[AK_Five-O]

I'm looking for some input on motor selection for a Taig ER16 spindle. It will be used on a gantry style machine and used mostly for aluminum. I only have 120VAC @ 15 A easily available, but could run 240VAC if needed.

I was looking at this motor Surplus Center - 1/4 HP 24 VDC 2040 RPM PM MOTOR but at only 240 watts I'm sure it would be underpowered. Would something like this be a better choice Surplus Center - 1/2 HP 90 VDC 1800 RPM MOTOR 56C?

I would like to have a max speed of 10K rpm which would be obtained with pulley sizing, but I would like the speed to be controlled via software such as Mach3. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[rowbare]

You might also consider a 3 phase AC motor with a VFD. Something like this:
Surplus Center - 1/2 HP 1725 RPM 208-230/460 VAC 3PH MOTOR

for fractional horsepower motors, there are a lot of VFDs that will take 120 in and put out 220 3 phase:
Adjustable Frequency Drive, Teco VFD, Phase Converter, Variable Phase Output

If you go this route, prefer a 1725 rpm motor over a 3450 rpm motor (of the same series) and gear accordingly. The manufacturers normally put the same bearings in both so you can run a 1725 rpm motor at a higher frequency without having to worry too much about the bearings. Of course you have to consider things like heat and duty cycle but that is the case with all motor setups.

If it fits your budget, it might be a good way to go.

bob

[AK_Five-O]

Thanks for the reply. I have experience with DC motors, which is why I was leaning towards them. With that said, your suggestion in within my budget and I'm certainly willing to try something new. What's the advantage to a VFD AC motor compared to a PWM DC motor? Is there any way to interface that VFD to Mach3 or will it need to be controlled manually? Thanks a lot for your help.

[UUU]

VFD can be interfaced to Mach3, but you'll need something to convert the PWM signal (or step/dir signal) from Mach3 into the stop/start and 0-5V (or 0-10V) signals required by the VFD. The popular Gecko G540 all-in-one BOB-driver system has this built in. Or many of the break-out-board makers also do spindle speed controller boards that do the job, e.g. PMDX-107. If you're going to do long runs, I'd go the VFD route - it will run all day.