CNC spindle maintenance is treated as a dirty, boring, and often overlooked job. A clean spindle is essential for proper taper contact between the spindle and v-flange toolholder. Build-up of chips, dust, and oil in the spindle can jeopardize taper contact and result in premature wear, repair downtime, and even CNC machine breakdown.
Ultimately, breakdowns cause production to stop and the ensuing costs are very high since no parts are being produced. The most cost-effective way to increase your daily CNC machine productivity is through proper maintenance, ensuring optimal toolholder-to-spindle contact. A breakdown’s true cost can conservatively be projected between 5-to-15X simple maintenance costs.
It’s important to note that all V-flange tooling is designed to fit the spindle taper within tolerances of one-ten-thousandths (.0001”) of an inch. Any debris, in the form of dust, grease, chips, or other contaminant left on the spindle, taper, or flange can cause poor T.I.R. (runout), poor tool life, and poor tolerances.
Recognizing that a clean, smooth spindle surface is essential for proper taper contact between the spindle and v-flange toolholder, JM Performance Products, Inc. (JMPP: Fairport Harbor, Ohio), a leading manufacturing innovator of CNC mill spindle optimization products since 2009, has developed its advanced Spindle Cleaner Kit and Spindle Restoration Kit.
The spindle cleaners and spindle restoration tapers are made from anodized aluminum that will not collapse in the spindle during use. They also come with removable handles that can be used with all cleaning and resurfacing head tapers.
Designed to remove loose oil, debris, and other contaminants from CAT and BT spindles in 30, 40, 45, 50, or 60 taper sizes, JMPP’s Spindle Cleaner Kit includes:
- 1 or 2 AT3 precision tapers
- Removable handle(s)
- 16 oz. bottle degreaser
- Fabric cleaning strips
- Lint-free towels
- Carrying case
JMPP’s Spindle Restoration Kit, designed to remove high spots attributed to debris and rust that has galled to the surface of the spindle and cannot be removed through cleaning, includes:
- 2 Precision taper restoration heads
- 2 Spindle restoration handles
- 16 oz. all-purpose cleaner
- 4 different micron finishes of material strips
- Carrying case
Note: Both kits include complete instructions and there are JMPP “how to” videos for both processes
JMPP’s Spindle Cleaner and Spindle Restoration kits provide an optimal maintenance solution to prevent toolholder/CNC machine performance issues. JMPP President John Stoneback said, “The main purpose of regular spindle maintenance is to ensure that all equipment required for production is operating at 100 percent efficiency at all times. Therefore, it’s essential to implement a frequent spindle cleaning and restoration maintenance system that operators should conduct at least once per week.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.jmperformanceproducts.com
