How to pack and ship a spindle for repair without damaging it

Couriers drop boxes. Spindles are heavy, and the part that matters most, the shaft and the taper, sticks out of one end. Here is how to get one to us in the condition it left.

Before it goes in the box

1. Ask for a job reference first. Request a quote or call. We confirm we can help, give you a reference for the job and the address to ship to.
2. Remove the tooling. Take out the tool holder or the collet and nut. Send the collet nut separately in a bag if you want it checked.
3. Drain and cap. Liquid-cooled spindles: drain the coolant and cap the ports. Blow chips and dust out of the housing.
4. Disconnect cleanly. If the encoder cable or a connector came off with the spindle, label it and send it. A photo of the connections before you unplug them saves a phone call later.

Protecting the shaft and taper

The taper is a precision surface; a nick in it will be in every cut afterwards. Fit the taper cover if you have one. If not, wrap the nose in clean cloth, then bubble wrap, and tape it so it cannot unwind. Never let the shaft or the nose carry the weight of the spindle in the box.

The box

• Double-box anything heavy: the spindle in a snug inner box, that box in a larger one with padding all round.
• Fill every gap. The spindle must not be able to move at all. Foam, bubble wrap, packing paper, packed tight.
• Mark it. FRAGILE, THIS WAY UP, and an arrow showing which end the shaft is at.
• Insure it for the replacement value. It is a small percentage of the shipping cost.

In the box

A sheet with your name, company, phone number and email, the machine the spindle came from, the job reference, and a line or two on what it was doing. If you have already sent that through the quote form, the reference alone is enough.

Coming back

Rebuilt spindles ship the same way: taper protected, immobilised, insured. Rush jobs go out the day they pass test. Shipping is on the quote, so there are no surprises when the box arrives.