DIYbanter - View Single Post - high-speed spindles

Ecnerwal[_3_]

In article , wrote:

1.5kw? as in 2 hp? Seems excessive for drilling .020 inch diameter
holes in pcb's. Milling .001 inch copper sheet isn't a major job either.
Maybe 1/4 hp would be adequate, surely 1/2 hp?
If you run across a spindle in that range (30000, 40000, 50000 rpm),
let it be known. I looking for such a beast for milling stencils in 3 mil
& 5 mil brass.

Assuming you can stand the noise (one place a "real" spindle beats the
heck out of them) laminate trimmers are a typical 30,000 rpm
small-horsepower unit. Routers if you need a bit more beef. I come at
this myself from the "I have a CNC router and I begin to see why I might
want a 'spindle' to cut the noise down" viewpoint. The deafening roar of
an aircooled universal motor gets old, fast. The sparks off the brushes
would presumably mean Lloyd couldn't use one, though I suppose he might
have machine areas that are not in the "go boom" zone, but if he's
looking at watercooled spindles I'm thinking he wants it quiet,
comparatively, anyway.

Runout may not be the greatest, but the same is probably true of
low-budget chinese spindles. On the laminate trimmers/routers, avoid the
cheap chinese ones or you'll really regret it, IMHO.

Or, if you have large horsepower shop air and don't mind using it, use a
die grinder. Kinda spendy for much long-term use in operational
cost...but you can get 50,000+ rpm out of one without a sweat.

Hmm. Combine the concept of watercooling and turbine air, maybe there's
some market for a water-turbine spindle - power it by dropping the
well-pump of your choice (or the power you need) in a drum of water and
recirculate...LLoyd could use that in the "go-boom" area, and you'd get
those nice non-contact watercooled bearings. Probably imractical due to
no such small water-turbine units being in large-scale production, but
it's a nice thought.

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