Crashed the spindle? What to check before you call
By Northern ServicesPublished on Reading time: 2 min read
Every shop has the moment: a wrong offset, a clamp in the path, a tool that was longer than the program thought. The machine stops, everyone looks at the spindle. Here is what to do in the next five minutes.
Do not run it yet
The instinct is to jog it and listen. Do not, until you have looked. A bent shaft or a cracked bearing race does more damage with every revolution, and the difference between a bearing job and a shaft-and-housing job can be that first test run.
The checklist
- The tool. Broken? Bent? Pulled out of the collet? A tool that survived intact often means the crash was softer than it sounded.
- The collet and holder. Look at the collet nut and the holder taper for marks, and at the spindle nose for anything that has moved or cracked.
- Visible damage. The housing, the nose, the shaft where it leaves the seals, the cooling ports, the cable and connector. Photograph everything; the photos go with your quote.
- Runout. With a clean collet and a ground pin, measure runout as described in our runout guide. A reading that has jumped is the clearest sign the shaft or bearings have taken the hit.
- Turn it by hand. Free and smooth, or notchy, tight or grinding? Notchy means the bearings.
- Drawbar, on an ATC. Does the tool holder still clamp and release cleanly, and does it seat fully? A crash can bend the drawbar or damage the gripper fingers.
- Only then, a short run at low speed, if everything above is clean. New noise or vibration means stop and ship.
What the quote will look at
On the bench we strip the spindle and inspect every component: shaft, bearings, housing, drawbar, seals, encoder, windings. Crash damage is quoted like everything else, in writing, before work starts, and if the housing or the shaft is beyond repair we say so and talk about a replacement instead.
Getting the machine back
Standard turnaround is 3 to 5 working days from receipt. If the crash has stopped a machine that cannot wait, there is an emergency service for an additional $750; say so on the quote form and we plan the bench around it.