What is a spindle?

Spindles are rotating drive shafts

that serve as axes for cutting tools or hold cutting instruments in machine tools
. Spindles are essential in machine tools and in manufacturing because they are used to make both
parts and the tools that make parts, which in turn strongly influence production rates and parts
quality.

The design of the spindle and the quality of the components inside the spindle are major factors that
contribute to the spindle's durability and longevity. The spindle should be designed in such a manner
so that features that keep chips and coolant are kept out of the spindle's bearing system, like in an air
purge system and wipers that use positive lubrication pressure to protect the spindle from
contaminants.

Spindles: A key to improve manufacturing productivity and machine tool

performance
There is no doubt about the fact that today the manufacturing industry has become more and more
globalized. Manufacturers are constantly looking for various ways and means to improve the
productivity of machine tools through improved power densities, higher speeds, greater flexibility, and
more multitasking of operations. One important method to achieve this is by continual innovation and
improvement of spindles. Spindles play a vital role in the quality of the final product and enhances the
overall productivity and efficiency of the machine tool itself. Today's spindle designs offer the
manufacturers and machine builders much greater performance and reliability than ever before. Users
can increase productivity in any industry by properly applying the advanced spindle technologies in
specific applications. The powerful, flexible and faster machine tool spindles can reduce the number of
cuts and making holes in manufacturing by half.

Performance features
To increase productivity and performance of spindles, certain features that are to considered are as
follows:
 • Desired spindle power both peak and continuous.
• Maximum spindle load both axial and radial.
• Minimum size and weight
• Maximum torque over a broad range of speeds
• Speed allowed
• Tooling style
• Belt driven or integral motor-spindle design

Factors considered for spindles design

Besides the above-mentioned performance features, other factors that will affect the ultimate spindle
design are as follows:

• Amount of available space in the head

• Complexity
• Purpose and application
• Cost considerations
• Market demands

Cost of production plays a significant impact on the final spindle design. A very sophisticated and
advanced spindle design may not be acceptable on a low-cost machine tool. As a result, an advanced
machine tool design can justify the higher cost of a more complex and advanced spindle package. In
fact, a fast, powerful and accurate machine tool will demand a reliable high-speed spindle system.

Benefits of spindles
Certain benefits of spindles are as follows:

• Machine tool spindles reduce the number of cuts in manufacturing by half.

• Spindles provide position and transmit power to a tool (as in the case of milling machines).

• They hold a rotating workpiece (as in the case of lathes).

• They hold cutting tools and spin them at high torque and speed.

• Spindles support many key machining tasks.

• Allow flexibility in cutting a variety of materials.

Uses of spindles
Spindles are used to perform variety of tasks like as follows:

• Grinding
• Milling
• Engraving
• Drilling
• Boring
• Turning
 • Routing

Applications of spindles
Spindles are critical in all kinds of manufacturing and hence used in variety of industrial applications.
Spindles are used to support burrs in dental drills and cutters to put together composite materials.
They also make parts for pumps and compressors used in the oil and petroleum industry. Spindles are
used to make the molds used to make tires for the aircraft sector, the rolls that produce sheet metal
for the automotive sector, and parts for the appliance industry. So various applications of spindles are
in the following sectors:

• Automobile
• Glass
• Aerospace
• Machine tool
• Engine plant units
• Metal working industry
• Plastic
• Construction etc.

Buying tips
Certain specifications are to be considered for the bulk purchase of spindles. These are as follows:

• Spindle type: Whether motorized, belt driven or gear driven etc.

• Operating speed

• Cutting Speeds For Common Materials

• Operating power

• Maximum spindle torque

• Spindle features: High frequency drive, linear or compound motion, automatic balancing etc.

• Purpose: Whether drilling, grinding or milling etc.

• Requirement: High Speed, High Stiffness, Radial Loading, Axial Loading, High Accuracy

The power that is required depends on the stock you are cutting. Obviously speed, torque and
horsepower are important specifications to evaluate the overall performance of your spindle. The
spindle endures a lot of abuse while working on machine tools. The amount of force, wear and tear a
spindle must endure implies that the design of the spindle and the quality of the parts used within the
spindle are vital to the performance of your spindle and its lifespan. The spindle is indeed the heart of
any machining center.
Spindle Major Components

Spindles are rotating shafts installed on machine tools to cut metals. The productivity and
performance of any machine tool depends a lot on the spindle attached to the machine. Quality of a
machine tool spindle components not only determines longevity of the spindle but also determines
how the spindle handles torque, speed and vibration. The following diagram gives us an idea about the
various components of a spindle and its lay out.

The above figure shows a normal spindle having several components that allow it to achieve high
accuracy. Different spindles are used to perform different functions like grinding, milling, drilling etc.
and accordingly the parts or components of the spindle also varies.

To obtain the desired result, a normal spindle design must take into consideration the following
factors:

• The required power

• Torque
• Tooling system used
• Speed
• Accuracy
• Life

From this design specification, the several components of a spindle can be selected including bearings,
motor, lubrication system, shaft design, tooling style, drawbar system, housing and cooling system.

We give below an explanation of the various components of a high-speed

spindle design:

• Spindle Style
• Spindle Bearings
• Spindle Motor
• Spindle Housing Style

Spindle Style

To get a typical style of a spindle, the first thing to decide is whether a belt-driven spindle or integral
motor-spindle design is required. This depends upon the requirements of the machine tool which also
include the maximum speed, power and stiffness required and also cost. Other options like high
frquency driven spindles or gear driven spindles are also very popular.

A basic idea about belt-driven spindle design

A belt-driven spindle design consists of the spindle shaft, held with a bearing system and supported by
the spindle housing. The entire tooling system, including the tool taper, draw bar mechanism and tool
release system is incorporated in the spindle shaft. An external motor supplies power and rotation to
this spindle. The motor is mounted adjacent to the spindle. The torque is transferred to the spindle
shaft by using a cogged or V-belt. The power, torque and speed of the spindle hence depend upon the
specifications of the driving motor, and the belt ratio used between the motor and the spindle.

Advantages
The main advantages of the belt-driven spindle design are as follows:

• Reasonable cost: The spindle is made up of very few basic parts and hence the cost is
relatively low.

• Wide variety of spindle characteristics: Another main advantage is that the final
specifications or features can be modified for a particular application by using a different
motor or belt ratio. This is because the spindle power, speed and torque are dependent upon
the driving motor. In some cases, gears are also used in addition to the fixed belt ratio to
provide multiple speed ranges.

• High power and torque possible: Since the spindle motor is fixed outside the actual spindle
shaft, it is often possible to use a very large motor. A large motor can provide very high
torque and high power for spindle use. This is not possible in an integral motor-spindle design
because available space is always limited.

Disadvantages
However, there are also some disadvantages of a belt-driven spindle design which are as follows:

• Limited maximum speed: A belt-driven spindle has limited maximum rotational speed due
to many factors. The mechanical connection which transfers the torque to the spindle shaft,
the pulley and the belt system, are limited in maximum operating speed. This depends on the
type of belt used. For example, if a poly V-belt system is used, high rotational speeds tend to
stretch and disengage the belts which in turn reduces the ability to transmit torque. Cogged
belts at higher speeds produce unacceptable levels of vibration. Gears also produce high levels
of vibration and heat and are very limited in maximum speed.

• Belts Utilize Bearing Load Capacity: In order to transfer the necessary torque, belt-driven
spindles use a belt and pulley connection on the end of the spindle shaft. The required
tensioning of these belts leads to a constant force on the rear spindle shaft bearing set. The
applied tension and consequent force increases as the power and speed of the spindle
increase. This utilizes much of the available radial loading capacity of the bearings. And,
adding or substituting additional bearing sets will not be feasible, because they will further
reduce the spindle abilities to reach high rotational speeds.

Thus we come to the conclusion that a belt-driven spindle will be limited to certain applications.
Typically, belt-driven spindles can operate up to maximum rotational speed of 12,000 - 15, 000 RPM.
This also depends on other factors like bearings types, setups, or bearing lubrication.

A basic idea about integral motor-spindle design

While various types of spindles are being developed, integral motor spindle design remains the
workhorse for high-speed machining. This design does not depend upon an external motor to provide
power and torque. The motor is an integral part inside the spindle shaft and housing assembly, which
makes easier for the spindles to rotate at higher speeds as a complete unit, without the additional
limitations of gears or belts.

Typically, a complete motor-spindle comprises the spindle shaft, including motor element and tooling
system. The spindle shaft is held by a set of high precision bearings, which require lubrication like
grease or oil. The spindle shaft rotates up to the maximum speed, and display the power
characteristics of the motor type that is used. The selection of a particular component depends upon
the requirements of the machine tool.

Advantage
One of the distinct advantage of the integral-motor design is allowing the spindle to achieve the high
speeds required for high-speed machining or high-stock removal applications, and also used in general
applications using small diameter tooling. Spindle speeds more than 30,000 rpm are routinely
achieved with spindles of integral motor design, while speeds in this range are considered highly
impractical or problematic with belt-driven or gear-driven designs.

Disadvantage
One of the disadvantage that face the integral-motor spindle design is to provide wider speed ranges
for improved applicability and to deliver more torque to achieve higher volume material removal rates.

Spindle Bearings

The bearing
system is one of the most critical and essential component of any high speed spindle design. The
spindle provides high rotational speed, transmits torque and power to the cutting tool, and is worthy
of reasonable loading and life. The bearing type used in a spindle must be conform with these
demands. Otherwise spindle will not operate or perform to its best. Today, a wide variety of high
precision bearings is available from a several manufacturers worldwide. In the bearing system of the
spindle, the balls roll between the inner and outer steel raceways.

Types of high speed spindles bearings

The type of bearings available for spindles are as follows:

• Angular contact ball bearings: These are the most commonly used bearings today in very
high speed spindle designs. Also known as precision ball bearings, they provide the precision,
load carrying capacity ( both axial and radial load carrying capacity ) and speed required for
metal cutting spindles.

• Roller bearings: The roller bearings, also called cylindrical bearings offer higher load carrying
capacity and greater stiffness than angular contact ball bearings. They are applicable in
spindles with specific rpm requirements and applications.

• Tapered roller bearings: These bearings are used, because of their higher load capacity and
greater stiffness over ball bearings. But they do not allow the high speeds required by many
spindles.
Characteristics of spindle bearings

• Axial load supported in one direction only.

• Necessary of adjustment against a second bearing.
• Compared to deep groove ball bearings, spindle bearings have extended ball complement.
• High rigidity and loading capacity.

Spindles bearings : Types of Mounting

Types Explanation
Referred as "Face-to Face" or "X" configuration,it means bearings
are mounted face to face . Here, the outer races are relieved. The
Face to Face/DF X
relief clearance is removed when the outer races are clamped
Configuration Bearing
together. This results in the correct pre-load. The bearing pair is
Mounting
capable of withstanding both axial and radial loading in this type of
configuration.
Also known as "O", or "DB " mounting, this is the most common
Back to Back/DB/O mounting method. In back-to-back configuration, the inner races are
Configuration Bearing relieved. The relief clearance is removed, resulting in the correct
Mounting pre-load when the inner races are clamped together. This is suitable
for most applications and provides good rigidity and accuracy.
This is a combination of two or more mounting techniques. This
Tandem/DT Configuration mounting does not allow forces in both directions, unless and until
Bearing Mounting there is another pair of bearings used on the spindle shaft, facing in
the opposite direction.

Bearing Construction: Hybrid ceramic

The ball bearings affect vibration levels, temperature and the spindle's life and this is dependent on
the materials used in the making of ball bearings. However, the most popularly used ball bearings are
hybrid ceramic as they offer distinct advantages over typical steel ball bearings.

• Less mass: The hybrid ceramic balls have 60% less mass than steel balls. This becomes
important because as a ball bearings operate, centrifugal forces push the balls to the outer
race, and can deform the shape of the ball which leads to rapid wear and bearing
deterioration. Ceramic balls because of less mass will not be affected even at the same speed.
Moreover, the use of ceramic balls allows speed to go up 30% for a given ball bearing size,
without sacrificing any bearing life.

• Elimination of cold welding: Ceramic balls eliminate cold welding which is a major cause of
bearing failure. They can do this because they do not react with the steel raceways, thereby
resulting in longer bearing life.
 • Operate at lower temperatures: Because of the nearly perfect round shape of the ceramic
balls, hybrid ceramic bearings operate at lower temperatures compared to steel ball bearings,
which results in longer life for the bearing lubricant.

• Lower vibration levels: Spindles with ceramic bearings have higher rigidity and higher
natural frequencies, which makes them less sensitive to vibration.

Lubrication of bearings
For proper functioning of spindles, proper lubrication of bearings is very essential. To keep the
bearings properly lubricated, machine tool manufacturers use several systems like oil-mist, oil-air, oil-
jet, pulsed oil-air etc. Such systems become very necessary if bearing spindle speeds are more than
18,000 rpm. These lubrication systems must be thoroughly monitored so that the ratio and the
amount of oil and air and/or mist are correct. Permanent lubricated bearings are the best option for
keeping replacement costs lower and maintenance costs down . Lubrication helps to form a
microscopic film between the rolling elements and it prevents skidding and abrasion. Besides that
lubrication in spindles also protects the surfaces from corrosion, and protects the area from particle
contamination.

Bearing life
The durability of bearings used in spindles in general is affected by the following factors:

• Bearing Loads, Axial and Radial

• Vibration Levels
• Quality of Lubrication
• Quantity of lubrication
• Maximum Speed
• Average Bearing Temperature

Spindle Motors

A spindle motor is a small, high-precision, high-reliability electric motor that is used to rotate the shaft
or spindle used in machine tools for performing a wide range of tasks like drilling, grinding, milling,
high spped routing for woodworking, aluminum cutting or plastic cutting etc. All machine tools consist
of motors which provide a mechanical means of transferring motion to the cutting tool and balance
control. It is the motor which drives the spindle shafts. All spindles either have an external motor or
an internal motor to run. There are some spindles which are driven by an integral motor spindle
design and such spindles are known as motorized driven spindles. The motor provides power and
torqure to the spindle. It is an integral part of the spindle shaft and housing assembly. It is with the
help of the motor that a spindle can rotate at high speeds.
Types of motors used in spindles

• AC motors: Alternating Current motors as the name suggest requires an alternating current.
They are usually sized in horsepower. They come with various speed ratings, which are
specified as rotations per minute (RPM) at no load condition. As the AC motor is loaded, the
speed will slow down. When the AC motor runs at its rated power draw, the speed of the
rotating shaft is the full load speed. AC motor are widely used in any applications requiring
variable speed and low cost and small size.

• DC motors: Direct current motors as the name suggest requires a direct current to run. These
type of motors are electric motors that use electricity and a magnetic field to produce torque,
which turns the motor. A simple DC motor requires two magnets of opposite polarity and an
electric coil. This serves the purpose as an electromagnet. As the magnets within the motor
attract and repel one another, the DC motor turns.

• Universal motors: These motors can use both DC and AC current and they operate at high
speed but are not used continuously.

• Brushless DC Motors: They are the preffered motors in spindles because they last longer,
more efficient than AC motors and do not produce excessive heat.

• PM DC Motors: They are small motors that produce approximately 50% greater torque than
other comparably sized motors.

• Single-phase AC induction motors: This type of motor has a rotating magnetic field to
produce the starting torque.

• Three-phase AC induction motors: These are used in high power machine tool applications.

• Single-phase AC synchronous motors: They rotate in a synchronous manner with the main
current frequency. They have magnetized rotors and do not need an induced current.
 • Spindle Servo motors: They are special types of geared motors, providing more power and
have finer controls. They are used in spindles of accurate CNC machine systems. Major types
of servo motors are DC and DC.

Favorable features of spindle motors

An ideal motor for a spindle should consists of the following features:

• Small size
• Low power consumption
• High reliability
• Ability to run many hours
• Tolerate hundreds of start and stop cycles without failure
• Minimal wobbling
• Minimal vibration
• Low heat output
• Minimal noise output

Characteristics of spindle motor

Some important characteristics of a typical spindle motor are as follows:

• Small size
• Minimal noise output
• Low power consumption
• High reliability
• Minimal wobbling and vibration
• Low heat output

Calculation of motor speed

The speed of a spindle motor is determined by the following formula:
Speed (RPM) = (Frequency in Hz x 120) / (number of motor poles).
This means that a two pole spindle motor, with top speed of 30,000 RPM, needs a drive with the
functionality to provide full motor voltage at an output frequency of 500 Rz. If this motor has four
poles then a maximum frequency of 1000 Hz is needed.

Some examples: A diagrammatic representation

Example :1 In a bear or a gear driven spindle, there is space for a large motor because the motor
can be located outside the spindle as seen in the first part of the diagram below. On the other hand,
as seen in the second part, an integral motor can be fitted inside the existing bore.
Example:2 The following diagram shows a spindle with an overhanging motor which places the motor
at the back-behind the rear bearing set. This spindle design allows for a larger motor, if the machine
design accommodates it.

Buying tips
A proper understanding of your requirements will greatly help in choosing what kind of motor is best
for the situation. Factors to consider for the purchase of motors to be used in spindles are as folows:

• Motor type
• Maximum speed
 • Rated power
• Rated load
• Rated torque
• Start up torque
• Mounting type you require
• Type of enclosure required
• Type of shaft output
• Adequate cooling mechanisms.
• Durability of major components like brushes, cummutators, windings, which wear out over a
certain time.

Spindle Housing

What is a spindle housing

?
The housing is a part and parcel of the spindle. The shaft of the spindle and the motor required to run
the spindle must be held in a housing , which we refer to as spindle housing. The spindle housing is
available in various styles and sizes and and may be an integral part of the machine tool. The spindle
housing is connected to the machine tool by using a flange or attaching bracket.

Materials used in making spindle housing

• Cast Iron
• Iron
• Stainless steel
• Cast aluminum
• Brass etc.

Functions of spindle housing

The primary functions of a spindle housing are as follows:

• To locate the bearings: High precision bearings, which run at dN values, must be located
exactly in terms of size, geometry etc.

• To provide the lubrication required by the spindle.

• The housing also provides air seal, cooling water or oil, and other utilities required by the
spindle. If the spindle uses oil lubrication, then the spindle housing includes drilled passages to
transfer the oil or oil mist to each bearing, and then again transfer the oil out of the bearing to
a return line.
 • The spindle housing provides a cooling liquid: This helps in removing heat produced by
the spindle motor stator, as this heat would affect the spindle performance as a complete unit.

Types of spindle housing

There are various types of spindle housing and depending on the different housing, different mounting
types are there for spindles. They are as follows:

Cartridge spindle housing

This is a popular type of housing used in spindles. This type of housing is the simplest to service, and
the tolerances required for high speed are very easy to obtain when the housing of the spindle can be
produced as a cylinder. The cylindrical cartridge-style spindle is clamped around the housing with an
split-clamp mounting block.

Advantages
Advantages of this type of mount are as follows:

• The split-clamp mounting allows the use of standard off-the-shelf cartridge spindle designs.

• It permits easy axial and rotational adjustments of the spindle housing inside the mounting
bracket.

• Once the mounting block has been located, cartridge-style spindles can be removed and re-
installed without requiring adjustments of positions.

• The spindle is easy to remove from the mount.

Disadvantages

• This type of split-clamp mounting block usually occupies more space than a block-style spindle
housing design or flange mount design.

• Increased chances for spindle bearing failure.

• Possible variations in axial location and orientation.

• Additional weight imposed on the machine structure.

Flanged cartridge spindle housing

Most spindle builders
offer flanged cartridge spindle housings, which allow the spindle to be flange or face mounted. This is
usually the preferred method of spindle mounting in a machining center. The flange is a simple, round
flange ring having a bolt hole pattern that is permanently attached to the spindle housing. Special
designs are possible also with flats or other cut-outs as required to accommodate the machine or tool
changer design.
Advantages
The advantages of this type of mounting are:

• Lower chances for spindle bearing failure

• Guaranteed repeatability in X, Y, Z locations and squareness when a spindle is re-mounted.

• Very little extra space required.

• Spindle removal is easy.

• The flange design provides additional clearance to the spindle nose if the mounting flange can
be located further back on the spindle housing.

Disadvantages

• Spindle housing can be more expensive than an off-the-shelf cartridge-style spindle.

• Spindle can only be removed and installed one way .

Block (box) type spindle housing

This type of housing is designed to be lifted and transported using either eye bolts or swivel type hoist
rings. Spindles are arranged with tapped holes in the top of the spindle housing for accepting eyebolts
and such spindles are manufactured to be lifted from the top. Block style housing has jack screw holes
both sides and keyway in housing. With this design, the spindle housing has one or more flat sides,
which allows the spindle to be mounted directly onto one of the sides.

Advantages
The advantages of block type mounting are as follows:

• Lower chances for spindle bearing failure caused by mounting problems.

• It is possible to design good repeatability in X, Y, Z locations and squareness in such designs

when a spindle is re-mounted.

• Very little extra space required.

Disadvantages

• Some spindle mount design may be special, and the spindle is more expensive than a
standard cartridge-style spindle.

• If the machine design does not include accurate location of the block housing, it becomes very
necessary to position the spindle every time it is re-installed.

Parameters to consider for spindle housing design

For any type of spindle, the housing design parameters include the following:
• Precision dimensions from base to spindle centerline
• Spindle-bearing condition
• Spindle operating condition
• Surrounding conditions like
• Assembling tolerance
• Cooling condition
• Geometric dimension
• Thermal deformation
• Air purge housing for virtually contamination-free operation and so on.
Characteristics of Spindles

Spindles are rotating shafts used to cut metals. Spindles play a vital role in enhancing machine tool
performance, thereby increasing manufacturing productivity. Today, manufacturers are coming up
with wide variety of spindles having advanced technology and additional features for improved
performance. Spindles are essential in all kinds of manufacturing. They are used to perform various
tasks in a machine tool like grinding, milling, drilling, turning, engraving and routing.

Characteristics
There are certain characteristics of spindle, especially a high-speed spindles, that allow it to achieve
high accuracy and productivity which we are discussing below:

• Motor power: In most spindles, there is a stock frame less motor mounted directly on the
shaft and into the spindle housing. By doing this the bulk required to mount the motor on one
side is eliminated. The basic drawback of this configuration is that the motor must able to
achieve the maximum spindle speed. However, if the motor was mounted on one side, and a
pulley and a belt were used to drive the shaft, the motor could spine at significantly less than
the spindle speed. A brushless motor is another option for spindles and it requires more
expensive as well as complicated driving circuitry. However, maintenance and reliability of the
motor is greatly enhanced because there are no brushes to misalign, replace, wear out, and
generate carbon dust.

• Spindle speed: The required speed for the spindle motor is determined by the formula:
Spindle Speed [RPM] = Cutting Speed [m/min]/(p * Tool_Diameter [m]).

The following table gives an idea about spindle RPM required to achieve various cutting speeds
by Tool Diameter.

244 MPM (800 FPM): The minimum cutting speed for copper and aluminum
6.35 mm (0.25 inches) 12,200 RPM
 9.525 mm (0.375 inches) 8,150 RPM
•
305 MPM (1,000 FPM): The maximum cutting speed for materials except copper and
aluminum
6.35 mm (0.25 inches) 15,300 RPM
9.525 mm (0.375 inches) 10,200 RPM
•
610 MPM (2,000 FPM): The maximum cutting speed for copper and aluminum
6.35 mm (0.25 inches) 30,600 RPM
9.525 mm (0.375 inches) 20,400 RPM
• Source: pergatory.mit.edu/.../portf/spindle/spindle.
•
• Spindle torque: Torque is one of the most important characteristic for determining a
spindle's cutting performance. Increasing torque in a spindle ultimately affects not only the the
design of the machine but also the choice of the spindle. Power is the product of speed and
torque. Thus, a high power spindle motor can use high speed with a low amount of torque at
that speed. It can also be that the maximum power might not be available at the maximum
speed. In both these cases, the amount of torque that can be achieved is proportional to the
size of the motor. Specifying torque is very useful to the spindle designers and manufacturers
in the machining center, because it is the torque and not the power that determines the size of
the motor.

• Spindle Bearing Speeds: Bearings are essential components in spindles. Once the spindle's
operating speed is determined, bearings are selected and sized. Bearings are properly
lubricated using grease or oil. As the size of the bearing increases, maximum RPM decreases.
The reason behind this is that for a given RPM the balls are traveling at a faster velocity due to
the larger diameter. The materials used in making balls also affects the maximum speed.
Ceramic balls, compared to steel balls allow a higher speed but can cost about 30% more. The
maximum speed given by bearing manufacturers are usually for a single bearing. When double
bearings are used their maximum speed is further reduced. To achieve a spindle speed of
12,000 RPM, bearings should have a maximum speed between 18,000 and 19,000 RPM.

Characteristic of high speed spindles compared to conventional spindles

High speed spindles are designed with the spindle motor flanged to the spindle shaft. While
conventional or normal spindles are mostly gear or belt driven. The maximum rotational speed of
conventional spindles are limited to about 12000 to 15000 RPM. The greater the speed, the greater
the chances of vibrations, which usually result in poor surface finish. That is the reason why most high
speed spindles use a directly flanged motor.

Two types of high speed spindles.

• Spindles running in an open loop: This spindle is not always controlled. The speed of this
spindle may drop as a matter of load. It is usually used for graphite machining, small cavities
in hardened steel or finishing operations.
 • Vector controlled spindles: They run in a closed loop and their exact angular position and
speed are always controlled. Vector control spindles are today considered as the underlying
technology of high-performance motorized spindles.

Future characteristics
With proper research work and advancement of technology, most spindle designers are of opinion that
the ultimate spindle will have the following characteristics:

• Unlimited Speed
• High Power
• Long Life
• Self-Balancing
• Self-Diagnostic

This might seem unattainable but they will definitely be fulfilled in the future.

Spindle Uses
Spindles have become increasingly popular as a part and parcel of any machine tool used in various
applications. A wide range of manufacturing industries worldwide are reaping substantial savings in
labor costs and equipment by introducing flexible manufacturing lines and cutting cycle time by using
innovative spindles. Spindles today appear to break new grounds in machine tool performance.
Spindles are rotating shafts that hold cutting instruments in machine tools and they are highly
essential in manufacturing because they strongly influence production rates and parts quality.
Conventional and high-speed spindles can provide the dynamic performance and torque-speed
characteristics required to make a machine tool perform efficiently and sufficiently.

Benefits

• According to a recent study, new, fast, advanced and flexible spindles can raise productivity of
any manufacturing unit.

• A proper high speed spindle can save machining time by half.

• Benefits of spindles are not only small machine tools but can also extend to aircraft,
electronics, appliance, oil, and other sectors.

• A spindle can provide high-speed milling of steel parts at a high metal-removal rate.

• A spindle can meet flexible and varying machining requirements.

• A spindle can work for simultaneous multiple-hole production in automobile transmissions and
engines etc.

Uses of spindles
Spindles are used to perform several machining tasks, like turning an axle to cut it smoothly, drilling
holes, milling a cylinder head's surface to make it flat, reaming or enlarging the opening of a hole.
Bearings in spindles help to hold the spindle steadily and prevent vibration or wobbling. The
production rates of any machine tool are strongly influenced by the precision, power, and speed of the
spindle. Let us now explain in details the various uses of spindles:

• Grinding
• Drilling
• Milling
• Turning
• Boring

Spindles used in Grinding

Spindle as a machine tool

is used for grinding. There are different spindles for performing different types of grinding. Grinding is
considered to be a finishing process or finishing operation having many different applications in the
machine tool industry. Grinding covers a wide range of finishing and machining tasks like as follows

• Abrade hard materials

• Improve surface finish
• Tighten the tolerance on cylindrical or flat surfaces by removing a small amount of material
• Resharpening cutting tools
• Surface grinding of mold sections
• Surface grinding of work fixtures
• Internal diameter and outer diameter grinding of valve bodies, and many other useful
applications.

Grinding process
For material removal, the method used in grinding is called abrasion. In other words, in grinding, an
abrasive material rubs against the metal part and clears or removes tiny pieces of material. The
process implies that instead of cutting like a lathe bit, the material is slowly and steadily worn away.
This is because compared to the material being ground, the abrasive is harder. The grinding wheel
actually acts like many hundreds of very small lathe bit, each cutting off some metal. The abrasive
must be strong enough to bear any kind of forces acting upon it while grinding. Usually some sort of
impact shock occurs when the abrasive comes in contact with the material. Grinding abrades material
in a way similar to sanding. The grinding operation is performed on a several machines like the lathe
and the mill, with the appropriate add-on accessories, the most important of which is the spindle.

Why grinding is necessary?

Grinding is necessary for the following reasons:

• The material is too hard to be machined economically.

• If the surface is adequately supported, grinding can produce flatness tolerances of less than
±0.0001 in. (±0.0025 mm) on a 5 x 5 in. (127 x 127 mm) steel surface.
 • Machining removes excessive material.

• Grinding should be used when size tolerance specifications are beyond the capability of
turning.

• It is also applied if the requirements of surface finish is too tight for hard turning.

Types of grinding
Grinding can be of various types, like as follows:

• Surface grinding
• Centered grinding
• Centerless grinding
• Contour grinding

Surface grinding: This is perhaps the most fundamental of operations. Surface grinding is the
process of providing precision ground surfaces either to a critical size or for the surface finish. In other
words, it accurately processes or grounds a surface. Parts require surface grinding for various reasons
like:

• Produce a flat surface.

• For specifying accurate tolerance thickness.
• A very smooth surface roughness is required.
• For sharpening of cutting tool.

Centered grinding: In this type of grinding, the grinding is performed at the center. There are two
types of centered grinding-OD grinding and ID grinding. In Outside Diameter (OD) grinding , the work
piece has center drilled ends, accommodating center points and surface is removed by rotating the
grinder's face plate. With OD grinding the work piece and the grinding wheel moves or rotates in
clockwise directions. Inside Diameter (ID) grinding is performed on tubular parts that are generally
held in a chuck or collet. The grinding wheel turns at very high speed to maintain the proper surface
speed but it moves anticlockwise.

Contour grinding: In case of contour grinding, the chopping function is used to grind the side face of
a workpiece.

Spindles used in Drilling

Spindles are widely used in drilling. Drilling is one of the most common and easy machining process.
About 75% of all metal
or wood cutting material removed comes from drilling operations.

Drilling process
The process of drilling leads to the creation of holes that are right circular cylinders. This is done most
by using a twist drill. A twist drill is a tool having a rotating drill bit which is used for drilling holes in
various materials. With the help of a chuck, the drill bit is gripped at one end of the drill and is pressed
or forced against the target material and then rotated. The tip of the drill bit perform the work of
cutting into the target material like grinding off small particles as in oil drilling or slicing off thin
shavings as in twist drills or auger bits.

Diagrammatic representation
In the figure given below, we depict a a cross section of a hole being cut using a common twist drill.
The tools have flutes at the outside, specially made for the exit of the chips.

Types of drilling
Drilling is of various types depending on the mode of operation. The various types are as follows:

• Drills powered by hand.

• Drills powered by using electricity.
• Drills powered by compressed air.
• Drills with a percussive action etc.

Characteristics of drilling
There are certain characteristics of drilling that sets it apart from other powered metal cutting
operations:

• The chips while drilling exit out of the hole created by the cutting.
 • Certain problems can arose with chips exit when chips are large and/or continuous.

• The drill tool can wander upon entrance and for deep holes.

• In large workpieces for deep holes, coolant is delivered through the drill shaft to the cutting
front.

• Of the several powered metal cutting processes, drilling is considered to be the most easily
used by someone who is not a machinist.

Work Area of drill press

We give below a diagrammatic view of the metal-cutting area of a drill press. By using a C clamp, the
workpiece is held in place. The cutting forces can be at times very large. So it is advisable not to hold
a workpiece by hand during drilling. Wood is often used underneath the part to be cut so that the drill
bit can overshoot without destroying the table. The cutting table also has holes for drill overshoot as
well as weight reduction. As seen in the figure, the spindle is just at the top to hold the machine tool
for drilling.

Spindles used in Milling

An important function of spindle is milling. Milling is an important metal cutting process like drilling.
However, because there are many degrees of freedom in milling set up, milling is usually less accurate
than turning or grinding unless and until rigid fixturing is implemented. Hence milling is considered
versatile for a basic machining process. In manual machining, milling fabricates any object that is not
axially symmetric.

Milling Machine process at the cutting area: A diagrammatic representation

The process of cutting away material by inserting a workpiece past a rotating multiple tooth cutter is
known as milling. The action of cutting by many teeth around the milling cutter leads to a fast method
of machining. The machined surface takes various shapes like flat, angular, or curved,including any
combination of shapes. The milling machine is the one which holds the workpiece, rotating the cutter,
and feeding it.

Methods of milling
There are two methods of milling. They are as follows:

Up Milling: Also known as conventional milling, the cutter rotation's direction is opposite to that of
the feed motion. For example, if the cutter rotates clockwise, in up milling, the workpiece is fed to the
right.

Down Milling: This is also known as climb milling. Here, the cutter's direction is same as the feed
motion. For example, if the cutter rotates counterclockwise ,in down milling, the workpiece is fed to
the right.
Types of milling
There are different types of milling and accordingly different spindles are used. We describe some
types of milling below:

Peripheral Milling
Also known as slab milling, in peripheral milling, the milled surface is generated by teeth. These teeth
are located on the area of the cutter body. The axis of cutter rotation is usually in a plane which is
parallel to the surface of the workpiece to be machined.

Face Milling
In this type of milling, the cutter is mounted on a spindle whose rotation axis is perpendicular to the
workpiece surface. The milled surface is attained from the task of cutting edges located on the face
and periphery of the cutter.

End Milling
In end milling, the cutter rotates on an axis vertical to the workpiece, which can also be tilted to
machine tapered surfaces. Cutting teeth are fixed on both the end face of the cutter and inside the
cutter body.

Spindles used in Turning

A very important function of spindles is turning. Like drilling, milling, grinding, turning is another
important basic machining processes. Turning as a machining process produces cylindrical parts.
Turning produces cylindrical components in a lathe and this is done manually or by using a CNC
(computer numerical control) machine. The manual turning is done on conventional machines or
lathes which are not computerized, requiring constant supervision. Turning can also be done using
automatic lathes operated by skilled fitters and turners. With advance technology, modern turning is
moving towards the use of CNC controls.

Turing process
Turning process produces solids of revolution which can be adjusted because of the specialized nature
of the operation. This machining is done on a machine called a lathe in which the tool is stationary and
the part is rotated. When turning, a cylindrical piece of material, made of wood, metal, etc. is rotated.
The cutting tool moves along two axes of motion, thereby producing precise depths and diameters.
Turning is done either on the inside of the cylinder or outside to produce tubular components to
various measurements.

Diagrammatic representation:The cutting is done as shown below

Features of turning
Turning is the machining of an external surface with the following features:

• Turning with the workpiece rotating.

• Turning with a single-point cutting tool.

• Turning with the cutting tool feeding parallel to the workpiece's axis and at a distance that will
remove the work's outer surface.

• There is a type of turning known as taper turning where the cutter path is at an angle to the
work axis.

• Contour turning is another type of turning where the distance of the cutter from the work axis
is changed to produce the desired shape.

Adjustable cutting factors available in turning

There are three primary factors in any turning operation. They are as follows:

Speed
This factor generally refers to the spindle and the workpiece. It tells their rotating speed in revolutions
per minute(rpm). The most important figure for a particular turning operation is the surface speed.
This is the speed where the work piece material moves past the cutting tool. This is measured by
multiplying the rotating speed with the circumference of the workpiece before the cut is started and
this is expressed as sfpm (surface feet per minute). Every workpiece with different diameter will have
a different cutting speed, even though the rotating speed is the same. Depending on the spindle used,
the speed varies.

Feed
This is the cutting tool, and here the rate is that at which the tool advances along its cutting path. On
many lathes, the feed rate is directly related to the spindle speed and is expressed in ipr (inches per
revolution).

Depth of Cut
This refers to the thickness of the layer being cut from the workpiece or the length of the uncut
surface of the workpiece to the cut surface, expressed in inches. The important fact out here is that
the diameter of the workpiece is reduced by two times the depth of cut. The reason behind this is that
this layer is being removed from both sides of the work.

Spindles used in Boring

Another important function performed by spindles is boring. Boring is an important machining

process like grinding, drilling, mining etc. The basic purpose of boring in machining is enlarging or
expanding a hole that has already been drilled. This is achieved by using a single-point cutting tool.
Boring helps in achieving greater accuracy of the diameter of a hole. This machining process is also
used to cut a tapered hole. In simple language, boring can be defined as a machining process for
drilling a hole, especially a large hole like tunnels and wells in the earth.

Boring as a machining process

An important attribute of bored holes is concentricity. The work usually is held on a face plate or in a
chuck when boring is done in a lathe. Holes formed by boring may be bored straight, tapered, or to
irregular contours. Boring is essentially internal turning while feeding the drill or machine tool parallel
to the axis of the rotation of the workpiece.

Boring on a mini-lathe or a small lathe

In a mini lathe, the idea of boring is simply the art of taking a small hole and making it bigger. A
spindle is installed on the mini lathe and it helps in boring. For example, a tube is to be made with
inner diameter of perhaps 1 inch and there is no 1 inch wide drill bit. To make such a shape on a mini-
lathe, the method known as boring is used. The following picture shows a mini-lathe setup for a boring
job.

Uses of boring
Earth boring is very popular and used to do one of the following things:

• Return rock samples through which the machine tool passes.

• Rocks from which material is extracted can be extracted.

• Earth boring can be used to access rocks which can then be measured.
 • Boring can also provide access to rock for the purpose of providing engineering support.

• Boring helps in enlarging an existing hole which may have been the result of a drill or made by
a core in a casting.

• Another important purpose of boring is to make the hole concentric with the rotational axis of
the workpiece. This helps in correcting any eccentricity that may result from the drill's having
drifted off the center line.

Application fields
Boring is used for a wide variety of applications like as follows:

• Agriculture
• Geology
• Hydrology
• Civil engineering
• Oil and natural gas industries
• Shipyards and Repairers
• Offshore
• Heavy Industrial Sectors
• Petrochemical
• Earthmoving Equipment
• Power Generation etc.

Functions and Requirements of Spindles

The spindle of a machine tool is so designed so as perform the following important funtions:

• Centering the workpiece as in lathes, turrets, boring machines etc. Or the cutting tool as in
drilling , grinding, milling

machines

• Clamping the workpiece or cutting tool such that the workpiece or the cutting tool is reliably
held in position during the machining operation.

• Imparting rotary motion, e.g. as in lathes.

• Imparting translatory motion (as in drilling machines) to the cutting tool or workpiece.

On the basis of the above fuctions, a spindle is capable of performing wide range of funtions
like

• Drilling

• Milling

• Cutting

• Grinding

• Routing

• Engraving

• Boring etc.

The operational capabilities of machine tools in terms of productivity, accuracy, finish machine parts
largely depend upon the extent to ehich the above functions are qualitatively satisfied. They also
determine the important design requirements to spindle units which aregiven below:

Requirements

• The spindle should rotate with high degree of accuracy. The accuracy of rotation is determined
by the axial and radial run out of the spindle nose and these must not exceed certain
permissible values which are specified depending upon the required machining accuracy. The
rotational accuracy is influenced at the most by the stillness and accuracy of the spindle
bearings, particularly the one located at the front end.
 • The spindle unit must have high static stiffness. The stiffness of the unit is made up of the
stiffness of the spindle unit proper and the spindle bearings. Machining accuracy is influenced
on bending, axial as well as torsional stiffness.

• The spindle unit must have high dynamic stiffness and damping. Poor dynamic stability of the
spindle unit adversely affects the dynamic behavior of the machine tool as a whole.

• All spindles consider to be of the highest quality after having passed inspection, testing and
run-off procedures prior to shipment, done by the manufacturer

Applications of Spindles

Today in this fast age of technology, the machining centers are not lagging behind. Modern machine
tools
have become more flexible capable of performing a range of programmed tasks. An essential
component in all machine tools is the spindle which is used to perform a range of cutting and finishing
operations. A spindle is a motor driven shaft that helps in both positioning and transmiting power to a
tool or holding a work-piece. Spindles play a vital role in determining the quality of the final product
produced and in turn the total productivity and efficiency of the machine tool itself. Spindles have a
direct impact on efficiency, accuracy and overall productivity.

Types of spindles
Depending on the purposes to be served or the drives that are used to make the spindle run or on the
applications, there is a wide variety of spindles. For example:

Spindles on the basis of bearings used Spindles in machining centers

• Air bearing spindle· Air driven • CNC spindle

spindle • Lathe spindle
• Hydrostatic spindle • High speed spindle
• Hydrodynamic spindle
Spindles on the basis of drives used
Spindles for machines
• High frequency driven spindle
• Spindles for grinding ferrite core • Gear driven spindle
• Spindles for grinding optical lenses • Belt driven spindle
• Spindles on dynamo testing machines in • Motorized spindle
automobile industries
Application of High Speed Spindles

• Grinding spindle· Milling spindle

• Spindles for tool and cutter grinding • Turning spindle
machines • Boring spindle· Routing spindle
• Spindles for CNC Grinding machines • Drilling spindle
• Spindles for CNC Lathes
 • Spindles for CNC Milling machines • Engraving spindle
• Spindles fo Hobbing Machine
• Dressing Spindle
• Spindles for Drilling and Boring
machine

High Speed Spindles Application

On the basis of the above classification, we can easily say that spindles are used to perform a wide
range of tasks. Spindles are used to give the final shape and specification of any product in a
machining center. Spindles are used in the following applications:
• Turning • Milling
• Cutting • Dressing
• Drilling • Polishing
• Counter-sinking • Finishing
• Tapping • Assembly
• Reaming • Balancing

• Grinding • Winding

Spindles are used for processing

• Metal
• Composite
• Glass
• Wood
• Process Equipment

Spindles are used in different industries

• Aerospace
• Automotive
• Medical
• Construction
• Metal cutting
• Micromachining & Fine Milling
• Fine Drilling
• Soft and Hard-Material Dicing
• Wafer testing
• Printing industry

Some examples:
Aerospace and automotive: Major application areas of spindles include automotive and aerospace
industries. Many automotive parts have certain geometries that lend themselves to vertical grinding.
They are the most common applications for vertical grinders.
Micromachining & Fine Milling: This requires spindle with high speed with features of low vibration
and high stiffness under high load so as to get the highest quality surface finishing.

Fine Drilling: It is an evident fact that quick and accurate drilling of tiny holes requires spindles with
high-speed rotation, low run out and compact design.

Soft and Hard-Material Dicing: For dicing Silicon wafers, GaAs, Fiber Glass Epoxy, PZT, Alumina,
Ceremic BGA, Plastic or Sapphire, Glass, Titanium Carbide, and Tantalum, a spindle with high
stiffness, low run out and high-speed rotation is required to achieve an exact cutting matrix. Spindles
used for such purpose should have the ability to reverse directions for left and right rotation and to
work in a wet environment.

Wafer testing: A spindle with quick acceleration and deceleration, high speed, and low vibration is
always required in automatic wafer testing industry, where a laser scans a rotating wafer for
contamination or defects.

Spinners: A spindle with high speed, low vibration, and an integrated encoder and with quick
acceleration and deceleration is required in Optical or Drum Spinners that use a laser to etch plates for
printing.

Optical Components: Spindles are required for dicing, cutting or polishing optical components to
assure the highest quality surface finishing.
Factors affecting Spindle Performance

It is evident that it is not always easy to replace existing spindle equipment, but it is extremely
important for any manufacturer to keep up with today's production requirements. That is why proper
care and maintenance should be taken to continuously upgrade spindle performance and service,
depending on the applications in which they are used. Spindles are rotating shafts used to cut or hold
cutting tools in machine tools used in grinding, milling, boring etc. Any kind of problem associated
with spindles must be taken care of to avoid any kind of loss in manufacturing. For proper working of
spindles, certain things are to be avoided.

Factors affecting the performance of spindle: Common Spindle Problems

The major factors affecting the performance of the spindle are as follows:

• Heat & Temperature: A factor that leads to spindle problem is the temperature. All spindles
are made of metal. Metals like steel expands when heated and as such there is every chance
of the non-performance of a spindle when it is operated for a long time and heat is generated.
Under such circumstances, manufacturers should explain what measures have been taken to
protect the spindle from head growth-which usually leads to Y and Z axis changes.

• Contaminants: The contaminants usually get inside the spindle because of the easy opening
or loosening of the the spindle seal. Under such circumstances, the buyer must find out what
design features are taken by the machine tool manufacturer to keep the seal tight.

• Bearing failure: It is necessary to find out the design features that protect the spindle. It has
been found out that the most common factor causing the failure of spindle is the bearing
failure. The bearing failure is due to contamination from chip damage, coolant ingress,
condensation etc.

• Tooling used: Another factor contributing to spindle performance is the tooling used. Using
worn tools, unbalanced tools or long tools can affect the longevity of your spindle.

• Wrong Spindle for the Job: It so happens at times that a spindle is used in an application
for which it was never intended by the manufacturer.

• RPM: All spindles are manufactured with a rated maximum operating speed stamped on the
spindle body. It is essential to know that when rebuilding a spindle, if there is a deviation from
that RPM, there should be proper bearing preloads optimum to the application. Running a
spindle very slow or very fast will always result in poor performance.

• Outside Influences: In many cases, the spindle is usually the first component of a machine
or machine tool to be blamed when things go wrong. But it so happens that the actual cause
of the trouble is elsewhere.
 • Drive Motors and Idlers: Bad bearings or out-of-balance will transmit through the spindle
into the machining process and in turn will eventually damage the spindle.

• Tool holding equipment: All tool holding attachments to the spindle should perfectly fit to
the pilot surfaces of the spindle face. Various problems like bad taper, bent or out-of-round,
rusted, holding devices can result in severe vibration or misalignment of the tool or wheel to
the work piece.

• Belt Tension: One of the severe cause of spindle failure is due to loosening of belts. The belt
for the belt driven spindle should be just tight enough to avoid slippage. Excessive tightening
creates problems of shaft deflection and makes the rear bearings out of alignment, thereby
leading to poor performance, friction and vibration problems, heat and early failure.

Example of a spindle to remove contamination and control temperature

Spindle with coolant ring having adjustable nozzles
To remove the problem of contamination and to control the fluctuating temperature, some spindles
are manufactured with a coolant ring having adjustable nozzles. This following picture shows a coolant
ring having eight adjustable nozzles to remove chips and keep the temperature of the machine tool
and the workpiece cool.

Coolant Through the Spindle (CTS)

This is important to give protection to expensive and custom tools. This type of spindle is
recommended when machining at 12,000 rpm or more.

Conclusion
For any machining center, the spindle is the workhorse. It is very essential for all buyers to find out
whether the manufacturer has taken spindle design seriously and given importance to quality
components that will help increase the longevity and performance of your machining center's spindle.
Spindle Market

The machine-tool
spindle industry is a vital sector of manufacturing. Machine tools, which are used to cut and form
metal, are very essential for reproducing the technologies required in an industrial economy. A weak
domestic machine-tool industry of any country means that the manufacturers risk losing access to the
latest manufacturing technologies. The machine tool industry helps foster innovation in manufacturing
processes. However, the growth of the machine tool industry is dependent upon various factors. One
significant factor is the development of the machine tool spindle market.

Importance of spindles in machine tool industry

Machine tool spindles are engineered and manufactured for machine tools used in CNC machines,
machining centers in addition to grinding, turning, tapping, boring and drilling applications. The
regular trends in the machine tool industry are traced by increasing globalization, standardization of
systems and components , and greater international collaboration. The continuous need and drive to
improve machine tool productivity is viewed in higher speeds, improved power densities, more
flexibility and more multi-tasking of operations. A key factor to achieve this is the continual innovation
and improvement of spindles. Spindles are essential for any machine tool industry because they are
the ones which largely determine the quality of the final product produced and the overall
productivity, performance, and efficiency of the machine tool itself.

There are many parameters indicating a machine tool's functioning. One important parameter which
shows the advances over the last 200 years is the increase in spindle speed. During the 19th century,
spindle speeds of 100 to 750 revolutions per minute were very common. Today, spindles can rotate at
much higher speeds. Spindles are important in the machine tool industry for many reasons:

• Powerful spindles boost machine

• Tool performance

• New, fast, flexible spindles could raise productivity and spindle market share of any country.

• In the US, it has been reported that one perfect spindle design could save the auto industry
more than 100,000 hours in annual machining time for a single part.

• Benefits of spindles could extend to appliance, aircraft, electronics, oil, and other sectors as
well.
 Top 10 machine tool markets 2001-2002

Major factors affecting the growth of spindle market worldwide

• Not enough large firms and little cooperation among small companies in most countries.

• Difficulty obtaining capital.

• Lack of supply of skills and disincentives to invest in training.

• Poor performance in converting technological research into market advantage.

• Unsophisticated domestic demand.

• Weak export capacity and infrastructure.

Government Policies Required for the growth of the spindle market

• Provision of development of local cooperative networks among machine-tool makers,

suppliers, users to improve the adoption of new technology.

• Providing more investment in the manufacturing infrastructure.

• Help machine-tool makers compete internationally.

• Streamlining export licensing procedures, giving support to international sales efforts.

Machine tool spindle matket includes

• Machine Tool Manufacturers

• Metal-Cutting & Metal-Forming
• CNC & Conventional Machine Tools
• Powertrain Machinery Manufacturers and End Users
• Special Machine Tool Builders & Integrators
• Industrial End Users etc.
Global spindle market
The global machine tool spindle market is estimated to be over $1 billion, according to a recent report.
However, more than half of this corresponds to spindle maintenance and refurbishment. As there is
high demand of higher speeds, improved power density and more multi-tasking in the machine tool
industry, there are obviously greater needs for innovative spindle solutions. The largest market for
machine tool spindles worldwide are US and Germany. Taiwan and China play a significant role in the
manufacturing and exporting of spindles. In recent years, however China has not only overtaken the
US and Germany to become the largest machine tool/spindle market in the world but also China's
skilled labor force and low cost base makes it a solid base for sourcing or manufacturing.
Spindle Selection Guide

How to select your machine tool spindle to perform various tasks like drilling, milling, grinding, turning
etc.? There are many specifications to consider before buying spindles. We give below a selection
guide to make the right choice. To buy any type of spindle, you need to know and specify certain
things. These are as follows:

• What operation needs to be performed by the spindle?

• What are the operating parameters in terms of

o Speed
o Accuracy-Runout
o Power Requirements-at work or tool
o Tool or Work Holding Method

• What is the type of Spindle Body? Whether

o Base Mounted
o Block Style
o Flange Cartridge
o Cartridge
o Special Configuration

• What type of Lubrication is required? Whether

o Oil/Air
o Grease
o Recirculating Oil

• What is the basic sizing of the spindle?

o Basic sizing for boring spindles front bearing diameter which is usually equal or larger
than the bore being machined.

o Basic sizing for Face Milling Spindle, the face mill is somewhere around 1.5-2 times the
front bearing diameter.

o Largest spindle that meets RPM and Quill Size requirements.

o Internal Grinding
 Determine operating speed and wheel size
 Know the type of wheel holding
 Taper Shank Quill
 Straight Shank Quill
 Wheel Mount (For larger bores)

o External Grinding
 Know the wheel size and operating speed.
 What wheel mount is required based on wheel size?
 Select spindle on the basis of top of taper of wheel mount.
 • What type of drive is required? Whether
o Belt Driven
o Direct Motorized
o Coupled Motor
o Gear Driven

• What are the different factors to determine the type of spindle for any one given application?
The various factors to consider are like
o Speed
o Rigidity
o Size constraints
o Lubrication
o Special Accuracy Requirements
o Motorized vs. Non-Motorized etc.

Any buyer interested in buying spindle can fill up the questionnaire given above and accordingly buy
the spindle of his choice. The above questionnaire provides ample help to make the right choice.
Machine Tool Spindle Specification

Spindles used in machine tools

are rotating components used to hold and drive cutting tools or workpieces on milling machines,
lathes and other machine tools. For all spindles used in machine tools, the specifications that are to be
considered as follows:

Performance Specifications
The following factors are to be considered for performance specifications of spindles:

• Operating Speed: This is the rotational speed up to maximum under load.

• Spindle Power: This is the maximum rotational power that a spindle can operate and provide
operate within specifications.

• Maximum Torque: This is the maximum continuous torque transmission, excluding peak
ratings.

• Input Voltage (if required)

Spindle Drive
Spindles are activated by the following:

• Gear Drive: Driven by gears allowing high or low-speed spindle rotation.

• Belt Drive: This type of spindle drive has has pulley for drive with the help of a belt.

• Motorized: This is driven by a motor integrally built into the spindle.

• Direct / Shaft Drive: It is driven on spindle axis and the drive end has shaft for coupling or
joining to drive motor.

• Pneumatic: Driven with pressurized air.

• Hydraulic: Hydrostatic or hydraulic spindle power.

Configuration
Spindles configurations are of following types:

• Cartridge

: The spindle assembly can be inserted into a stationary housing.

• Block: This is a square or rectangular or a type of box housing.

 • Spindle Speeder/Head: For any purposes of milling, drilling, turning or for any machine
tools, the spindle can be mounted into the head.

• Foot Mounted: In such types, the housing is bolted down with the help of flanges or feet at
the bottom of the housing.

• Multiple Spindle Head: These kind of spindle heads mount directly onto a machine tool and
allow for milling, drilling, tapping, etc. simultaneously with multiple tool spindles. These help in
speed machining operations and for repetitive precision work.

• Angle Head: Machine head mounted spindles have right-angle or adjustable angle tool
rotation.

Spindle Application
The applications of spindles are wide and varied.

• Drilling: Used in drilling operations, with good thrust capacity and radial load rating.

• Boring: Used in boring, that is enlarging a hole of an already drilled hole or the machining of
an internal diameter in the workpiece.

• Grinding: Used in grinding for precision size and surface finishing.

• Milling: Used with milling cutters, including a variety of machining operations and tools.

• Turning: Used in vertical or horizontal lathes and turning centers.

• Hobbing: Used to cut gear tooth profiles.

• Test Systems: Spindles contain design features which are just ideal for test setups and
systems, like computer drive testing, semiconductor testing, bearing spinning and friction
tests, dynamic balancing, etc.

• Tapping: Designed specifically to be used with taps to create internal threads.

• Wheel Dressing: Spindles are used in dressing, contouring, and re-profiling abrasive grinding
wheels.

• Specialty Industry: Used in specialty or non-machine tools for jewelry manufacturing, optical
lens processing, and many others.

Tool Mounting

• Unit designation: Unit designation for O.D., I.D., etc. can be either English as inches or
fractions of an inch or Metric as millimeters or centimeters.

• Spindle interface size: This refers to the cutting tool's diameter or the grinding wheel's bore
that can be mounted to the spindle.
 • Tool / Workholder Mounting: This refers to mounting interface on spindle end, including
mounting options for cutting tools, workpieces, grinding wheels, etc. The various options are:
o Arbor / Shaft: Driven end here is a straight shaft for tool or wheel mounting.

o Standard Bore: The bore is straight or standard for tool mounting.

o Collet: Coming in standard tooling sizes and tapers, tool mounts into a collet, which is
tightened properly to secure the tool for operation.

o Threaded Hole: The shaft consists a threaded hole for screw or stud mounting,
typically used in grinding wheels.

o External Taper: The shaft has external taper, used for mounting or grinding,
polishing, or buffing wheel.

o Internal Taper: Accept standard machine tool collets.

o Wheel Collet: They have external tapered nose designed to accept grinding wheel
mounting.

o Flanged Bore: Here, the tool end has a bore for location, with flange mounting
attribute around the bore.

Spindle Options
The various options are as follows:

• Automatic Balancing spindle: This spindle with dynamic balancing system can prevent tool
or wheel unbalance without using any extensive operator interaction.

• Air Purge spindle: This has an automatic blow-off of contamination, chips, dust, etc., at or
near spindle bearings.

• High Frequency Drive: This allows a spindle to operate at very high speeds.

• Coolant Feed: This allows for direct application of coolant to the grinding or cutting
operation.

• Linear / Compound Motion: In addition to its rotation, spindle can also move axially. Very
common in drilling and other machining operations.

• Liquid Cooled: This leads to high heat dissipation capacity and can translate into higher
speed ratings.

Spindles Repair Services

It is very important for all manufacturers
and buyers to upgrade spindle performance, keep your spindle equipment up and running at peak
performance, and to help minimizing their downtime. When we talk about spindle repair services, it
implies the rebuilding, repair or replacement of spindle and its associated accessories. It is also
necessary that any kind of spindle or spindle repair service should meet International Standards
Organization (ISO) requirements or OEM certifications or specific automotive specifications.

How to select spindle repair services?

It requires a complete understanding of spindle technologies to select any kind of spindle repair
services. For example, bearings are used to provide clearance and permit rotary motion without
eliminating wear and friction and physical contact, thereby facilitating high speeds. Bearings are of
various types. Again there are spindles mount in a block or cartridge-style housing or bolted in place
with the use of flanges or feet. Spindles with angled head configuration allow adjustable tool or right
angle rotation. Spindles that perform the tasks of milling, turning , drilling fit the heads of different
machines include gearing to multiply the spindle speed and so on.

Certifications and quality requirements

There are various certifications and quality requirements for spindle repair services. The various
certifications are

• ISO 9001: This provide requirements for organizations whose business involves design and
development, production, installation, servicing.

• ISO 9002: This provide requirements for organizations whose business involves production,
installation, servicing, but not design and development.

• QS 9000: Based on the 1994 edition of ISO 9001 with additional requirements particular to
the automotive industry, this is the must have quality standard for suppliers of Ford Motor
Company and General Motors Corporation etc.

• OEM specifications: Another quality certification available on spindles is by original

equipment manufacturers (OEM) to repair spindles according to specified tolerance and
conditions.

Classifications of spindles repair services

For any manufacturer or supplier of spindles, it becomes very necessary to provide the following
services as spindles repair services for its customers:

• Inspection of disassembled spindle: This service includes determining possible spindle

crash, overheating, improper bearing fits, improper tooling, use of spindle after initial failure,
lack of lube or overloading.
 • Condition of bearings: This service is performed under laboratory conditions to determine
over speeding, spindle crash, lack of lubrication, overloading, loss of pre load, contamination
or overheating.

• Engineering recommendations of spindle repair: This service includes various

suggestions of spindle design changes or improvements to spindle longevity and performance.

• On-site training and preventative maintenance: This service is a must for all spindle
suppliers to give proper guidance on spindle care and installation, appropriate alarm levels and
predicting imminent failures.

• Repair, rebuilding of spindles: Repair or rebuilding of spindles become very necessary in

spindles used in lathes, milling machines, grinding machines and various other machine tools.

• Component evaluation and replacement.

• Clean room assembly.

• Inspection and quality control.

• Failure analysis.

• Dynamic testing.

• Vibration analysis.

• Spindle speed range upgrades etc.

Additional services
Spindle repair services also provide some other services, in addition to above. Of course, this depends
a lot on customer's recommendations. For example:

• Some manufacturers use computer aided design or drafting (CAD) to design products quickly
and accurately and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) is used to fabricate spindles from
these CAD outputs. Such companies that provide design assistance can also help the
customers in providing
o Concepts
o Manufacturing costs
o Manufacturing techniques
o Material considerations for various types of spindles

• There are certain repair services that can rebuild machine tools or provide refurbished spindles
or provide on-site support or warranty repaired products.
How to Improve Spindle Performance

To improve the performance of a machining tool spindle, there are a lot of things that can be done.
We give below some suggestions to improve the performance of a spindle:

The spindle should be constantly monitored: Installing SMRU

It is not a very easy task to properly maintain spindles because they are manufactured in such a way
so that they can work in a certain temperature range for a certain period in time. Different
temperature range has different effects on the spindle. Some experts have suggested the installing of
a spindle monitoring and recording unit (SMRU). This unit provides an easy way to keep track of
critical maintenance issues. For example, when operated at 15°C above normal, installing of SMRU will
give an indication that grease life decreases by a factor of 2. SMRUs are used to record temperature,
running hours and speed. Another version of SMRU is that the information is stored in a histogram
form which helps in providing the maintenance engineer with information to find out how long the
spindle has been running and also to predict the remaining grease life. This unit can be installed as a
part of the spindle or bolted to it. Usually software is available for configuration of the SMRUs displays
and settings.

Ceramics are better

For a much better performance of spindles, try to replace a spindle's bearings with hybrid ceramic
bearings. For example, in a grinding spindles, 25 percent higher rpm can be achieved by using hybrid
ceramic bearings and synthetic grease lubricant in place of steel ball bearings using oil or air-mist
running at 10,000 to 15,000 rpm. Grinders with ceramic bearings can run 4000 hours without
problems, when compared to 3000 hours with steel bearings. There are hybrid bearings running up to
5000 hours at speeds more than 2.0 million ndm before degradation of parts occurs. Ndm is defined
as the bearing pitch diameter in mm multiplied by rpm). On the other hand, a steel bearing can quit
after 700 hours. Hybrid ceramic bearings also have the benefit of lowering temperature almost 50
percent and are more durable than steel bearings. In any machining tool center, the use of hybrid
ceramics bearings has been shown to drop bearing temperature from 60°C to 36°C at 12000 rpm.

Sophisticated belt drives

Another factor that can be considered to improve the performance of spindles is to use sophisticated
belt drives rather than conventional belt-driven spindles. A normal belt drive uses a angular contact
bearings pair at the belt-drive end and studies have shown that such belt drive face many problems
with spindle deflection and premature failures. At very high speeds, the bearings are loaded radially
with the belt pull and it also restricts the axial movement of the bearings which compensates the
thermal growth of the spindle system.

Shielded ball bearings

To remove the need for air purge or spot oil lubrication, it is necessary to upgrading the shielded ball
bearings. This can improve the spindle's performance because it can reduce contamination and helps
to increase spindle speed. A standard or a normal shielded bearings have the same ball diameter,
speed rating, internal geometry, load ratings, matching criteria, preload classes, and contact angles as
the bearings they replace. On the other hand shielded bearings are dependent only on the pre-packed
lubricant of the bearing. A double-shielded design has smaller diameter rolling elements and the rings
have open conformities for high speed performance. As such it has higher speed capability but lower
load ratings compared to the same size of the standard bearing.

Use of air seals

Air seals contain usually an air distribution ring and a rotating metal cased elastic sealing which have
the advantages of contact seals and air purge. Air seals are provided by few manufacturers in
spindles. The elastic sealing move up from the contact surface as the rotation of the spindle increases
the centrifugal force. The metal case cast away any kind of contaminants coming into the spindle.
There is uniform airflow from the air-distribution ring. This helps the seal to move on a thin film of air
while rotating. The air also pushes contaminants and dust away from the spindle while moving. In a
static condition also, the elastic seal provides a positive contact by keeping away contaminants from
entering into the spindle.

Some Do's and Dont's

Since the spindle is the heart of the machine, it must always be handled with care and maintained
regularly for best performance. The following list provides few easy checks you can make to reduce
your spindle repair cost and improve the spindle's performance.

• If the spindle is kept in a storage without using it for some time, then rotate the shaft 3 or
more turns quarterly top to bottom to circulate grease and lubricate internal components.

• Store the spindle in a dry heated area and in an area away from traffic to avoid damage.

• Keep the spindle covered covered so as to avoid dust and other foreign matter if not in use.

• Do not bump or stand on pulley ends while handling or installation.

• Check the spindle mounting surfaces for flatness and remove all dirt.

• Change filters before connecting them to the spindle.

• Flush out lubrication and air purge supply lines.

• Check housing for leaks and tears.

• Check for a clean lubricant supply.

• Check for a correct operating pressure.

• Check the air purge operating pressure and flow.

• Check pulley and belt for operating and do not tighten the belt very heavily.

• Check spindle rotation direction and speed.

• Use balanced tooling assemblies and cutting tools.

• Check the tool clamping pressure.

• Do not blow air or coolant at the face of spindle or spindle seals.

• If your spindle needs repair service, then always ship all spindle components, keys, pulleys so
they can be checked for proper balance.

• Clean the spindle's exterior before shipping it to the repair house etc.
Spindle Error Motions

In the world of spindle metrology, there are six different motions that are available in spindles. These
six motions are as follows:

• Pure rotation around the spindle axis which is the Z axis.

• Motion in any of the other five directions
o X axis
o Y axis
o Z axis
o Tilt along the X axis
o Tilt along the Y axis

Of all these motions, the first one is the desired motion while the other five are considered as spindle
error motions. Tilt measurements help in calculating the error at some distance projected beyond the
point at which another measurement is taken. Spindle errors are classified for the sole prupose of
distinguishing the root cause of the error or its effect on part quality.

Drift
This is a type of slow change that occurs over time due to some external influence, like temperature,
that makes a change in the tool position.

Shift
This is an abrupt change in an operating parameter due to some change in the system, like air-
pressure change or speed change on an air-bearing spindle. Since high-speed machining involves a
considerable level of centrifugal force on spindle components, speed changes can cause bearing
elements which in turn affect tool position to be repositioned.

Synchronous error motions

Error motions that are "synchronized" with the rotational speed is known as synchronous error motion.
Thse kind of motions repeat every revolution of the spindle. A plot of these errors displays lobes that
can occur once, twice or at some multiple of times per revolution. This type of motion is also known as
out-of roundness motion and it can predict the ability to bore a round hole or to turn a round part. The
tool will cut a part with the same number of lobes as viewed in the synchronous error motion plot.
Manufacturers can measure the synchronous error motions of spindles to find out which spindles they
should use for critical jobs. Also, it helps in determining the effects of a crash on a spindle's precision.
Spindles run true until they operate at a resonant speed that leads to excessive vibration.
Synchronous error motion plots, viewed at various spindle speeds, can make resonant speeds
apparent to allow operators to avoid them.

Asynchronous error motions

These motions are not synchronized with spindle rotation. In other words, error motions that are not
"synchronized" with the rotational speed of the spindle is known as asynchronous error motions.
Bearing "defect" frequencies usually cause asynchronous error motion. They do not repeat on
successive spindle rotations. These error motions are depicted by the "fuzziness" of a polar plot, and
are related to surface finish. Asynchronous error motions develop due to the interaction of spindle-
bearing elements that are rotating at different speeds,like rolling elements, bearing races, rolling
element retainers or cages. The errors can also develop from a machine tool's non-structural elements
like as in hydraulic pumps or coolant pumps. They can develop from external factors as well like a
forklift driving past the machine.

Spindle error analyzer

Spindle Error Analyzer is used for analyzing, measuring and monitoring machine tool spindle health
and performance. Virtually all types of spindles in any machines and machine tools can be evaluated.
It can also be used with precision spindles in disk drives and precision, high-speed drills. The analyzer
enables manufacturers to predict and prevent part errors like as follow:

• Hole location
• Surface finish
• Roundness

by measuring and tracking error motions that indicates:

• Out of round bearing components

• Bearing wear
• Misaligned bearing seats
• Structural vibration
• Inadequate stiffness
• Improper preload
• Resonant machine frequencies etc.

The Spindle Error Analyzer performs tests by complying with some certifications standards like as
follows:

• ANSI/ASME Standard B5.54-2005: "Methods for Performance Evaluation of CNC Machining

Centers"

• ANSI/ASME B89.3.4: "Axes of Rotation, Methods for Specifying and Testing"

• ANSI/ASME B5.57-1998: "Methods for Performance Evaluation of CNC Turning Centers"

• ISO230-7: Test Code for Machine Tools Part 7, "Geometric Accuracy of Axes of Rotation "

• ISO230-3: Test Code for Machine Tools Part 3, "Determination of Thermal Effects
Chiller/Cooling Units

Introduction
The constant loads and continuous functioning of the spindle leads to a generation of a lot of heat. For
proper functioning and durability of the spindle, it is very essential to remove this excess heat and this
is done through a separate chiller or a cooing unit. Chillers keep the spindle cool and control spindle
growth and head growth. Chillers are very essential component of spindles as they add life to the
spindle and they are typically used in long cycles or high duty cycles.

What is a chiller?
The chiller is a cooling system that removes heat from one element, say water and transfers it into
another element, say water or ambient air. It is a compressor based cooling system. It is similar to an
air conditioner. The only difference is that it cools and controls the temperature of a liquid instead of
air. The chiller also consists of a temperature controller, a reservoir and a recirculating pump.

Operation and setup of a chiller

This is very simple. The reservoir is filled with fluid to be recirculated, maybe water or an ethylene
glycol or water mix. Plumbing is installed between the chiller and the application and power is
provided to the chiller. The controller regulates the functions of the chiller. Once the chiller has been
programmed by a user for individual needs, it will provide a stable temperature, flow and pressure.
Harmful particles are kept out by an internal strainer.

Types of chiller

• Portable chiller: This is a liquid cooling system on casters or wheels that can be relocated
from one application to another with great ease and can be used to cool one or more heat
generating devices.

• Air-cooled chiller: This type absorbs heat from process water which is transferred to the
surrounding air. It is used in applications where the additional heat that is discharged is not a
factor. It requires less maintenance compared to water-cooled chillers. Air colled chiller
eliminates the need for a condense water pump and a cooling tower. It however consumes
approximately 10% more power than a water-cooled unit because a wet surface transfers heat
much better than a dry surface.

• Water-cooled chiller: This type of chiller absorbs heat from process water which is then
transferred to a separate water source like a cooling tower, pond, river etc. It is used large
capacity applications, especially when the heat generated by an air-cooled chiller creates a
problem. It requires condenser water treatment to remove mineral buildup.

Selection guide: Properties of air and water cooled chillers

Water cooled chiller Air cooled chiller
Adequate water supply available. Adequate water supply not available.
Water supply is of good quality. Water supply is not of good quality.
Plant ambient temperatures consistently Plant ambient temperatures will not consistently
exceed 95º F. exceed 95º F.
Ambient air is polluted with large dust and Ambient air is not polluted with large dust and dirt
dirt particles. particles.
Heat recovery is not practical or unimportant. Heat recovery is practical and important.
Source:
http://www.coleparmer.com/techinfo/techinfo.asp?htmlfile=coolschool.htm&ID=85

Applications of chillers
Chillers are used in many industrial applications such as follows:

• Plastics: In this industry chillers are used to cool the equipment used in the manufacturing
process and for cooling the hot plastic that is injected, blown extruded or stamped.

• Laser: Chillers are used to cool down the lasers as well the power supplies needed to power
them.

• Printing: Chillers are used to remove the heat generated by the printing rollers. They also
cool down the paper when it comes out of the ink drying ovens.

• EDM: During the cutting process, chillers keep machinery at ambient temperature.

• MRI and PET Scans: Chillers are used here to cool the high powered electronics used in the
machines and diagnostic tools.

• Machine Tooling: Chillers are very essential to cool the spindle of the machine as it produces
or holds the part. They also cool the liquid being sprayed on part itself as it is being turned on
the spindle.

Need for chiller in a spindle

The speed and accuracy of production in a machining center will increase when there is a constant
maintainence and a proper cooling temperature in the equipment. A chiller is very essential in a
spindle because it is the only method to remove escees heat that is generated while the spindle is in
operation. The chiller will reduce the number of rejected parts while at the same time increasing the
number of parts produced per hour.

An example
The above picture depicts a spindle designed with a coolant ring which has adjustable nozzles. The
picture shows a coolant ring having eight adjustable nozzles which help in blasting away chips and
also keep the temperature of the tool and the workpiece cool.

Spindle Collet

What is a collet?
Collet is an essential component of a spindle because it is the collet which helds the spindle in a
machine tool. Collet is a cone shaped sleeve generally used for holding circular or rod like pieces in so
many machines typically in lathe. It has usually a cylindrical inside and a conical outside and has kerf
edges along its length to permit it to expand and contract. The collets are so designed that either they
can be pulled or pushed into a matching conical socket to attain the clamping. When it is inserted into
the socket, it contracts and grip the surface of the inner cylinder. Collet is an adjustable metal part
that is used to tightly grip a tool or any workpiece. Collets expand spindle applications.

Materials used in making collets

• Steel
• Brass
 • Nylon etc.

Types of collets
There are two main types of collets:

Half-grip collets: They are identified by slits running from the bottom which is the mouth
of the collet to the top for about 80% of the collet length. They are the simpler of the two
collet types, and are ideal to be used with shorter shank tools where the shank cannot fill
the entire collet length.

Full-grip collets: They have slits running up from the bottom and down
from the top, for about 80% of the length of the collet. They can grip the tool evenly
over the entire length and have more flexibility, which results in "universal"
or "ranged" collet sizes. In other words, a specific collet size can hold a range of
tool sizes

Collet Maintenance
For any machine performance, tool geometry, cutting material, and machine feeds and speeds are all
important factors to consider. Tooling maintenance is very essential for any machine tool
performance. Collet affects the cut quality and durability of the spindle and hence it should be properly
maintained. A clean collet allows for a firm grip of the spindle, preventing tool run out which occurs
when the tool and spindle do not share the same center of rotation. It is highly recommended that the
collet, router bit, tool holder and spindle taper be cleaned each and every time a tool is changed.
When the machine is running, debris, dust, chips collect in all crevices of the spindle which will
eventually accumulate around the mouth of the collet. Because of this accumulation, the tool may not
be properly gripped. Proper cleaning and maintenance of the collet easily solves this problem. Besides
this, proper maintenance should be taken to extend cleaning of the spindle as well for optimal
performance.

Collet fixture in a milling machine

Standard collet fixture: The configuration of a standard endmill fixtured in a milling machine using a
collet is illustrated below:
Horizontal Collet Fixture: This type of collet is fixed horizontally and on a cylindrical part the
configuration allows flats to be cut at specified angles.

Applications of Collets

• Widely used in precision grinders.

• Also used in milling machines, and wood routers.
• Used in mechanical labs in institutions.
• Used in automotive and aerospace industry.
• Used in machines as lathe chuck.
• Also used with hydraulic or pneumatic actuators.
 • Can also be used as original equipment in lathes, grinding machines.
• They are also used in the manufacture of medical and electronic components.

Spindle Pulleys

What is a pulley?
Pulley is a simple machine used in a number of machinery work or machine parts to reduce the
amount of force required to do a work. Usually a pulley consists of a wheel with a grooved rim in
which a rope or chain is run. What pulleys actually do is that they change the direction of force applied
on the load to do the required work. Pulleys work in a similar way like gears but they are not directly
joined but linked by tubular springs, elastic bands or some flexible but strong material which is
referred to as a belt pulley.

Advantages & disadvantages of pulleys over gears

The main advantage of pulley over gear is that it is simple to make and can be used at a distance
from each other whereas gear needs to touch to work. The disadvantage of the pulley is that it works
by friction and can slip.

Uses of pulleys
Pulleys are used in belt driven spindles. They are used as single or in combination to transmit energy
and motion. In belt driven spindles, they are attached to the shafts at their axes. The power is
transferred between the shafts by means of endless belts running over these pulleys. Pulleys are used
to change the spindle speed and feed rate.

Materials used in making pulleys

• Fiberglass
• Plastic
• Polyester
• Steel
• Cast iron etc.
Styles of pulley
There are two pulley styles:

• Solid: They use belts that have a uniform thickness along the radius.

• Spoke, Thin or ribbed: They are designed for applications that require a reduction in pulley
weight.

Types of pulleys in belt driven spindles

• V-belt spindle pulley

• Flat belt spindle pulley

V-belt pulleys
V belt pulleys are attached with drive belts in several power transmission applications. They are
efficient and cost-effective. These type of pulleys have a triangular or trapezoidal cross-section. They
are available in both single groove and multiple groove devices. They differ in terms of pulley size, belt
width, belt angle, shaft mounting, operating temperature, and pulley web style. There are different
types of V belt pulleys.

• Standard V belt pulleys: They have one or more grooves and are used for general-purpose
applications.

• Variable speed pulleys: They have faces or flanges which can adjust axially to vary pitch
diameter.

• Idler pulleys: They are used as belt tensioners and contain bearings allowing free rotation.

• Companion pulleys: This type has ribbed webs for high strength-to-weight ratios.

• Multiple-size pulleys: They use step-down or cone configurations.

• Poly-V pulleys: They are the most common belts used in spindles and used with mating belts
for high-speed power transmission.

Flat belt pulleys

These type of pulleys are used in transmission systems that are driven by flat belts, typically used in
high-speed
, low-power applications. Flat belts are smaller than V belts because they are thinner by 25% or more.
They require flat pulleys and flat pulley idlers and not necessarily grooved flat belt pulleys. They apply
motive power to the belt.

Bearing lubricants
Lubrication is a very important factor for the proper functioning of any
machine tools and spindle bearing is no exception. Lubrication is
necessary to protect the different parts from wear and tear. Different
types of materials are used for lubricating the bearings. To enhance
the service of bearings, you must choose the right type of lubricants.

Types of Lubricants:

• Oils
• Greases
• Dry lubricants

Function of Lubricants
Despite having different types of lubricants for spindle bearings, their function is almost same. All
lubricants provide some common services.

• Lubricants apply a thin elasto hydrodynamic layer that reduces contact between the rolling
parts.
• They protect certain spindle bearing components from oxidation.
• They help in minimizing the effect of contamination.
• They enable spindles to run faster, cooler and longer.
• They allow a significant increment in the operating speed of the spindles.
• They enable the spindles to run at the same speed and help in reducing the operating
temperature.

Oil Lubrication
Different types of oils are used for bearing lubrication. In industrial applications, petroleum based oils
are the most common in use. A general misconception about oil lubrication is that more is better. Too
much oil isn't good for the health of bearings. To produce the perfect elasto hydrodynamic (EHD) film
between the layers of rolling elements of bearing, an adequate amount of oil is required at the specific
temperature and operating speed. Any excess amount of oil will be responsible for increased bearing
temperature.

Lubrication Systems
Lubricating the spindle bearings require certain oil introducing mechanism. Here are given three basic
ways of it:

• Air-oil mist: This method is very simple, inexpensive and reliable. A fog of oil droplets is
created in an air stream delivered to the bearing. It features adjustable air pressure and oil
delivery rate.

• Air-oil injection: This method delivers a controlled microscopic oil stream to the bearing,
featuring adjustable oil and air delivery rate. They demand slightly increased cost set up. They
provide a longer bearing life.
 • Oil-injection: This method needs high cost for set up, but they ensure maximum bearing life.
In it high pressure oil is directly fed to the bearings. But generally it is not used in machine
tools.

Grease Lubrication
Grease lubrication in bearings is very common and simpler. It is a permanent greasing solution and
require minimal maintenance and is inexpensive. The grease is injected between the balls and races.
Grease is actually oil mixed with a thickener. Thickener is an inert substance added just to hold the oil
like sponge.

Limitation of Greasing
However there are certain limitations on grease limitation. Almost all greases are rated to operate up
to the temperature of 300°F. Those grease which can tolerate high speeds have ester oil base and
barium complex as thickener.

• The spindles packed with grease are unable to run above dN values of 850,000 for continuous
operation.

• When the operating speed increases the operating temperature increases too and it started to
break down the grease.

• Excess of grease application is not good for bearings because it can create heat due to
churning which can cause grease to deteriorate.

Buying tips
Selection of proper lubricants should be made by following certain parameters such as:

• The viscosity of the lubricant at all relevant temperatures.

• The operating speed of the bearings.

• Compatibility of the lubricant to all components and potential contaminants

Belt Driven Spindle

Belt driven spindles are one of the major categories of spindle based on the driving medium. Belt
driven spindles cover almost all categories of the application spindles. Though it is the traditional
technique in use from a long time and many new variations have come up in the market like the
motorized or the high frequency spindles, still belt driven spindles are popular and used in a large
number of industrial applications. These spindles find its use in grinding, drilling, milling, turning and
many other machining tasks. The spindles operate with a tangential belt drive system. They are best
accommodated to the places where there is sufficiency of space because the belts require certain
space. Now-a-days these spindles are available in variety of sizes and models in compact designs.

How does a belt driven spindle operates?

Power and rotation are provided to this spindle with the help of external motor. The motor is usually
mounted adjacent to the spindle, the torque is transferred to the shaft of the spindle by using a
cogged or V-belt. The speed, power, torque of the spindle depend upon the performance features of
the driving motor, and the belt ratio used between the spindles and the motor.

Features of belt driven spindles

• The belt driven spindles are available in block, cartridge, and flange cartridge styles.

• Belt-driven spindles are of different types based on bearing construction and overall spindle
configuration.

• They are available in a variety of sizes and models and with many optional features.

• To optimize the performance of the belt driven spindles for specific applications, a number of
specific machines like bearings are used. Certain bearings like tapered roller bearings, angular
 contact ball bearings and tapered bore roller bearings are used to maximize the performance
of belt-driven spindles.

• High speed belt driven spindles require special lubrication.

• Belt driven spindles are sensitive to vibration.

• They are also sensitive to run-out generated by the drive motor.

• Belt-driven spindles are offered in grinding head, boring head, milling head which helps in
grinding, boring, milling and so on.

• With a belt-driven spindle, the belt is easy to maintain and easily accessible.

• The type of belt affects the noise level of the spindle.

• High radial and axial stiffness.

• Minimized excessive temperature rise and minimized shaft elongation in action in some
spindles.

Other Belt Driven Spindles

• Belt Driven Grinding Spindles

• Belt Driven Milling Spindles

Uses of Belt Driven Spindles

Belt driven spindles are highly popular because of the following reasons:

• Belt driven spindles are used for all grinding purposes.

• Belt driven spindles are used in all types of milling and drilling applications.

• They provide a low cost simple design just suitable for a wide range of applications.

• The flexibility of a belt driven spindle design makes it easy to customize.

• They meet a wide variety of load, size and speed requirements.

• They are required for high-speed machining. These spindles are used especially where a large
number of different bores have to be ground with high precision, which is not possible in a
normal spindle.

• Belt driven spindles are considered less expensive as power is passed from the motor to the
spindle by simple toothed or "V" type rubber

belts or poly-V belts.

• They are capable of attaining higher spindle speeds than geared spindles.
Applications of Belt Driven Spindles
Belt driven spindles find their greatest applications in

• Light machining of steels and non ferrous metals.

• Light internal grinding
• Heavy internal grinding
• Light external grinding
• Heavy external grinding
• Grinding deep holes
• Grinding in high speed
• Milling
• Drilling
• Boring
• Routing
• Engraving etc.

Buying tips
Specifications to consider are as follows:

• Spindle speed
• Spindle power
• Bearing types
• Spindle lubrication
• Type of belt
• Durability
• Clamping tool
• Rotation direction
• Applications
• The proper bearings and shafts are to be selected for the speed and load conditions for the
specific applications of the belt driven spindle etc.

Motorized Spindle

What is a motorized spindle?

Motorized machine tool spindles are a popular category of spindles used in various industrial
applications. Motorized spindles are becoming more common on new machining centers. The
motorized spindle unit is generally the preferred design option for high-speed, high-power systems
and medium and high performance machine tools. These high-speed motorized spindles have the
drive motor integral to the spindle. The motor is built directly into the spindle, which eliminates the
need for a belt or gears for power transmission. These spindles are available in a variety of sizes and
models in a compact design. Such spindles are highly recommended for high productivity where there
is limited space for the spindle, and high flexibility in terms of service and improved dynamic behavior.
Speeds beyond 100,000 rpm can be achieved by machining center spindles using motorized design-a
speed level that would be impractical or problematic using a belt driven approach. Motorized spindles
are used in all types of machine tool applications, including grinding, drilling, milling, turning and
boring.

How does a motorized spindle operate?

A motorized spindle either has an internal motor installed into the system or an external motor outside
the system to provide torque and power. The motor in the spindle is the integral part of the spindle
shaft and housing assembly. It is the motor which allows the spindle to rotate at very high speeds as a
complete unit, without facing the conventional drawbacks of belts or gears.

In general, a complete motorized-spindle comprises the following

• The spindle shaft

• The motor element and
• The tooling system.

The shaft is held in position by using high precision bearings, which rotates up to the maximum speed
and display the power characteristics of the motor type that is used.

Features of motorized spindles

Different models of motorized spindles have different features. Some notable features of motorized
spindles are as follows:

• Available in different sizes, the motorized spindles offer a robust combination of speed and
power to support machining needs. These motorized spindles are available with a wide range
of horsepower and speed combinations.

• The drive of the spindle unit is implemented by a DC or an AC motor, characterized by greater

output, better tolerances, lower heat rises and longer bearing life.

• Motorized spindle units also incorporate asynchronous or synchronous motor technology that
will push spindle speeds.

• The unique motor drive system used in spindles offer high-resolution position encoder with
high power over a wide speed range, full torque and highly accurate spindle orientation.
 • Most of the motorized spindles are ruggedly designed and built to offer long trouble-free
service as they operate at very high speeds.

• There are different models of motorized spindles and each model has a design suitable for
grinding, boring, milling applications.

• Some spindles have bracket mount design, while others are foot mounted.

• These motorized spindles are available in block, cartridge, and flange styles.

• Besides the standard models, a motorized spindle can be custom designed to meet application
needs. Whatever the requirement like housing style, special bearing arrangement, tool
interface or spindle configuration, a motorized spindle can be built to customer's
specifications.

Other Motorized Spindles

• Motorized Grinding Spindles

• Motorized Milling Spindles

Uses of Motorized Spindles

Motorized machine tool spindles are highly recommended in various applications because of the
following reasons:

• The motorized spindle is considered to be the ultimate in reliability and precision machining of
today's machine tools.

• They operate at very high speed.

• They are intended for applications at small CNC milling, routing, engraving, drilling machines
for machining various materials.

• They are also suitable for applications like internal grinding of bearing races, internal thread
grinding, and other precision bore grinding applications.

• Motorized spindles allow extremely good cutting capacities.

• They also provide good surface finishes of the workpiece. They deliver smoother operation
with lower operating vibration, which in turn leads to improved surface finish.

• They are suitable for internal grinding, external grinding, face grinding and surface grinding.

• Motorized spindles are the ideal option for a precision machine application requiring a low
profile, close-center distance, and compact design.

• For general-purpose applications that require flexibility and automatic spindle change,
motorized spindles are the norm etc.
Applications of motorized spindles

Applications of motorized spindles include

• Machining centers
• Tool machine manufacturing
• Milling machine tools for aerospace, automotive use
• Grinding machine tools
• Pick-up lathes
• High performance lathes
• Surface grinding applications
• Planers
• Lathes
• Vertical boring mills
• Vertical turret lathes etc.

Buying tips
Technical specifications to consider are as follows:

• Speed
• Motor Type
• Voltage
• Current
• Maximum Power
• Maximum Torque
• Radial Tolerance
• Axial Tolerance

Other specifications are as follows:

• Tool clamping system: Manual, automatic, collet, pneumatic

• Cooling system
• Spindles bearings: Bearing type
• Spindles lubrication: Oil, mist, grease
• Housing diameter
• Model: Standard or customized etc.

The best motorized spindle will be that which provide the best combination of speed, power, stiffness
and load capacity.

Grinding Spindles

What are grinding spindles?

An important category of machine tool
spindles are grinding machine spindles. As the name suggests these spindles are specially designed to
grind. They are of various types and available in various configurations. For any kind of grinding
whether on a large scale or a small scale, the grinding spindles play a vital role. Grinding spindles are
used in any machine tools with grinding wheels for precision, size and surface finishing. Most of these
spindles are designed in such a way so as to be fully interchangeable with each other and with existing
systems. They are made of hard, durable steel alloys which helps to prevent premature damage on
the surface as well seizing during machine assembly. The grinding spindles' housing diameters are
available in various lengths depending on the size of the machine tool in which it will be fitted while
some are available in standard, industry dimensions. Coolant and oil connections meet the most
common worldwide standards.

Grinding : Meaning
The process of removing metal by using abrasives bonded to form a rotating wheel is known as
grinding. When the moving abrasive particles come in contact with the workpiece, they act as tiny
cutting tools, thereby cutting a tiny chip from the workpiece. Though many people believe that
grinding abrasive wheels remove material by the method of a rubbing action, the process is the same
as a cutting action as drilling, milling, and lathe turning.

Grinding spindles: Characteristics

Some important characteristics common to many grinding spindles are as follows:

• In most grinding spindles, there is an oil/air mist lubrication system with an effective heat
dissipation method which helps in simplifying the spindle configuration.

• There is the standard spindle range for vertical grinding and horizontal grinding which is
developed to enable vertical applications and horizontal applications.

• There is also spindle range for internal grinding and motorized main spindle ranges.

• Grinding spindles include special solutions to prevent or avoid dirt collection inside.

• The spindle design also considers the different vibration behavior of a rotating shaft from
vertical and horizontal positions etc.

Grinding spindles: Uses

The grinding efficiency is measured in terms of material removal rate which is attained by employing
ultra high wheel speeds. For any ultra high speed grinding machine tool, the spindle is a key
component. The various uses of grinding spindles are given below:

• The grinding spindle is used for roughing and finishing flat, cylindrical and conical surfaces.

• The grinding spindle is used for finishing internal cylinders or bores.

• It helps in forming and sharpening cutting tools.

• It also helps in snagging or removing rough projections from castings and stampings.
 • Another important task of grinding spindles is to cleaning, polishing and buffing surfaces.

New innovations
Many grinding spindles are now combining cutting and grinding into a single platform. The benefits of
performing multi tasks lead to improved work flow, fewer machines and operators, reduced setups,
and higher and better parts resulting from performing all operations in one setup.

Types of grinding machine spindles

All spindles are usually classified into three main categories-high frequency, belt driven or motorized.
Other popular types of grinding spindles are:

• Internal grinding spindles: Internal grinding is considered to be the most challenging of all
grinding applications. Internal grinding means the precision grinding of the inside surface of
the hole in a work piece, enlarging or finishing of the cylindrical opening or inside diameter in
a workpiece.

• External grinding spindles: External grinding, which is also important to many

manufacturing organizations, refers to grinding of the outer surface of a workpiece.

• Horizontal grinding spindles: Horizontal grinding spindles are designed to grind advanced
materials, including wafer backside grinding operations, achieving a high degree of flatness
while at the same time optimizing surface finishes. They are so called because the grinding
process takes place in a horizontal way. On machines with horizontal spindle the motor-driven
spindles are horizontal. In such machines the parts are guided through the grinding wheels
vertically.

• Vertical grinding spindles: Vertical grinding , as the name suggests, fixes the workpiece on
a rotary chuck in the machine base , similar to the orientation of the workpiece on a vertical
lathe. The vertical grinding spindle travels up and down and side to side and at times may also
swivel from above the workpiece. On machines with vertical spindle, the motor-driven spindles
are vertical and the parts are guided through the grinding wheels horizontally.

All these spindles can either be belt driven or motorized or high frequency spindles. Let us now explain
in details the various types of grinding spindles on the basis of the above classifications:

• High Frequency Grinding

• Belt Driven Grinding
• Motorized Grinding
• Surface Grinding

Buying tips
Certain specifications to be considered for the purchase of grinding spindles are as follows:

• Spindle drive: Whether belt driven, high frequency or motorized.

• Spindle applications: In which area of application the grinding spindle should be used.
 • Spindle speed: Spindle rpm capabilities.

• Spindle performance: High Speed Capability, Smooth Running - Low Vibration, High
Accuracy - Runout Tolerances, High Rigidity, Low Speed - High Torque Operation

• Environment: Medium Chip or Dust (regularly removed), Light Chip or Dust (frequently
removed), Open, allowing coolant and chips to flow away, Heavy Chip or Dust (build-up around
spindle) etc. These options differ in different grinding spindles and the manufacturer should
give proper guide as to whether it is recommended or acceptable or better or best in different
options available.

• Type of lubrication required.

• Machine specifications: For instance, rigid wheel head spindles, rigid bearings, feed
increments.

• Types of grinding heads in spindles: Whether air turbine grinding heads or electric
grinding heads.

• Durability: Warranty period.

• Spindle repair services offered by the manufacturer etc.

• General: Cost, quick delivery, choice of accessories, compact design, availability of

customization etc.

High Frequency Spindle

What is a high frequency spindle?

High-frequency spindles form a very important category of spindles designed
for precision, high speed and productivity. These spindles are suitable for
milling and drilling of metallic and non-metallic materials at highest speed
and continuous power. They are available with different power and speed
ranges and cartridge, flange cartridge, block body, base mount styles. High
frequency spindles are helpful in getting better surface finish and high
productivity. They have integrated motor design which eliminates gears and
pulleys, and thus making it very compact. They are so called because they
require separate external frequency converter.

Features of hi-frequency spindles

• Aggressive motors

• Excellent bearing rigidity

 • High rotational accuracy

• Vibration-free operation

• Extreme precision

• Maximum efficiency

• High rigidity

• High-performance spindles feature various external diameters range and various tensioning
systems.

• They come in a wide variety of horsepower, rpm levels and body styles.

• They are engineered for optimal reliability and long-life.

• Body styles of hi-frequency spindles can be cartridge, flange cartridge, base mounted and
block style.

• In some spindles, the components feature case hardening, tempering treatments, isothermal
annealing to prevent wear and loss of precision.

• High precision ball bearings to optimize the speed/bearing diameter ratio.

• Forced motor cooling

• All rotating parts in the spindle are balanced carefully before and after assembly.

• Lubrication systems are designed and optimized to obtain maximum speed in such spindles.

• Usually automatic tool change.

• Assembly in such spindles is designed to allow for easy maintenance.

Accessories for High frequency spindles

• Frequency Converter: Suitable frequency converter to assure optimum compatibility with

and best performance of the hf spindles.

• Lubricating Systems, Cooling Units: Very essential in order to protect the life and
performance of the spindle.

• Tool Clamping Systems: Either automatic or manual.

• Screw-in mandrels, Flanges, Collets, Arbors etc.

Other High Frequency spindles

 • High Frequency Grinding Spindles
• High Frequency Milling Spindles

Uses of high-frequency spindles

High frequency spindles are recommended for those applications where high speed and high accuracy
is required. These spindles relate to a technology that permits on average the highest level of
performance.

Applications of high frequency spindles

Hi-frequency spindles are suitable to perform various machining tasks like

• Grinding
• Milling
• Drilling
• Engraving

They are used in applications like internal grinding of bearing races, internal thread grinding, and
other bore grinding applications. They satisfy very precise milling requirements. They are used in dry-
machining and high-speed-cutting applications as well.

Buying tips
Certain specifications to consider are as follows:

• Spindle speed
• Spindle power
• Frequency
• Rotation direction
• Lubrication
• Bearing type
• Radial and axial tolerances
• Spindles accessories
• Cooling system
• Tool clamping

High Speed Spindles

What is a high speed spindle?

High speed spindles have today emerged as the most important component of any kind of high
machining process. For all kind of machining tasks, whether in the CNC, tool, machining center and
other process components, the use of high speed spindles always optimizes productivity. For all
manufacturers in this fast growing world, using high speed spindles has become a "rule" in keeping
ahead of competitors. High speed spindles are considered to be the most critical elements of high
speed machine tools and usually very expensive.
Major components of a high speed spindle
All spindles are not necessarily high speed spindles. Certain specific points are to be taken into
consideration for the design of a high speed spindle because the performance of a high speed spindle
is different and better than a conventional spindle. The major components that are to be considered
for a high speed spindle design include:

• Spindle Drive: This can be either belt driven or motor driven. While the belt driven spindle is
run by a tangential belt system, the motorized spindle is driven by an external or internal
motor installed in to the system. This is determined by evaluating the requirements of the
machine tool, considering the requirement of the the maximum speed, power and stiffness.

• Spindle Bearings: This includes the evaluation of the type, quantity, mounting, and
lubrication method used in the bearings.

• Spindle Motor: Belt-Type, Motor-Spindle, Capacity and Size

• Spindle Shaft: This includes tool retention drawbar and tooling system used

• Spindle Housing: Evaluate the size, mounting style and capacity of the housing.

Functions of high speed spindles

Numerous industries use high speed spindles to

• Deliver high speed

• Maximize application performance
• Deliver high power
• Shorter through time
• Better accuracy
 • Reliability for high performance machine tools
• Used for all applications like
o Micro machining
o Engraving
o Drilling
o Milling
o Grinding
o Boring

Difference between a high speed spindle and a conventional machine tool

spindle
High speed spindles are more or less designed with the motor directly flanged to the spindle shaft. On
the other hand conventional spindles are mostly gear or belt driven. While the maximum rotational
speed of belt or gear driven spindles is some where about 12000 to 15000 RPM and at speed higher
than this the spindle tends to induce vibrations, which usually result in poor surface finish. For this
reason, machine tool spindle spindles mostly use a directly flanged motor and thereby achieving more
higher speed, torque and power compared to a standard spindle.

Types of retro fit high speed spindles

Some advantages of high speed spindles can be attained in high speed machining by retrofitting a
high speed spindle to an existing machine. The high speed spindle can be chosen according to the
needs of the application. The various options are as follows:

Replacement spindle: The existing machine tool spindle is replaced by a high speed spindle .

Fixed Centerline Spindle :An independently powered machine tool spindle mounts in the original
spindle. At times, the high speed spindle can be removed allowing the original spindle take slower,
heavier cuts.
Secondary Spindle: An independent high speed spindle is fixed alongside the main spindle. This
makes the original spindle available for slower, heavier cuts.

Buying tips
There are many factors that determine the final decision of buying a machine tool spindle. A spindle
that is desired to have the highest speed will not necessarily have the maximum stiffness possible,
and, at the same time, the spindle with the highest stiffness cannot run at high speeds without losing
bearing life. So, as designers amd manufacturers of machine tool spindles, compromises must be made
in order to result at a final design that will offer the compromise.

Factors to consider are as follows:

• Requirement of high speed spindle • Design Impact of bearings
o High Stiffness o Large shaft,low speed
o High Speed o Small Shaft, Low Power
o Radial Loading o Lower Speed
o Axial Loading o Higher Speed
o High Accuracy o Expensive, Low Speed
• Best Bearing Type • Lubrication type
o Large Roller • Spindle drive
o High Contact Angle
o Low Contact Angle • Spindle repair services etc.
o Small Angular Contact

o High Preload