in a diverse group of industries, our customers know that they are getting the highest quality of spindle repair and customer service. Click here to find out more.

Computer numerical control (CNC) machines are used extensively in manufacturing to automate many processes that would otherwise be performed manually. As a result, CNC driven machines increase productivity, reduce waste, and even minimize the risk of human error. However, due to the high degree of precision that CNC machines achieve, every piece of the equipment must be maintained to the highest standard. That’s why CNC manufacturers turn to independent spindle repair companies to get the most out of their equipment.

The Tolerances are Tight
The industry-standard tolerance for CNC machines is +/- 0.005″, but some industries require even tighter tolerances. For many manufacturers, it’s not unusual to machine parts with tolerances of +/- 0.002″. As a frame of reference, an average piece of paper is about 0.003″ thick. To ensure production accuracy within the thickness of a piece of paper every part of the equipment has to be finely tuned and professionally maintained. Lubrication, debris, vibration, and moisture issues can all damage spindles and reduce the efficiency of the CNC machine over time and diminish the accuracy in the short term. For industries with especially stringent tolerances and high stakes (such as aerospace manufacturing), ensuring consistency literally saves lives. GTI holds tolerances of 0.0001″ or better on all repairs that we conduct.

The Cost of Disruption is Prohibitive
As with all manufacturing, the cost of breakdowns in CNC production can be enormous. From repair expenses to ballooning labor fees and lost productivity. There is nothing more terrifying to a manufacturer than unplanned downtime. While this is just as true on the final product assembly line, the fact remains that in CNC manufacturing the expectations are higher, and the cost of the equipment is significant. CNC machines are state of the art and having one out of operation due to a broken spindle represents a significant investment loss. Professional, independent spindle repair companies can often diagnose and fix problems in machining, grinding, turning, and boring spindles faster than OEMs and get the manufacturer back into operation. 

Technology Advances Faster Than Manufacturers Can Keep Up
Studies show that CNC machining is on the rise with some predicting the overall CNC market to reach 100 billion by 2025. As this equipment evolves and becomes more integrated with IoT enabled devices it will be essential for manufacturers to have spindle repair experts to stay apprised of developments. Independent spindle repair companies with an expertise in predictive maintenance programs such as vibration analysis and thermography will be vital to stay competitive in an ever-evolving global marketplace.

For quick and professional spindle repair for all major brands of CNC machines contact the professionals at GTI Spindle Technology today.

About GTI Spindle Technology
At GTI Spindle Technology, we specialize in high-quality spindle diagnosis and repair. Getting your business back into full operation and minimizing downtime is our mission. We offer in-house, on-site, and emergency assistance for machine tool spindle failure analysis, spindle repair, and complete spindle testing. With an extensive range and expertise in a diverse group of industries, our customers know that they are getting the highest quality of spindle repair and customer service. Click here to find out more.

For years many maintenance technicians would wait until a spindle seized completely before taking action, and some would only find out a spindle is failing when the QA department decided to scrap the previous production run due to manufacturing defects. This kind of reactive maintenance approach can cost valuable time and tens of thousands of dollars in labor, material, and repair costs. It’s also detrimental to the long-term health of the machine.

Fortunately, thanks to advances in predictive maintenance, and our decades of experience in high-tech spindle repair, we’ve developed various methods of monitoring machine health that can prevent breakdowns from happening in the first place and extend the life of your machines.

Proper Documentation is Essential
The value of proper training cannot be overstated. However, it’s not enough to train on how to perform basic spindle maintenance–you must also train your staff on why they’re performing the maintenance in the first place. The first step to knowing what’s going to happen is to observe what has already happened. This is why proper and detailed documentation of machine health is so essential.

Start by devising a plan. What skills are essential to maintain your most important equipment? Prioritize operation-critical machines first and expand incrementally. Utilize a third-party spindle repair service to make sure your staff is staying apprised of the latest technology and techniques. Ask your staff what skills they are most lacking. Having your entire maintenance team involved in the conversation is the best way to convey the importance of proper, continuous training.

Stop, Look, and Listen
Your machine operators are your first line of defense against early machine death. Ensuring that the crew members who interact with the spindles on a daily basis know the warning signs of machine health problems is essential to stay ahead of breakdowns. Scheduling regular visual inspections and utilizing checklists of high-priority areas, is a great way to streamline the inspection process. Ensure your personnel understand what each of the machine’s gauges means and when a readout suggests trouble. Every piece of equipment has acceptable operating parameters for oil level, temperature, pressure, etc., and if a machine is running outside those limits it can be a major red flag.

Train your operators to know what good machines sound like. Most people understand that grinding, squeaking and other irregular noises are indicators of a problem, but knowing what kind of problem these sounds suggest isn’t as common knowledge. For the record, these noises are all indicative of damaged bearings. Leaks or debris build-up around seals should be caught quickly, but often go ignored when machine operators don’t designate time to inspect the equipment. We recommend training your staff to be familiar with the guidelines below for proper spindle installation and inspection.

PROPER SPINDLE INSTALLATION OVERVIEW

• Trim Balance
• Vibration Baseline
• Blow out debris lube lines
• Inspect tool retention
• Alignment and Runout baseline
• Monitor Temperature
• Belt tension and transmitted vibration

SPINDLE/MACHINE INSPECTION

• Coolant Temperature and Flow
• Spindle Operating Temperature
• Vibration Baseline (balance
• alignment and bearings)
• Lube flow and settings (except
• for grease spindles)
• Air purge setting
• Drawbar tooling retention
• Tooling/taper runout and fit

We understand that manufacturing floors are busy places but ensuring that your team has enough time to stop, look, and listen to their equipment can save tens-of-thousands of dollars in the long-run.

Utilize Vibration Analysis
Utilizing vibration analysis programs is one of the most important things you can do to stay competitive. While the algorithms in these smart programs are impressive, they are nothing on their own. Proper vibration analysis, just like all tools, requires insight and experience to get the best results. Your staff must understand which metrics are relevant to your equipment and know what the data means to make informed decisions. The best preventative maintenance programs rely on the staff members’ insight and training to work in tandem with the software. Vibration data starts with a baseline measurement and tracks trends over time to detect problems. Properly trained maintenance staff should be aware of the proper data collection protocols below.

• Always measure at the same speed and the same load.
• Know how to set up the optimal conditions for measurement.
• Conduct monthly data collection during a maintenance shut down or shift change.
• Keep machine measurement routes short and easy to finish.
• For most spindles, a single measurement point per spindle will give you a good trend.
• Data can be collected from permanently mounted vibration sensors.

Once a vibration analysis program is established other data points, such as temperature or lubrication, can be utilized to provide even more accurate predictions.

When you do send your equipment to a third-party spindle repair provider, ensure you’re using a company that can provide a vibration certification report. If your installed vibration readings are significantly different from the shop report, then there could be other components in the system that are contributing to the vibration problems.

To get the most out of your machines, and make breakdowns a thing of the past, contact the professionals at GTI Spindle Technology today.

About GTI Spindle Technology
At GTI Spindle Technology, we specialize in high-quality spindle diagnosis and repair. Getting your business back into full operation and minimizing downtime is our mission. We offer in-house, on-site, and emergency assistance for machine tool spindle failure analysis, spindle repair, and complete spindle testing. With an extensive range and expertise in a diverse group of industries, our customers know that they are getting the highest quality of spindle repair and customer service. Click here to find out more.

Unplanned downtime is universally agreed to be the kiss of death in manufacturing. When machines aren’t running, operating costs rise and revenue plummets. Many things can cause downtime, but machine breakdowns are often the most expensive. Most companies have experienced at least one incident of unplanned downtime in the past three years, which can cost as much as $22,000 per minute. The source of this headache is usually the result of poor planning and a lack of knowledge about proper machine maintenance. As many as 70% of companies don’t fully understand when their equipment is due for maintenance, or replacement.

Prevent Serious Breakdowns

Many of the most common types of spindle failures are the result of improper maintenance. Spindle bearing failure often occurs due to contamination, low lubrication, or improper mounting. Improper maintenance can lead to full bearing failure. Similarly, a damaged spindle taper can cause major machine issues, and drawbar failures often lead to problems with actuators, gripper arms, and a host of other components. This is why it’s essential to swiftly conduct proper maintenance when issues present themselves. A trained spindle repair technician can identify the warning signs for the most common problems and advise when it’s time to replace any damaged parts. These routine check-ups often prevent major breakdowns from happening.

Quick Turnaround

Strategic shut-downs to conduct routine spindle service or replace worn-down parts can be done in a fraction of the time it takes to repair a machine after it’s suffered major damage. This is one reason why routine maintenance is so critical to reducing expenses. Replacing a worn-down part can prevent the need to replace an entire piece of equipment, and it speeds up the turnaround time for machine repairs. To reduce lag-times during shipping, some service providers conduct onsite maintenance, perform equipment tests, and do overall inspections to measure how a machine compares to OEM specs. These onsite checkups by spindle repair professionals can catch problems before they cripple the production line.

Predictive Maintenance Insight

GTI Spindle, partnered with GTI Predictive, has access to predictive maintenance data through IoT devices that can provide more accurate insight into the spindle life-cycle. This valuable information can serve as a better guideline for routine maintenance than OEM recommendations. Spindle repair technicians can even go the extra step to get your company on the right track to building a preventative maintenance program. Their experience with IoT-based automated data collection reduces the time needed to diagnose problems and increases workers’ productivity.

Contact the professionals at GTI Spindle Technology to learn how you can leverage our expertise and spindle repair services to reduce downtime and improve machine productivity.

About GTI Spindle Technology

At GTI Spindle Technology, we specialize in high-quality spindle diagnosis and repair. Getting your business back into full operation and minimizing downtime is our mission. We offer in-house, on-site, and emergency assistance for machine tool spindle failure analysis, spindle repair, and complete spindle testing. With an extensive range and expertise in a diverse group of industries, our customers know that they are getting the highest quality of spindle repair and customer service. Click here to find out more.

Unplanned manufacturing downtime is almost always the result of machine failure. Highly expensive, it’s imperative that manufacturers quickly identify the source of the failure and make necessary repairs to keep costs low and minimize the effects of delayed production schedules. By understanding various types of spindle failures and what causes them, manufacturers will be better prepared to handle unplanned downtime, if not prevent the situation altogether.

Drive Motor Failure
Many potential factors can contribute to drive motor failure. One of the most common, overheating contributes to around 55% of all drive motor failures and can be prevented by keeping the operating environment as cool as possible. Contamination plays another significant role in motor failures. Where contaminants like dust, dirt, and other chemicals can damage internal components, increased vibration and cooling fan blockage may contribute to the decline of the machine.

To reduce the likelihood of drive motor failure, manufacturers should aim to keep work environments clean and cool to minimize the potential for contaminants and overheating. Manufacturers should also employ predictive maintenance tools like thermography and vibration analysis applications to identify at-risk machines and schedule repairs with professional technicians before the device fails.

Ball Screw Failure
Like drive motors, many factors can cause a ball screw to fail. In addition to misalignment and environmental contamination, improper lubrication is a prominent contributor to ball screw failures. In its absence, poor lubrication will result in metal-to-metal wear and significantly reduce the life of the screw, leading to various related problems down the line. Another leading cause of ball screw failure is excessive acceleration past the screw’s critical speed, resulting in misalignment and unwanted vibration.

The best way to mitigate ball screw problems before they result in unplanned downtime, aside from keeping work environments clean, is to consult professional technicians and employ predictive maintenance solutions.

Time Is Money
In manufacturing, this age-old saying holds true. Resolving unplanned downtime quickly to avoid accruing any additional expenses and further delaying production schedules requires immediate action. Schedule necessary spindle repairs with the knowledgeable technicians at GTI Spindle Technology for quick turnarounds and solutions that not only allow you to resume production but also prolong the life of your machines and their ability to operate at peak efficiency.

About GTI Spindle Technology
At GTI Spindle Technology, we specialize in high-quality spindle diagnosis and repair. Getting your business back into full operation and minimizing downtime is our mission. We offer in-house, on-site, and emergency assistance for machine tool spindle failure analysis, spindle repair, and complete spindle testing. With an extensive range and expertise in a diverse group of industries, our customers know that they are getting the highest quality of spindle repair and customer service. Click here to find out more.