Originally Posted by
jwhil
Skrubol, yeah it used to run all the time.
Anyway, I replaced the VFD and the new one runs its fan continously upon power up. No change in performance occurred here.
Then I replaced the spindle and we're back up and running at full power.
New spindle noticeably quieter without load. From everything I've read and experienced in the past, failed bearings would be extremely obvious. This wasn't the case here (spindle ran fine at any RPM and relatively quiet without load)
Perhaps the windings are shot. Or some kind of short happening inside the old spindle? I notice that the new spindle passes coolant MUCH easier.
Anyway, I'm back up and running. If anyone wants to suggest troubleshooting the old spindle, I'm open to it. I.e. could it still be bearing related despite a lack of horrid noise?
For anyone reading this just trying to get back to a state of normal cutting, I recommend just buying a new kit. For $500 it's worth just replacing and holding onto your questionable parts as emergency backups.